Rafael Francis has over 25 years of experience in networking & telecommunications and is currently a Sr. Director of Product Management at Ciena where he leads a team responsible for next-generation routing platforms & strategy.  Prior to joining Ciena he was the VP of Product Management for Cyan Inc. where he was responsible for Cyan’s Z-Series packet-optical portfolio and Blue Planet SDN software including its initial launch. Prior to joining Cyan, he also held product management leadership positions at ECI Telecom, Laurel Networks, and FORE Systems. His knowledge and contributions in next-generation networking and its business applications have also been demonstrated through various conference speaking engagements and articles.  Rafael has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.