Chad Dalton
Newark,IL
Summary
Self-motivated technology executive with 24 years in healthcare IT and a modern cloud-first approach. Recently advanced to AVP, Enterprise Infrastructure, leading cloud migrations, security-enabled operations, and strategic IT governance. Proven track record moving large-scale on-prem workloads to AWS, strengthening security posture, and modernizing endpoint protection.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
AVP, Enterprise Infrastructure
Illinois Hospital Association (IHA)
Naperville, IL
08.2011 - Current
- - Led cloud-first strategy and cloud operations, migrating approximately 80% of on-prem workloads to AWS VPCs (EC2, S3, RDS) with robust networking (VPCs, subnets, NAT, VPN/Direct Connect) and IAM governance.
- - Designed and implemented secure, scalable cloud architecture and governance, including encryption (KMS), centralized logging (CloudWatch/CloudTrail), and continuous security monitoring; aligned with HIPAA/compliance requirements.
- - Consolidated on-prem data center footprint while preserving or improving performance, resilience, and security; maintained primary datacenter and 4 remote sites with modernized networking and security controls.
- - Implemented Tenable vulnerability management with weekly scans and remediation workflows; integrated findings into incident response and change-management processes to reduce risk exposure.
- - Replaced Cylance with Huntress as the endpoint protection platform across virtual desktops and servers, enhancing detection and response capabilities; integrated with existing SOC tooling.
- - Oversaw enterprise services including switching, routing, VOIP, and security for the organization; managed professional services and strategic vendor relationships.
- - Implemented secure egress architecture: consolidated multiple offices to route all internet traffic through a single, filtered/monitored egress using Cisco Sourcefire IDS/IPS and next-gen security controls.
- - Modernized storage and backup: replaced Tintri NAS with Pure Storage SAN; maintained production backups with Veeam 9.5 and ExaGrid NAS with offsite replication; ensured disaster recovery readiness.
- - Maintained and evolved virtualization stack: design, installation, and management of Cisco UCS cluster and VMware vSphere 6.5 for approximately 265 virtual servers/desktops.
- - Supported Wyse P25 zero-client endpoints via Teradici PCoIP Manager; ensured seamless remote/zero-client access to VDI.
- - Conducted Proofs of Concept (PoCs) for new infrastructure services; drove rapid evaluation and adoption of suitable technologies.
- - Fostered cross-functional collaboration with IT service desk and application development teams; aligned infrastructure roadmap with business objectives.
- - Achieved cost optimization and efficiency gains through continued process improvement, vendor negotiations, and consolidations.
- > Note: Throughout the role, responsibilities expanded to reflect cloud maturity, security modernization, and cloud-native service delivery while maintaining HIPAA compliance and service-level expectations.
Sr. Director of Virtual Systems
Illinois Hospital Association
Naperville, IL
08.2011 - Current
- - Directed virtualization strategy and data center operations during a period of rapid modernization and consolidation.
- - Implemented security monitoring (initial SIEM/Vulnerability tooling) and storage upgrades to support scalable enterprise infrastructure.
- - Supported IT service desk and development teams; managed enterprise class infrastructure projects and vendor relationships.
- - Migrated and consolidated core workloads to support improved reliability and performance while preparing for subsequent cloud adoption.
Infrastructure Server Engineer
Hallmark Services Corporation
Naperville, IL
11.2006 - 08.2011
- - Streamlined multi-silo processes, reducing costs and increasing program value; defined SLAs and client-facing documentation.
- - Managed multi-project workload, including VMware vCenter 4.x and ESX 4.x implementations; consolidated 85% of Windows 2003 environments via virtualization.
- - Led data center relocation and storage projects (EMC NS40 Celera NAS, CIFS data migration).
- - Implemented Pano Logic zero clients (250 units) and Windows XP deployments; delivered production-ready VDI and desktop virtualization.
- - Administered Cisco UCS-based infrastructure; managed Windows/Linux server environments; supported ITIL-aligned incident/request/change processes.
Lead Help Desk / Desktop Support
Hallmark Services Corporation
Aurora, IL
06.1997 - 11.2006
- - Project management and deployment of 400+ Windows XP desktops; Citrix Metaframe client support.
- - Implemented ECM scanning and provided on-site support for 300 corporate Windows NT/XP systems.
- - Delivered Tier 1/2 support for a mixed LAN/WAN environment; helped drive Windows server administration initiatives.
Data Center Operator
Hallmark Services Corporation
Aurora, IL
06.1996 - 01.1997
- - Monitored batch jobs, console errors, and backup operations; VERITAS NetBackup tape cycles.
Education
Associate in Arts -
Waubonsee Community College
Sugar Grove, IL05-1996
Skills
- - Cloud: AWS (VPC, EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, GuardDuty/Config, CloudWatch)
- - Security: Tenableio, Huntress, HIPAA/compliance controls, incident response
- - Virtualization & Compute: VMware vSphere, VMware vCenter, Cisco UCS
- - Storage & Backup: Pure Storage, Tintri (legacy), EMC, Veeam, ExaGrid
- - Networking & UC: Cisco Nexus/UCS, VOIP, VPN, Direct Connect, WAN/LAN
- - Endpoints: Huntress (replacement for Cylance), Wyse P25, Teradici PCoIP
- - OS & Environments: Windows Server (2003/2008/2012/2016), Linux (SUSE/CentOS/Ubuntu)
- - Monitoring & Logging: CloudWatch/CloudTrail, SIEM (AlienVault legacy), log aggregation
Timeline
AVP, Enterprise Infrastructure
Illinois Hospital Association (IHA)
08.2011 - Current
Sr. Director of Virtual Systems
Illinois Hospital Association
08.2011 - Current
Infrastructure Server Engineer
Hallmark Services Corporation
11.2006 - 08.2011
Lead Help Desk / Desktop Support
Hallmark Services Corporation
06.1997 - 11.2006
Data Center Operator
Hallmark Services Corporation
06.1996 - 01.1997
Associate in Arts -
Waubonsee Community College
Activities And Awards
2009 AITP/SIM Most Effective IT Team Award (for a medium-size organization), 2009-01-01