On March 20th, 2025, the NYC Jamf User Group (NYC JUG or “the JUG”) celebrated its 11th anniversary—a milestone that reflects the remarkable growth and resilience of the Apple Admin community. What began as a small gathering of 20 admins in Jamf’s old NYC office has flourished into a thriving network, now meeting at Apple’s 11 Penn Plaza location, with over 80 attendees regularly.
A Look Back: From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Community
Founded in 2014, the NYC JUG was created to bring Apple admins together to share real-world Jamf experiences outside of official events. With early encouragement from Jamf supporters, including Henry Patel and Jonah Klevesahl (now at Apple), the group held its first meeting on February 18, 2014, after a few weeks of promotion on Jamf Nation.
What started with 20 admins quickly grew through word of mouth. By the third meeting, the group had outgrown Jamf’s office, prompting Apple to offer their 100 Fifth Ave Briefing Center as a consistent and neutral meeting space. For nearly a decade, it served as the group’s home base, helping it flourish into a trusted and influential community.
Even during the pandemic, the group stayed connected virtually, eventually returning to in-person meetings in 2023. The steady rise in attendance led the group to graduate to the largest space at Apple’s new NYC office, accommodating up to 100 guests.
The JUG remains open to everyone—being a Jamf customer is not a requirement. Due to high demand, however, attendees must sign up in advance to secure a building pass. Meeting announcements are posted on the NYC JUG page on Jamf Nation and in the #meetups channel on the MacAdmins Slack.
The Faces Behind the JUG
The group’s continued success is driven by its passionate hosts and sponsors:
A Look Back: From Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Community
Founded in 2014, the NYC JUG was created to bring Apple admins together to share real-world Jamf experiences outside of official events. With early encouragement from Jamf supporters, including Henry Patel and Jonah Klevesahl (now at Apple), the group held its first meeting on February 18, 2014, after a few weeks of promotion on Jamf Nation.
What started with 20 admins quickly grew through word of mouth. By the third meeting, the group had outgrown Jamf’s office, prompting Apple to offer their 100 Fifth Ave Briefing Center as a consistent and neutral meeting space. For nearly a decade, it served as the group’s home base, helping it flourish into a trusted and influential community.
Even during the pandemic, the group stayed connected virtually, eventually returning to in-person meetings in 2023. The steady rise in attendance led the group to graduate to the largest space at Apple’s new NYC office, accommodating up to 100 guests.
The JUG remains open to everyone—being a Jamf customer is not a requirement. Due to high demand, however, attendees must sign up in advance to secure a building pass. Meeting announcements are posted on the NYC JUG page on Jamf Nation and in the #meetups channel on the MacAdmins Slack.
The Faces Behind the JUG
The group’s continued success is driven by its passionate hosts and sponsors:
- Justin Repasky The current host of the NYC JUG and an original member. One of the longest serving admins in the NYC Apple community, Justin took over hosting duties from Kevin Friel, a Jamf “Dean’s List” admin who previously ran the group before moving out of the NYC area. Justin’s leadership keeps the meetings engaging and dynamic.
- Christos Drosos – Apple’s sponsor of the NYC JUG and an original group member. He has been a speaker at JNUC and other Apple Admin conferences and is a legendary name in the Apple Community. Christos has been instrumental in securing Apple’s ongoing support, providing space, and sharing valuable Apple insights with the group.
- Mark Melaccio – Founder of the NYC JUG and Jamf sponsor. Now a Senior Field Sales Engineer at Jamf, Mark ensures the group has the resources it needs to thrive. His lively commentary and good-natured banter with Christos are a staple of the meetings.
A Legacy of Special Guests
The Secret Sauce: Open, Candid Conversations
The JUG’s unique “Fight Club” approach—what happens at the meeting stays at the meeting (except for official recaps)—fosters open and candid discussions. Meetings often include Jamf updates, Apple insights, partner or community-based presentations, and free-form Q&A sessions, with discussion frequently running beyond the scheduled meeting end time. With no recordings or livestreams, the in-person experience remains exclusive and invaluable.
Memorable Moments Through the Years
The JUG has seen its share of spontaneous and unforgettable moments, one of the most memorable moments occurred when a brand-new Mac Pro & Pro XDR Display was delivered to Apple’s office mid-meeting. True to form, the group immediately unboxed and disassembled it for an impromptu demo—a perfect example of the hands-on spirit that defines the JUG. The group has also served as a proving ground for new Jamf SEs, giving them the opportunity to present in front of a welcoming yet knowledgeable audience. Several group members have even used their JUG presentations as a springboard for talks at JNUC, Penn State Mac Admins Conference, and MacSysAdmin in Europe.
We have also highlighted multiple Jamf Partners over the years to show off some of their integrations with Jamf, notably Orchard and Grove showed off their tool “NoMAD” which eventually was acquired by Jamf to help develop Jamf Connect.
Jamf Connect.11th Anniversary Highlights
Over the years, the NYC JUG has welcomed numerous Jamf attendees, including members of the Sales Engineering, Product, and Support teams. The group has even hosted surprise visits from former Jamf CEOs Chip Pearson and Dean Hager. Dean’s two unannounced drop-ins added to the group’s “you never know who will show up” charm.
The Secret Sauce: Open, Candid Conversations
The JUG’s unique “Fight Club” approach—what happens at the meeting stays at the meeting (except for official recaps)—fosters open and candid discussions. Meetings often include Jamf updates, Apple insights, partner or community-based presentations, and free-form Q&A sessions, with discussion frequently running beyond the scheduled meeting end time. With no recordings or livestreams, the in-person experience remains exclusive and invaluable.
Memorable Moments Through the Years
The JUG has seen its share of spontaneous and unforgettable moments, one of the most memorable moments occurred when a brand-new Mac Pro & Pro XDR Display was delivered to Apple’s office mid-meeting. True to form, the group immediately unboxed and disassembled it for an impromptu demo—a perfect example of the hands-on spirit that defines the JUG. The group has also served as a proving ground for new Jamf SEs, giving them the opportunity to present in front of a welcoming yet knowledgeable audience. Several group members have even used their JUG presentations as a springboard for talks at JNUC, Penn State Mac Admins Conference, and MacSysAdmin in Europe.
We have also highlighted multiple Jamf Partners over the years to show off some of their integrations with Jamf, notably Orchard and Grove showed off their tool “NoMAD” which eventually was acquired by Jamf to help develop Jamf Connect.
Jamf Connect.11th Anniversary Highlights
The milestone event brought together 100 attendees, including Jamf CEO John Strosahl, who continued the tradition of Jamf leadership presence by congratulating the group on its longevity and joining the discussions.In addition, many local MSP Partners like HCS (founding members of the JUG), Mike’s Tech Shop (Volchock Consulting) and Advisory Solutions were in attendance as well. The celebration featured:
- A retrospective presentation on the history of NYC JUG, which included a video produced by the Jamf Community team as part of Jamf’s global sponsorship of User Groups. The video featured many NYC JUG members, promoting the value of starting or joining a local user group and what a group like NYC JUG meant to their growth personally and professionally.
- Special video messages from former host Kevin Friel (sent from his trip to Japan) and the LA Macadmins User Group, highlighting the broader community connections.
- In many ways the LA Group is a “sibling” group, like a “sister city" with members crossing over between the two groups - creating a larger tapestry of community from coast to coast. Adam Burg, Mike Lim and the rest of the LA group are doing a fantastic job representing the community in Southern California. We hope to bring some members of the LA group to NYC in the future.
- The unveiling of the custom anniversary sticker, inspired by Spinal Tap, depicting a volume control knob "Turned up to 11.”
- Christos Drosos presenting on Managed Apple Accounts and Apple’s recent improvements to streamline adoption of Account Driven User & Device Enrollments
- Jamf SEs Adam Derrick and Hector Ibarraran previewing new features in Jamf Pro 11.15 and discussed Self Service +, Admin SSO and how they play a role in the new Jamf for Mac offering.
- Christopher Schasse from Rocketman Tech showcased the new Control Center suite, which simplifies complex Jamf tasks through automation. This free offering enhances Jamf Admin workflows with ready to use components to plug into Jamf.
- Jamf Marketplace partners AllWhere and Workbrew both took a moment to announce new Jamf integrations. AllWhere sweetened the deal with custom sock giveaways for attendees.
- Board Members of the Macadmins Foundation (Tom Bridge & John Mahlman) were in attendance to speak about the Foundations efforts to facilitate the expansion of the User Group Community.
Looking Ahead
As the group eyes its 12th year, it remains committed to fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and expanding the Apple Admin community. With plans to meet around WWDC, the future looks bright for the NYC JUG—and for the continued growth of Apple Admin user groups worldwide.If you are inspired to start a group in your area, reach out to the Jamf Community team to explore the resources available. Here’s to many more years of learning, networking, and supporting each other!
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