John Williston
About John Williston
John Williston is the Director of Application Support/Enterprise Command Center at Fannie Mae in Reston, VA, with extensive experience in ITIL functions and service management.
Current Role at Fannie Mae
John Williston is currently serving as the Director of Application Support and the Enterprise Command Center at Fannie Mae in Reston, Va. His responsibilities encompass overseeing ITIL functions related to Incident, Change, and Problem Management. He plays a crucial role in service restoration, managing and coordinating both technical and business teams to quickly resolve Severity 1 and Severity 2 issues in the production environment. Williston also oversees Change and Problem Management processes and ensures continuous communication with all levels of management during incidents. He conducts initial post-mortems post-service restoration to improve future incident management.
Past Role at Fannie Mae
Before his current role, John Williston served as the Application Support Manager and Lead Manager of the Enterprise Command Center at Fannie Mae from 1998 to 2011. During his tenure, he led the creation of the first Level 1 support Shared Service in 2011/2012 and successfully transitioned it to a managed service provider. His efforts in managing the work and contract for the Managed Service Provider, collaborating with various teams, and implementing necessary tools and processes resulted in significant improvements in the support service. This initiative resulted in considerable cost savings for the organization.
Consulting Experience
John Williston worked as a Consultant at Total Services Solution, contracted to Fannie Mae, from 1995 to 1998. During this time, he gained valuable experience and insights into managing IT support services, which later benefited his roles at Fannie Mae. His consulting experience likely provided him with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully lead crucial projects and transitions in his subsequent positions.
Education Background
John Williston holds a BA from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where he studied from 1987 to 1991. His academic background laid the foundation for his technical expertise and leadership skills, which have been integral to his successful career in application support and service management.
Key Initiatives and Achievements
One of John Williston's significant achievements at Fannie Mae includes leading the creation and transitioning of the Level 1 support Shared Service to a managed service provider in 2011/2012. This transition and the implementation of tools and processes he managed led to a cost saving of $5 million. His role ensured the successful operational support of ITIL functions, enhancing incident, change, and problem management processes at Fannie Mae. He worked closely with business, data security, legal, and procurement teams to achieve seamless service transitions and operational efficiency.