Reflecting on an Incredible Year with the Phoenix Atlassian Community Events Chapter
Hello everyone,
As we near the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to look back on everything we’ve accomplished together as the Phoenix Atlassian Community Chapter. This year has been one of growth, collaboration, and learning, with a lineup of impactful events that brought us closer as a community and deepened our knowledge of Atlassian tools and teamwork strategies.
From insightful guest speakers to hands-on workshops and networking opportunities, every event this year aimed to empower and inspire. None of this would have been possible without the enthusiasm and participation of our amazing ACE leaders, our members, as well as the support of our dedicated leaders and partners.
Let’s take a moment to recap the highlights of our year and celebrate the incredible journey we’ve shared.
Team Collaboration
On February 27th we held a hybrid event in Scottsdale hosted by GikKraken where we heard about GitKraken’s journey to bridge the divide between teams and systems to keep devs (and development stakeholders) happy. We talked about reducing developer interruptions, running more effective standups, improving visibility into developer activities, and planning for the unknown. Thanks to our speakers Adam Wride and John Nelson!
Enablement Training
On February 29th we cohosted a virtual event with the Salt Lake City Chapter and @Kristjan Geir Mathiesen - Origo called “Did you know” - How to do a fun size Atlassian enablement training where Kristjian showed us how he keeps his company up to date on the changes in the Cloud in a clever, easy way. He taught us how to train our users and empower them to take full advantage of the Atlassian stack. The more your users know, the more likely it is that they will be more productive and happier with the Atlassian tools. Thanks to our speaker Kristjan Mathieson!
Level Up Your People and Protect Your Atlassian Cloud
On April 2nd we held a hybrid event in Tempe hosted by ISOS Technology where Onward and Revyz teamed up to bring us expert insights on modernizing HR Service Management using Jira Service Management. We discovered best practices for employee onboarding/offboarding, automating access provisioning, integrating HR systems, and safeguarding our Atlassian Cloud data. They also shined a spotlight on safeguarding your SaaS data, with a special emphasis on the Atlassian Cloud. Thanks to @Vish Reddy {Revyz} and @Prabhu Palanisamy _Onward_.
Know Before You Go! Team 24: A-wesome (event) I-ntelligence
On April 25th we cohosted a virtual event with the Rotterdam chapter where @Andy - PTC Redundant and Suze Treacy discussed what to know before you go to Team ‘24! Whether you were joining in person from the big city itself, or following the digital thread from anywhere in the globe, one element is fact: it is a VERY full agenda and it's really tough to navigate; and not just for the first timers. Even the veterans struggle! The event included a guess at what the big announcements would be, how to get around the Expo Hall, extra curricular activities and a guide to the parties. Thanks to Fun Man Andy and Suze Treacy for letting us tag along!
XL TEAM '24 Recap
On May 30th, the Phoenix Chapter pulled out all the stops and hosted their first XL hybrid event at Nextiva in Scottsdale and it was even broadcast live on The Jira Life! It started with @Summer Hogan and @Josh Costella talking about their first time experiences at Team ‘24. Then @Rodney Nissen - ReleaseTEAM, @Alex Ortiz, and @Robert Wen_Cprime_ provided a deep dive into the latest innovations and updates discussed at Team ‘24 with expert insights from Rodney and Alex. If you missed this one, you can watch the recording of The Jira Life here - . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv3lO4cLx7o&t=1321s. Thanks to Rodney Nissan, Alex Ortiz, and Robert Wen.
From Chaos to Catalyst: How Atlassian Solutions Help You Correct Misalignment
On September 19th, we held a hybrid event in Tempe hosted by ISOS Technology where @Tracy Walton, director of Agile Services at ISOS Technology discussed the dynamic relationship between agility, alignment, and technology, spotlighting essential Atlassian and marketplace tools like BigPicture, eazyBI for Jira, Jira Product Discovery, Structure / Roadmunk, Advanced Roadmaps and AllStacks. She provided a concise guide to leveraging Atlassian tools to elevate your ability to connect strategy and execution across teams. Thank you Tracy for the great presentation!
Automations & Workflows that Keep Teams Aligned
On October 16th we held a virtual event where Michael “Yaro”, the CEO of Visor discussed how Automations and workflows can not only make your team more efficient; they can also make you better collaborators. In this session, Mike went through the various Jira automations he uses to connect different teams, workstreams, and tools to drive crystal clear team alignment. Thank you Michael for the great presentation!
Let's hit the gym: shape up your team by building a shared understanding
On November 15th, the Phoenix Chapter held their last event of the year, a hybrid event at Nextiva in Scottsdale where @Mark Cruth, Atlassian Modern Work Coach took us through three plays in the Atlassian Team Playbook (
Atlassian Team Playbook - Build strong teams with Plays ). He discussed how teamwork is tough, and it’s not getting easier. As more teams switch to remote or hybrid work models, building and maintaining a sense of connection and shared purpose among team members is becoming increasingly challenging. If we're going to get our teams healthy, we need to hit the teamwork gym! Thanks Mark for this amazing event to close out an incredible year for the Phoenix Chapter!
Looking Ahead to Another Great Year
As we wrap up an incredible year of events, we want to take a moment to thank everyone who made it possible. From our dedicated ACE leaders to the inspiring speakers, generous sponsors, and, most importantly, our amazing community members—you are what makes the Phoenix Atlassian Community so special.
This year, we learned, connected, and grew together, exploring innovative ideas and strengthening the bonds that make teamwork thrive. Whether it was diving into tools, sharing best practices, or simply coming together to collaborate, each event brought us one step closer to achieving our goals as a community.
We’re excited about what’s to come in the new year. With your continued support and enthusiasm, we’re confident that 2025 will bring even more opportunities to learn, grow, and shape the future of teamwork.
Here’s to another year of collaboration, innovation, and community!
If you want to get more involved in the Phoenix ACE Chapter, please visit 
Phoenix or connect with any Phoneix ACE leader(s) on LinkedIn or within the community.
Phoenix ACE Leaders
Derrick Taylor David
Alex Johnson
Josh Costella
Summer Hogan
Robert Wen
Rodney West
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