About

Chris has 30 years of experience in operational roles with connectivity-focused businesses ranging from start-ups to mature companies spanning from network service providers to global internet hyperscalers. His experience includes over 10 years at Meta/Facebook and 10 years at Sprint Nextel and other service providers. He has led teams responsible for strategy, partnerships, sales, marketing, policy, and business development.

As CEO, Chris is excited to lead the CENTRA team as they plan and build physical infrastructure that is in high demand by players who sit at the intersection of his career experience. Service providers and global internet content and cloud players consider CENTRA’s solutions as critical to enabling our digital lives.

Chris and his family love spending time in the mountains skiing or backpacking. Closer to home, they can be found on the trails of Marin County on their bikes and hiking with their dogs. Chris received his B.S. from Marquette University and MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School.

Chris has 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and data center industry, holding various leadership roles with companies like MCI, Sprint PCS, Ernst & Young, OnFiber, and AboveNet / Zayo, with a commitment to creating value for customers, employees, and investors. Prior to his role as COO of Centra, he served as the Sr. Director of Interconnection Solutions for CyrusOne, LLC where he was responsible for the financial health of the interconnection products.

For Centra, Chris finds excitement in the entrepreneurial spirit and team-oriented culture. A strong group of people with a cross functional set of skills are digging into shape & grow something from scratch.

Chris and his family enjoy traveling and participating in new experiences and lives in Houston, “get down” Texas.

Aaron has over 25 years of experience in finance and strategy roles across digital infrastructure, and technology hardware and software companies, including at Equinix, HPE, and Sun Microsystems. Most recently, he served as Sr. Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at Brinqa, which is a SaaS vendor focused on the cybersecurity market. Aaron began his career in investment banking at Bear Stearns.

At CENTRA, Aaron is focused on partnering to support the needs of the business, and building out the team, systems and processes required to scale the organization through a high rate of growth.

Aaron lives in the Bay Area of California, and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, and is especially passionate about hiking and mountain biking. Aaron holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

Chuck has 25+ years of experience and has had an all-data center career experience. Starting out in operations and project management roles before moving into leadership. Chuck has managed construction and engineering including green field builds and retrofits in existing live production data center environments.

For Centra, Chuck is focused on fostering the can-do attitude of the team. Having a team that understands the industry and is willing to do whatever it takes to build a successful company to serve our customers.

Chuck enjoys all the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer including hiking, skiing and golf.

Shelly brings 30 years of experience in technical solutions sales with deep knowledge of data centers, hybrid cloud, low latency connectivity solutions, channel partnerships and joint product development. Her background includes nine years in senior sales roles at Equinix, Inc., as well as experience as a founder and principal of IDC Global, a boutique, multi-location data center company.

At CENTRA, Shelly’s dedication to exceptional customer experiences drew her to the company’s dynamic, ‘all hands on board’ growth-oriented culture.

She and her family enjoy traveling, sports, and spending time with their beloved dogs. Shelly is also passionate about supporting veterans and mentors through American Corporate Partners (ACP). She holds a BA from Purdue University.

Bryson has over 24 years of experience in digital and network infrastructure, enterprise solutions, and cybersecurity. He has effectively built and scaled technical teams, boosting revenue across various sectors. Previously, Bryson held several customer-facing leadership roles at Equinix.

At CENTRA, Bryson is committed to working with partners to solve critical customer challenges with innovative solutions.

Outside work, Bryson is passionate about mentorship, supporting local youth organizations and Pursuit.org to help those in economic need advance in tech careers. He holds a BS in Computer Engineering and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Aujon has extensive experience in accounting across the real estate and data center industries, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role as a key leader at CENTRA. Prior to joining CENTRA, she spent eight years at CyrusOne, where she played a pivotal role in the accounting department. During her tenure, she successfully led process improvements and implemented new enterprise systems, driving efficiency and innovation within the organization.

As the Director of Accounting at CENTRA, Aujon is excited to guide the accounting team through the company’s rapid growth. She is particularly drawn to the creative challenges and opportunities of working in a dynamic, evolving business and is committed to helping the company scale effectively and sustainably.

Outside of work, Aujon enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her family, always seeking new experiences and adventures.

Ben has extensive experience in telecommunications infrastructure, partnerships, and public policy across the private, non-profit, and public sectors. In his prior role, Ben managed the development of the State of California’s open-access middle-mile broadband network, building strategic partnerships and developing policies to enhance connectivity across the state. Previously, he served as a Program Manager at Meta driving connectivity projects and interventions on across the globe.

For CENTRA, Ben is focused on building strategic partnerships that foster the interconnection ecosystem and developing an inclusive and collaborative company culture.

Zack has experience in the real estate and telecommunications industries. Prior to CENTRA, he spent two years at JLL as a Valuation Advisory Analyst in the litigation group. Zack also interned at Terrapact.

For CENTRA, Zack is excited to be starting something at its onset and watching it grow, as a mighty team with a wide range of responsibilities.

Zack enjoys fly fishing and golf and is an avid Denver Nuggets fan. He is from Colorado but currently resides in Chicago.

Shane has 15+ years of experience in telecommunications, construction, and data center fields.  Beginning his career in construction, moving into hybrid fiber-coaxial field operations, and then excelling in hub site and data center engineering and construction management roles specializing in controls and monitoring systems. Shane has played a key role in mission critical construction and retrofits within live data centers supporting design through commissioning while acting as the lead controls and monitoring systems administrator afterwards and spearheading continuous improvement efforts.

For Centra, Shane is excited to be part of a talented team of professionals with vast knowledge of the industry and a drive for cultivating robust interconnect solutions in high demand markets.

Shane appreciates the outdoor adventures of hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and trail running. You may also find him with friends and family around a campfire, enjoying live music, or on the beach.

Karl has 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and data center industry. Most recently as the Chief Customer and Revenue Officer of Equinix, responsible for growth of the company globally and previously as the President of the Americas with responsibility for the management, strategy and growth of the region.

Bill is a venture partner with Columbia Capital and serves as executive chairman of Deep Edge, BandwidthIG, XenithIG, and on the boards of VivacityIG and TerraPact. Bill is the founder and former CEO of SummitIG.

Patrick is a partner at Columbia Capital. He joined the firm in 2002 and focuses on investments in internet infrastructure, primarily in data center operators and related services. He’s been closely involved with Columbia’s investments in Cologix, Virtustream, CPG, Teraco, New Signature, Presidio and Tract. Patrick received his B.A. in from Vanderbilt University.

Jay is Managing Partner of Bear Creek Capital Management, an investment company focused on communications software and services. He is a board member of Charter Communications, InterDigital, and numerous private companies in the communications industry. Jay received his B.A from Washington & Lee University and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Graham Williams is the Chief Investment Officer for Tract, a data center land acquisition and development company. Prior to joining Tract, Graham was the Chief Operating Officer for Cologix leading operations, construction, commercial management, and strategy. He has over 20 years of experience in the data center, communication, Internet, content delivery and video industries. Prior to Cologix, Williams held Product Management and Strategy positions at Charter Communications and Level 3 Communications. Williams holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Jim is currently the managing partner at Columbia Capital where he has been a partner since 1994. Jim focuses on investments in communications services, primarily in wireless, telecom, satellite, and media sectors. To date, Columbia Capital has invested in over 175 companies, ranging from small, early-stage investments to multibillion-dollar public companies. Jim received his B.A. from Stanford University.