Women Of The Channel 2015: Power 50 Solution Providers
Power 50 Solution Providers
CRN's Women of the Channel list is an annual honoring of the accomplishments of female executives within the channel. For the second straight year, the project is highlighting an elite subset of female executives at solution provider organizations whose insight and influence in their respective companies help drive channel success.
For more Women of the Channel coverage, check out our Power 100 lists (Part One and Part Two). You can also check out the full listing of the 2015 Women of the Channel.
Sue Ahmed, Edge Solutions
VP, Services
Years in Position: 6
Years in Channel: 30
As customers show more interest in cloud-based solutions, Ahmed—who leads all cloud-related partnerships for Edge Solutions—is expanding the company's service capabilities and leveraging the channel to meet demand.
Angela Armstrong, Dasher Technologies
Director, Marketing
Years in Position: 6
Years in Channel: 6
Armstrong drove channel programs through Dasher's internal development team and channel partners via appointment-setting campaigns, lead generation campaigns and events. These efforts were key to the addition of 90 new accounts and 30 percent revenue growth.
Sandra Ashworth, Unisys
Global Director, Channel Relations, Warranty
Years in Position: 10
Years in Channel: 29
Ashworth implemented new ASP agreements with tier-one and tier-two OEMs while expanding current OEM relationships on a global basis. She also oversaw partnering with OEMs and distributors, resulting in increased revenue for Unisys and its partners.
Kristen Beatty, Edge Solutions
VP, Marketing
Years in Position: 6
Years in Channel: 17
Beatty enhanced Edge Solutions' online strategy to increase leads for the sales team. She aims to upgrade the company's CRM system to completely automate the reporting process for even better reporting to internal teams, vendors and partners.
Melody Bernhardt, CCB Technology
VP, Marketing
Years in Position: 4
Years in Channel: 7
As a top-ranked partner for Office 365, Microsoft had asked CCB Technology to expand. Bernhardt was key to taking the 24-year- old business into two new markets: SMB commercial and the local market between Milwaukee and Chicago.
Sue Bonar, Sirius Computer Solutions
SVP, Sales Operations, Vendor Programs
Years in Position: 3
Years in Channel: 20
Bonar restructured Sirius' operations and maintenance organizations to provide better support for clients and sales teams, which included major reorganizations and improved processes and tools.
Kirsten Craft, Prolifics
Head, Business Development, Marketing
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 15
Craft's teams advanced the channel business in three ways: a dedicated software team drove product resale; service capabilities were leveraged to partner with manufacturer teams; and consistent marketing efforts were in place.
Laurie Dasher, Dasher Technologies
President, CEO
Years in Position: 16
Years in Channel: 22
Dasher's goal for 2014 was to increase business 30 percent, and she accomplished that by expanding the vendor portfolio and investing in new client acquisition through lead generation efforts and new partnerships.
Linda Ford, DynTek
VP, Marketing
Years in Position: 13
Years in Channel: 18
One of Ford's highlights was leading the charge on DynTek's National Sales Meeting in which employees and partners network, train on the latest technologies and business issues, and design joint go-to-market plans for the upcoming year.
Suzanne Gallagher, Datalink
VP, Marketing, Strategic Alliances
Years in Position: 13
Years in Channel: 20
Gallagher worked with OEM partners to align partner program investments with Datalink's growth initiatives, all designed to differentiate the company in the data center and infrastructure services market.
Susie Galyardt, Xioss
Founder, President, CEO
Years in Position: 7
Years in Channel: 7
Galyardt advanced Xioss' channel business last year by co-sponsoring partner events, driving significant marketing efforts and strengthening relationships with vendors. She also worked to add numerous key partners to Xioss' portfolio.
Jessica Geis, Blue Chip Tek
Co-Founder, CEO
Years in Position: 12
Years in Channel: 12
Geis focused on building a committed, seasoned IT consulting team of IT engineers, data center experts, data storage specialists and infrastructure networking gurus, all people who've walked in clients' shoes and can determine the best solutions for their problems.
Kim Girards, The Ergonomic Group
President, CEO
Years in Position: 31
Years in Channel: 31
Girards boosted the company's channel business by engaging and strategizing with distribution partners and vendors, and participated in vendor conferences and partner roundtables to advance and grow the company.
Nancy Gorski, Strategic Mobility Group
President
Years in Position: 5
Years in Channel: 13
Gorski's mission is not to limit great service to just customers—the manufacturers SMG3 resells for, the distributors it buys from, the companies that buy from it, and everyone who works for the company should feel they are receiving exceptional service.
Reena Gupta, Avankia
President, CEO
Years in Position: 14
Years in Channel: 4
Gupta drove the philanthropic efforts that touch a number of economies around the world, including those Avankia provides services in and those in need of support. These organizations include School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Art of Living foundation.
Julie Haley, Edge Solutions
CEO
Years in Position: 7
Years in Channel: 7
Haley increased her personal interaction with organizations focused on diversity and their leaders, opening more doors for Edge Solutions in Fortune 500 companies that are interested in growing their diversity spend.
Caroline Hinton, Software Insight
VP, Strategic Partnerships
Years in Position: 3
Years in Channel: 19
Hinton was responsible for Insight's software partnerships and strategy, and her key priorities last year focused on deepening relationships, influencing programs, extending the company's differentiation and achieving joint sales goals.
Robyn Howes, Certified Nets
President
Years in Position: 19
Years in Channel: 19
Howes spent a lot of energy on developing strong team leads, including weekly team lead meetings, reviewing cross-department metrics and operational efficiencies. The goal was that a cohesive team is more invested in customer and corporate successes.
Elizabeth Huber, Huber & Associates
CEO
Years in Position: 26
Years in Channel: 26
Huber's biggest contribution last year was going after a Mainframe Certification and the approval to sell it. There are approximately fewer than 30 organizations that are approved to sell mainframes in the U.S.
April Hughes, Encore Technology Group
Business Development
Years in Position: 3
Years in Channel: 11
Hughes expanded Encore's cloud services footprint outside the Southeast and assisted in developing a cloud services reseller agreement that allowed it to fully engage with K-12 school districts and higher-education entities nationally.
Dawn-Marie Hutchinson, Comm Solutions Company
Chief Security Officer
Years in Position: 1
Years in Channel: 1
Hutchinson brings her experience as a Chief Security Officer to Comm Solutions to build an information security practice, where she has expanded strategic channel partnerships.
Kelly Jones, NetGain Information Systems
President, COO
Years in Position: 3
Years in Channel: 8
With rigorous analysis of process inefficiencies and the recruitment and retention of a talented team, Jones has been central to the development and execution of creative business strategies tied to NetGain's success.
Felise Katz, PKA Technologies
CEO
Years in Position: 8
Years in Channel: 14
PKA has grown more than 30 percent year over year under Katz's direction. The company also has become certified and is building new practices and routes to market including but not limited to big data, security, higher-performance computing and networking.
Tasha Klares, Force 3
Manager, Marketing
Years in Position: 1
Years in Channel: 3
Over the past year Klares played an instrumental role in launching a whole new brand for Force 3 as "The Network Security Company." She helped rebuild Force 3's marketing department from the ground up to adapt to the changes in its channel business.
Teresa Kloser, Global Technology Resources Inc.
Director, Marketing
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 2
Kloser diversified enterprise, midmarket and SMB marketing campaigns to increase sales and revenue streams, launching integrated social and earned content marketing efforts to boost GTRI's brand visibility.
Pam Lach, International Integrated Solutions
VP, Marketing
Years in Position: 1
Years in Channel: 1
Lach leveraged her experience working with the channel community as an OEM partner during a 27-year career at HP into operationalizing the IIS brand and integrating its message into marketing strategy and executable plans.
Shannon Lewis, Nimbo
VP, Operations
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 2
With Nimbo growing at a rapid pace, Lewis designed and led the implementation of processes for fast communication among team members and disciplined execution of projects. This allowed Nimbo to extend its reach into the channel.
Jane Linder, NWN
Managing Director
Years in Position: 0.1
Years in Channel: 7
Linder engaged with partners daily, helping drive 20 percent growth in NWN's overall revenue. She also recently took over the Applications and Data Services team, identifying key areas where NWN's applications marry with partners' products to provide distinctive ROI to customers.
Wendy Lucas, Dimension Data Canada
Area VP
Years in Position: 8
Years in Channel: 20
Lucas continued to broaden her team's scope and deepen its level of engagement with clients as Dimension Data's footprint grows in Canada. Key to this ongoing progress was the level of relationship and strategy created around vendor partners.
Sarah Malcolm-Morreau, Long View
Director, Licensing, Software Asset Management
Years in Position: 4
Years in Channel: 16
Malcom-Morreau delivered much-needed cost savings and cost avoidance. Through license and software asset management, customers are saving on average 16 percent on licensing.
Ying McGuire, Technology Integration Group
VP, International Operations, Business Development
Years in Position: 4
Years in Channel: 16
Under McGuire's leadership, TIG expanded its presence in China, acquired two companies in Canada and conducted business in 12 countries through a global partner network.
Michele Merrell, CSPi Technology Solutions
VP, Global Marketing, Communications
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 2
Merrell created a global marketing team, which has developed a stronger cadence with the company's more than 40 technology partners to assist the sales channel and partners in reselling products and solutions.
Jeanne Michele Miller, Ener Systems
President
Years in Position: 16
Years in Channel: 15
The company's 2014 sales increased vs. 2013, as Miller was able to maintain Associate level Intel Channel Memberships and increased involvement with HP channel programs to obtain valuable training for the Ener Systems team.
Dina Moskowitz, SaaSMax
CEO
Years in Position: 4
Years in Channel: 5
With the growing number of SaaS applications coming to market, Moskowitz engaged with not only traditional IT channel partners (VARs, MSPs, agents, systems integrators) but also non-traditional consultants to grow the company's partner base.
Ellie Nazemoff, Acolyst
President, CEO
Years in Position: 26
Years in Channel: 26
Nazemoff fine-tuned a program aimed at helping technology vendors and manufacturers expand their business into the federal government market, drawing upon more than 25 years of experience working within the complexities of the segment.
Janice Newlon, Novacoast
Chief Operations Officer
Years in Position: 3
Years in Channel: 15
Newlon streamlined Novacoast's RFP response process to successful results. She also explored additional state, local and education contracts for the company.
Ilene Rosoff, The Launch Pad
President, CEO
Years in Position: 23
Years in Channel: 26
The most significant achievement last year for Rosoff was the expansion of RevITup, SilverCloud series, a fully packaged turnkey cloud-based solution that partners can customize to fit the clients' needs while reducing their technology costs.
Brianna Salley, Zumasys
Senior Solutions Consultant, Cloud Solutions Consultant
Years in Position: 8
Years in Channel: 8
Salley has been the top seller at Zumasys for three years with a growth percentage of 25 percent year over year and was dedicated to supporting the company's strategy around its cloud computing practice.
Heather Schaan, Microserve
VP, GM
Years in Position: 1
Years in Channel: 12
The solution provider saw more than 33 percent year-over-year growth in the past 12 months, with Schaan focusing on overall strategic and operational planning, internal and external marketing and communications, and working closely with key manufacturer and distributor partners.
Corinne Sklar, Bluewolf
Global CMO
Years in Position: 9
Years in Channel: 10
During Sklar's time at Bluewolf the company has grown 50 percent year over year. Sklar spearheaded the company's "State of Salesforce" Global Review, which benchmarks how leading companies use Salesforce and outlines the biggest customer digital opportunities.
Trish Southwell, Patriot Technologies
EVP
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 20
Southwell educated sales professionals on the technologies the company provides, and participated in six live partner exchanges, attended nearly two dozen partner webinars and managed about 20 partner training sessions with Patriot's sales teams.
Julie Spiller, Logicalis
VP, Vertical Solutions, Proposition Management
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 31
Spiller oversaw three strategic growth initiatives aimed at transforming Logicalis' business for the long run: health care, solution provider and big data. She maximized reach into each of these markets.
Sonia St. Charles, Davenport Group
CEO
Years in Position: 14
Years in Channel: 14
As an active member of Dell's Premier Partner Advisory Council, St. Charles regularly engaged with Dell executives to advance the company's channel strategy, discussing what was working well and how they can improve channel initiatives.
Brenda Stallings, Matrix Integration
President, CEO
Years in Position: 35
Years in Channel: 35
Stallings collaborated on how to take advantage of more of the company's distributor/services offerings, and saw a substantial increase in distributor revenue last year. She also partnered with a channel distributor and opened up a new cloud and managed services division.
Elise Starr, International Integrated Solutions
VP, Operations, Finance
Years in Position: 10
Years in Channel: 35
IIS has been on the cloud since 2008 and its accounting system is ahead of the game; Starr has streamlined and optimized operations and finance/updating processes, avoiding some of the logistical nightmares many companies face.
Lori Sussman, eGroup
VP, Services
Years in Position: 1
Years in Channel: 7
As eGroup shifts from traditional on-premise project-based solutions to offering differentiated services, Sussman led the effort to build a portfolio leveraging consulting, software, big data/analytics and cloud/managed services.
Georgia Vasilion, Technology Integration Group
VP, Public Sector
Years in Position: 16
Years in Channel: 16
Vasilion expanded the public sector not only in sales but in expanding the company's business by on-boarding a number of contracts that include SEWP V. She was key to contract compliance.
Gail Wilson, GWA Business Solutions Canada
President
Years in Position: 31
Years in Channel: 31
Wilson continued to grow GWA's manufacturing software channel. GWA wrote an interface from Concur Expense to Sage 300 ERP that has helped the company's clients automate their businesses.
Christine Wolff, Dimension Data
VP, Cisco Alliance
Years in Position: 5
Years in Channel: 17
Since taking this role five years ago, Wolff has helped grow the value of the Cisco relationship by nearly 60 percent. She also has increased the team's responsibilities, which now include alliance consulting, advocacy, big data services and cloud-based operational metrics.
Carole Wolff-Sowers, Zones
GM, Software, Solutions Sales
Years in Position: 2
Years in Channel: 13
Bridging the gap between the customer's opportunity and the partner's offering, Wolff-Sowers has consistently driven double-digit revenue and profitability growth while increasing the number of clients buying from Zones.