The first suit John Griffin ever owned was Dress Gray, the uniform of a West Point cadet.
These days, he wears a more varied color palette in his position as vice president of federal channels and systems integrators at Dell Technologies. His mission now is to support the federal government’s pursuit of modernized IT systems, working closely with his customers to solve their mission challenges.
Before stepping into his current role, Griffin was vice president of Dell Technologies’ Data Center Storage Sales team. He began his career at EMC as an account executive and steadily moved through a series of sales leadership roles, continuing with Dell after its acquisition of EMC.
Griffin’s career has been shaped by a desire to align personal goals with meaningful work. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and serving six years in the Army, he transitioned to the private sector, initially focusing on commercial sales. Over time, he found himself drawn back to mission-driven work—this time, through the lens of technology and innovation.
“I’ve been fortunate to work for a company that supports both my professional growth and personal goals,” he said. “I’ve had the chance to lead, explore new technologies and build a career that works for my family, too.”
Foundations and Work-Life Balance
When Griffin joined EMC, it marked the start of a steady, upward career path. He was drawn to the Massachusetts-based company through a connection with a West Point graduate he’d served with and because it offered the stability his growing family needed.
“I had young kids and was looking for a career that could support me financially while also giving me the work-life balance I needed,” Griffin said. “My wife and I had four kids under the age of 6 at the time. As they grew, my personal goals evolved, too. EMC and Dell Technologies gave me the flexibility to grow with them. Twenty-two years later, I’m still here—and loving it.”
Career Path and Professional Evolution
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Griffin was presented with a career-defining opportunity: join the federal organization and build out its data center practice. It was a chance to support the federal customer in a new way—indirectly, but meaningfully—and he accepted.
The transition wasn’t easy. As remote work surged, so did the demand for data centers. Navigating this rapid growth while getting to know a large, dispersed team took time—it was nearly a year before he had met everyone.
“We help our partners better serve our shared end-user customers,” Griffin said. “They bring the specialized skills and capabilities needed to deliver complete solutions. My role is to support them with the right technologies and resources to make that happen.”
That collaboration drives both efficiency and effectiveness—key priorities for today’s government initiatives.
“AI is the foundation,” he added. “We’re helping our partners and customers understand what’s possible by sharing best practices and showing how those innovations can directly support their mission.”
Looking Forward, Giving Back
This year’s Dell Technologies World highlighted how far Dell Technologies has come in developing AI uses, including the dramatically expanded AI Factory portfolio, new AI-optimized PCs, high-performance PowerEdge servers and an AI Data Platform to enable scalable, secure AI deployment across devices, data centers, the edge and the cloud, he said.
Dell Technologies also deepened its partnership with NVIDIA, introducing next-generation AI infrastructure, co-engineered with PowerEdge systems for the latest NVIDIA GPUs, advanced networking and expanded managed AI services, all aimed at accelerating enterprise AI adoption and simplifying operations.
Plus, the company has redefined the modern data center through disaggregated infrastructure and enhanced cyber-resilient storage solutions that provide greater flexibility, security and readiness for AI-driven workloads.
For Griffin, these breakthroughs are a testament to the rapid rise of AI and its capacity to drive innovation. Throughout his career, he not only witnessed these advancements firsthand but also developed invaluable soft skills he now shares through mentorship. These relationships, he says, are a two-way street.
“I learn so much from conversations with the people I mentor,” he said. “It gives me a better perspective to be able to support people.”