Overcoming potential career ending challenges and sharing stories of perseverance, Mr. Melvin to inspire businesses and communities for lasting positive change
PETALUMA, CA – August 15, 2018 – Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX, news, filings) today announced astronaut, former NFL player, scientist, TV personality, and author Leland Melvin will deliver a keynote presentation at Calix ConneXions 2018. As the only person in human history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space, Mr. Melvin shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, and examines the intersecting roles of community, perseverance, and grace that align to create the opportunities for success in his recent book, Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances.
“Houston, we have a problem.” Mr. Melvin was 25 feet under water in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a 6-million-gallon pool, training to perform spacewalks as a NASA astronaut when he called the test director and asked him to turn the volume up in his headset. He never heard a reply and was immediately hoisted out of the pool to learn that he was now deaf. Emergency surgery resulting in only partial recovery to his hearing led him to being medically disqualified to fly in space by NASA flight surgeons. This is just one of the many career ending challenges Mr. Melvin has overcome in his life. Mr. Melvin has a fascinating story of perseverance and reinvention and how he ultimately traveled off-planet twice on Space Shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station.
“Our goal in featuring an inspirational leader like Leland Melvin at ConneXions is to encourage our attendees to re-examine their business models as well as their own careers,” said Matt Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at Calix. “Mr. Melvin is a true pioneer who has pushed himself to accomplish feats that have never been achieved before. We can all learn from his experiences and his indomitable spirit. At ConneXions, innovators from across the communications industry will also share their pioneering experiences in deploying new services and evolving their businesses.”
Mr. Melvin will bring his life lessons from a career spanning the NFL as a receiver with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, to NASA as an astronaut and in the Langley Research Center, to the head of NASA Education, serving as the co-chair on the White House’s Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Task Force. He has also been seen as the host of the Lifetime competition series Child Genius and is currently a judge for ABC’s competition series BattleBots. Throughout these professional experiences working on high stakes teams, Mr. Melvin has developed a deep and nuanced understanding of effective team dynamics.
Registration is now open for Calix ConneXions, the industry’s premier Innovation and User Conference, taking place October 27-30, 2018 at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The conference hosted 2000+ attendees last year and 91 percent of those attendees would recommend the event to a colleague. Learn more here about the keynote presentations, conference tracks with over 65 breakout sessions, networking events, training classes, and an evening of entertainment with comedian Ryan Hamilton. Register today!
About Calix
Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) – Innovative communications service providers rely on Calix platforms to help them master and monetize the complex infrastructure between their subscribers and the cloud. Calix is the leading global provider of the cloud and software platforms, systems, and services required to deliver the unified access network and smart premises of tomorrow. Our platforms and services help our customers build next generation networks by embracing a DevOps operating model, optimize the subscriber experience by leveraging big data analytics and turn the complexity of the smart home and business into new revenue streams.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based upon management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this release, and we assume no obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking statement to reflect any event or circumstance after the date of this release, except as required by law. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from current expectations based on risks and uncertainties affecting Calix’s business. The reader is cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Additional information on potential factors that could affect Calix’s results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov.
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