Planet Mainframe on LinkedIn
Planet Mainframe on LinkedIn
Planet Mainframe
DDC - Bridging Legacy Excellence with AI Innovation

2025 Influential Mainframers

May 19, 2025

influential-mainframers, Trivia

Influential Mainframers Trivia

Sonja Soderlund

Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her or LinkedIn.

Planet Mainframe spent the month of April honoring the individuals that keep the world’s mainframe systems running. With the second annual Influential Mainframers campaign, we shared the stories of “the folks behind performance tuning breakthroughs, critical middleware support, top-rated conference sessions, internal mentorship, and ecosystem advocacy.” 

Of the 147 nominations we received from 15 countries, Planet Mainframe selected 44 as honorees, and of those honorees, we featured in-depth profiles on four Top Influential Mainframers. These people are helping to shape the mainframe industry today. You can read their stories (linked below) then take our quiz!

Misty Decker

Vikas Sinha

Felix Scott

Magie Hall

1. Which influential mainframer originally wanted to be a research mathematician?

 
 
 
 

2. Which influential mainframer has a father that also works with mainframes?

 
 
 
 

3. Which influential mainframer used to lead predictive analytics at IBM?

 
 
 
 

4. Which influential mainframer applied for and received a $500,000 National Science Foundation award for the “Work-Learn” training program?

 
 
 
 

5. What does Felix Scott describe as a “superpower” for someone new to the mainframe field?

 
 
 
 

6. What major contribution did Vikas and his wife make to the University of North Texas in 2024?

 
 
 
 

7. What motivated Misty to start the Open Mainframe Project Modernization Working Group?

 
 
 
 

8. What is Magie Hall’s ultimate goal for students in the Work-Learn program?

 
 
 
 

9. Which influential mainframer sings in a chamber choir and has performed at Carnegie Hall?

 
 
 
 

10. According to Felix Scott, why is the mainframe still secure today?

 
 
 
 

1 Comment

  1. Thomas Mertens
    Thomas Mertens on Nov 25, 2025 at 6:01 pm

    7 was a guess

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign up to receive the latest mainframe information

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recently Published

Read More

Mainframe Artificial Intelligence Quiz

Mainframe Artificial Intelligence Quiz

by Sonja Soderlund

At Planet Mainframe, we’re spending the month of November focusing on AI and the mainframe. Once viewed as separate worlds, AI and IBM Z now work hand in hand to deliver real-time insights, predictive analytics, and intelligent automation across enterprise-scale...

TRIVIA – Penetration Testing

TRIVIA – Penetration Testing

by Sonja Soderlund

Mainframes have long been known for their unmatched reliability and security—but even the most trusted systems can hide surprises beneath the surface. As technology evolves, so do the tactics of those trying to exploit it. Penetration testing (pen testing), or...

TRIVIA – Cybersecurity Month

TRIVIA – Cybersecurity Month

by Sonja Soderlund

For many of us, October is about falling leaves, shorter days, and cooler weather. It also happens to be Cybersecurity month, the time when we dial in on the never-ending (and ever-evolving) task of securing the mainframe. Mainframes have a reputation for being...

TRIVIA – COBOL in Enterprise IT

TRIVIA – COBOL in Enterprise IT

by Sonja Soderlund

In September, Planet Mainframe pays tribute to the programming language that has formed the backbone of many mission-critical workloads — COBOL. Considered by some to be a relic of early computing, COBOL continues to play a vital (if often overlooked) role in the...