The Long Game: Career Lessons from SC’s 37-Year Veterans

Plane ticket. Check.

Luggage packed. Check.

Laptop and business cards. Check.

Cortisone shots. Check.

If you’re laughing at that last one, it’s because you know.

Steve Finn, an HPC expert at Onyx Consulting, has attended every SC Conference since its inception. Last year, Finn received cortisone shots in his knee and hip to ensure he could walk the sprawling exhibition floor at the world’s leading supercomputing conference. Why would someone go to such lengths? That’s not a casual commitment — that’s a convicted commitment from someone who knows something important is going on.  

And when AI is poised to reshape the world, you do what you have to do!

Finn isn’t alone. Last year’s SC24 conference shattered records with over 18,000 attendees exploring a vast array of talks, experiencing demos, and participating in the supercomputing and artificial intelligence buzz that electrified Atlanta. 

Amid the crowds, a small group of people moved through with the ease of experienced veterans — professionals who have been doing this for almost four decades. They’re known as the SC Perennials: the founding generation of professionals who attended the inaugural SC conference in 1988 and have been returning ever since.

For anyone looking to maximize the career impact of attending SC, their stories offer something invaluable: perspective.

The SC25 Communications team reached out to several of these leaders, and they shared their insights on why treating SC less like a conference and more like an opportunity to build career infrastructure has paid long-term dividends.

The Perennials’ career stories mirror the conference’s remarkable growth. Mike Bernhardt recalls his beginning: “I was representing Multiflow Computer. I took the obligatory stack of white papers and flyers and worked our 10×10 pop-up booth.” That modest start eventually led him to become the Senior Communications Lead for the $1.8 billion U.S. Department of Energy Exascale Computing Project.

SC Perennial Mike Bernhardt (right) hosts the Intel Parallel Universe Computing Challenge at SC13 with Intel’s James Reinders. Bernhardt created this popular event, demonstrating how long-term SC engagement leads to opportunities to shape the conference experience for others.

As careers grew, so did the conference. Originally, SC88 welcomed 1,495 attendees and 36 exhibitors to what Anne Marie Kelly remembers as “that small Hyatt exhibit area, which looked more like a concrete bunker.” Fast forward to today. Building on last year’s record-breaking success, SC25’s footprint now extends beyond the America’s Center into the adjacent stadium.

Yet despite the increase in scale, the community spirit remains strong. “We have all grown up together in HPC,” reflects Jack Dongarra. Quentin Stout notes that, despite the “vast increase in size,” what remains unchanged is the steady influx of “new people with new ideas.”

The Perennials didn’t just witness this transformation — they mastered how to thrive in it. Their stories reveal a blueprint for navigating the ever-expanding landscape of connections, innovations, collaborations, and opportunities that SC offers. 

Here below is their hidden playbook for SC success.

When Steve Finn talks about SC prep, there’s hard-won wisdom coming through. “Get your hotel reservation early. You can always cancel it if necessary,” he advises, knowing full well that things book up fast. 

Convex Computer co-founder Steven Wallach takes this planning philosophy even further: “Be in good physical shape,” he says, and recommends planning ahead for booth visits and paper sessions. The conference publishes an extensive program schedule with detailed event types and subject tags, enabling attendees to plan strategically and granularly.

These conference veterans know: SC’s intensity can overwhelm anyone who shows up unprepared. 

But it’s not just about efficiency. Finn offers an insider tip that sounds lighthearted, but carries a more profound meaning: “Bring a collapsible duffel bag or extra-large suitcase to collect swag.” What sounds like casual advice is actually career strategy. The swag isn’t just pens and T-shirts; it represents connections, opportunities, and sometimes a piece of personal history worth carrying home. With almost 500 exhibitors, chances are you’ll leave with more than you came with — and not just in your suitcase.  

Turing Award winner Jack Dongarra has witnessed thousands of careers take shape at SC, and when he says that “the most valuable part of SC isn’t just the sessions — it’s the people,” he speaks from decades of experience. 

Mike Bernhardt echoes this sentiment: “Meet people, ask questions, expand your horizons.” He describes SC as “a community shaped over 35-plus years by collaboration, enduring friendships, and a sense of belonging.”

Anne Marie Kelly experienced this firsthand when she found herself working with “smart, funny and warm individuals who viewed me as a partner,” not just another name on a badge. 

While formal sessions deliver content, it’s the spontaneous hallway conversations, lingering dinner discussions, and unexpected social connections that often leave the most lasting impact. At SC25, your most important meetings might be the ones that aren’t on your calendar.

Quentin Stout’s career advice sounds deceptively simple, but it captures the potential of an event like SC25 to spark imagination, open up opportunities, and change career trajectories. “Look at everything — there are things you came here for, but look at other things as well,” he says. “You may find out they’re what you want to work on.”  

Stout is living proof of this philosophy. His exposure to new ideas at SC led him to shift focus towards “working on large, multidisciplinary projects” — areas he hadn’t originally set out to explore. 

Jack Dongarra saw the potential for cross-pollination from the beginning. He recognized that SC’s promise to “gather scientists, engineers, and system builders specifically around HPC hardware, numerical methods, and scientific applications” was really about creating fertile ground for breakthroughs.

Quentin Stout shares knowledge with the next generation through his Parallel Computing 101 tutorial—the most frequently delivered tutorial in SC history with 27 presentations.

But its real magic lies at the intersections, where computer scientists meet domain experts, where hardware engineers encounter innovators, and where curiosity breaks through comfort zones. 

At SC25, your next career pivot might be waiting in a booth you almost walked past.

IEEE Computer Society veteran Anne Marie Kelly has witnessed SC’s most unforgettable moments, so she urges attendees not to miss the big ones. “The opening plenary session offers a general orientation of the themes of the conference,” she shares, highlighting the conference’s must-see kick-off event.

SC92 in Minneapolis: Jack Dongarra and a Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader at a vendor event demonstrate that the SC community has always known how to blend serious computing with genuine fun.

“SC has had amazing keynote speakers that both inform and inspire you,” from Seymour Cray and Gordon Bell to SC16’s Katharine Frase, who explored cognitive computing and AI long before it became a buzzword.

Jack Dongarra still gets animated remembering Cray’s 1988 keynote. “There was a real sense of history being made,” he says.

The Perennials understand that these marquee sessions aren’t just filler. They concentrate the spirit and momentum of SC itself. 

Dongarra particularly champions the Birds of a Feather sessions as “one of the most unique and dynamic parts of SC — informal, topical discussions” where serendipitous conversations spark real breakthroughs. 

At SC25, these big moments aren’t optional viewing. They’re where the conference’s transformative energy reaches critical mass.

When Mike Bernhardt reflects on his first SC, he describes it as a life-changing moment. “SC lured me in and lit the fire of passion for how HPC was foundational to changing the world. The passion never goes away.” And after 37 years, it still burns bright.

Jack Dongarra frames this enduring passion in broader terms. SC, he says, has offered “a front-row seat to the evolution of computing — from vector to parallel, from petascale to exascale, and now to the fusion of HPC with AI and quantum.”

Anne Marie Kelly speaks with deep affection for the SC Conference Series — a bond that goes beyond professional obligation. It’s what forms when you help build something meaningful alongside brilliant, committed people.

Steven Wallach demonstrates this commitment in a practical way: he still “always” reserves the week of SC, treating it not as optional professional development but as essential infrastructure for staying connected to the field’s evolution.

These Perennials didn’t just attend SC — they became its stewards. They pass the torch forward, ensuring each new generation inherits a vibrant, collaborative community that continues to push the boundaries of innovation.

History being made in Orlando Florida: Seymour Cray (right) giving the first SC Keynote in 1988 and Perennial Steve Wallach.

At SC25, you’re not just attending a conference. You’re accepting an invitation to join a generational relay of innovation, mentorship, and passion that has shaped computing for 37 years and will continue to shape it for decades to come.

“Once it’s lit, the passion never goes away…”

— MIKE BERNHARDT

Mike Bernhardt
Team Libra LLC / ORNL – Exascale Computing Project (Former)

Bill Boas
La Puente Energy Initiative, Inc

Vito Bongiorno
Cray Inc. (retired)

Jack Dongarra
University of Tennessee

Steve Finn
Onyx Consulting Services, LLC

John Gustafson
Arizona State University

Lennart Johnsson
University of Houston

Anne Marie Kelly
IEEE Computer Society

Allen Malony
University of Oregon

Ken Miura
National Institute of Informatics, Fujitsu Limited

Steve Poole
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Quentin Stout
University of Michigan

Steve Wallach
Guest Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Collaboration and continuous learning are essential to advancing high performance computing. SC25 offers an unparalleled opportunity to expand your knowledge, connect with experts, and engage with the global HPC community.

Attendees will experience cutting-edge research and real-world applications through technical presentations, papers, workshops, tutorials, posters, and Birds of a Feather (BoF) sessions — all designed to showcase breakthroughs in AI, HPC, and emerging technologies. 

Join us in St. Louis, November 16–21, 2025, for a week of discovery, inspiration, collaboration and community at SC25.

Registration opens on July 9, 2025.