John DeSilva, Systems and Network Manager
What I Do
We (the IT group) are mainly IT for all EE Faculty Research Groups; we also handle Staff IT support and Instructional Labs IT support.
Origins
I have a very long story, but at its essence it's this - I was born and raised in Southern California (lived in pretty much every beach city in what's known as the South Bay), and moved to Northern California (Cupertino) in the early 80's. I've lived in or near West San Jose ever since. I moved up north to be with my wife Diane, who I married in 1986. We have 2 sons - David, who is a professional musician, and Steven, who is a mental health & wellness professional. I started in IT back in the late 80's when I got a job dispatching comm techs for AT&T in Sunnyvale. From there, I followed my AT&T boss to a Cellular Data Telemetry start-up (CellNet), and then had my first connection to Stanford when my brother-in-law's childhood friend Charlie, needed an IT person for a new start-up emerging from Stanford's and Cal's WiFi research (Atheros). I tried my hand at a start-up after that (failed after a few years), then was able to come to Stanford in 2010. I've always been EE at Stanford.
We also have 3 furry family members - Reggie (a dog; Parson Russell/Chihuahua Mix), KitKat (a cat; not sure of the breed), and Tuffie (another cat; same)
My EExperience
The EE department was the perfect landing place for me and my IT skills. I'm able to help Faculty, Staff, & Students get their work done and fulfill their missions. And I couldn't have joined a better group than the EE IT crew - from our original boss Charlie, to our current boss Joe, along with Eric, Thomas, Rachelle, and our interns Zoë, Justice, and Ethan, we have the tools and the talent! I'm very fortunate to be a part of this excellent group of people, and the EE department is one of the most exciting places to be for an IT professional (EE people invented most of what I do for a living!).
Outside of Work
As anyone who knows me knows, I have 2 passions (besides my wife and family) - music (specifically the Beatles, guitars, and vinyl records), and Disneyland (along with Disney & Pixar animation). We also love to travel to Hawaii, and we enjoy cruising on the west coast. I look forward to pursuing these passions more fully upon retirement, whenever that ends up happening (gonna be a while).
Favorite Spot
I love walking through the different quads around campus, especially the Main Quad and the SEQ. Really, anywhere on campus is great - we have one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. Off-campus, it's the islands of Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii (and Oahu is pretty great too).
My beautiful wife and I at an ELO concert
🤘
Plucky portrait in my home studio
Disney magic!
