As you might already know, just a few days ago, I became Regional Director for Microsoft. I'm very, very happy and extremely honored that I was elected to enter this program and I want to thank everyone who has made this possible!
For those who do not know what a Regional Director does, here's what it says on the Microsoft.com site:
Regional Directors aren't Microsoft employees--they're independent developers, architects, trainers, and other professionals who provide a vital link between Microsoft and the developer community.
These technical experts can give you the insight and informed perspective you need to start developing .NET-connected software today--whether you need help learning about the .NET Framework, training developers, or implementing all aspects of a solution. Contact a Microsoft-endorsed Regional Director to kick off your project today.
As you can read, I'm not an employee of Microsoft. An RD is like the connection between Microsoft and the community and they spread the word of Microsoft. Being active in the community and providing Microsoft with vital feedback on what is being talked about in this community, is also one of the tasks of an RD. I'll also be doing talks on events, like for example TechDays and you'll see me blogging and writing articles even more (there's a large one coming on Silverlight's installer experience any day, stay tuned)
RDs also contribute to TheRegion.com. On this site that is filled with content from RDs, you can see what RDs are doing, where they are giving sessions, what they're blogging on... Every RD also has his/her personal page where you can find all kinds of info on that RD. Mine can be found here. (a picture is being created... 
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I'm really looking forward to meeting some RDs at the upcoming MVP Summit in Seattle/Redmond in April. I must admin that the year 2008 could not have started any better than it did: first MVP ASP.NET and now RD 
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