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Management

Chester M. Regen PhD, President & CTO

A seasoned web application architect, technology analyst, and scientist, Chester has extensive database design and web development expertise and over 25 years of programming experience.

Based in our Oakland office, Chester designed the portal application architecture for the Applied Materials iMarketing intranet, the global extranet for Harmonic Inc., and has delivered web-based solutions for Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, McAfee Security, Seagate Technologies, and dozens of other Specific Impulse clients worldwide.

Chester was previously Senior Product Manager for Media Asset and Content Management with Informix Software. Prior to Informix, Chester served for six years as product manager, worldwide marketing manager, and product support supervisor for Bio-Rad Laboratories.

In 1986 Chester founded UMANS, a company that designed and built systems for biomedical research.  Chester supported UMANS installations on three continents before selling the product to Bio-Rad in 1991. Chester holds a Ph.D. in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a BA in Physics and Integrated Science from Northwestern University.

Derek Burke, Director of Business Development

A serial entrepreneur and business owner, Derek is a skilled business consultant responsible for translating client business issues into actionable solutions. He was previously a Director of EireBusiness International (Domona Ltd.) and served previously for 6 years as sales director for Foundation Marketing Ltd.

Derek has a proven sales and business background, and has served in several fields both in retail and IT sectors for over 11 years. He specialises in launching and marketing new products and services using the Web.

Jock Howson, Director of Sales and Alliances

Jock Howson is responsible for business development and sales and partner strategy. He previously worked for many years for Sun Microsystems in both the UK and European Markets, managing channel partners and distribution operations, latterly operating as Sales Manager for Sun's Networking and Communications Division for Northern Europe and Benelux.

After seven years of 100% over target performance, Jock moved to Veritas (Now part of Symantec) as Business Development Director EMEA, where he set-up and managed their European channel operations.

Jock has also managed his own training and consultancy company since 1995, has a degree in English and Philosophy and a Diploma in Business Management. Jock has written two novels and was editor at Fish Publishing for five years.

Tom Connolly, Director of Account Management

Tom is responsible for account and project management. He has spent 28 years managing technical projects and organisations in order to meet aggressive goals, streamline operations, and grow business.

Since 2000 Tom has worked in Business Development, Sales, Consultancy and Training in the ICT, eLearning, BioTechnology and Pharmaceutical sectors, with specific focus on Localization, for clients throughout Europe.

Tom serves the South Cork Enterprise Board (SCEB) as a mentor to Irish companies in the IT sector, where he delivers an 8-month Business Development Programme. His project management methodology was delivered as part of an ILM certified management programme at the IMI and he was one of the authors of the Certified Localisation Professional programme run by the Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP).

Before 2000 Tom was with Apple Computer for 20 years in engineering and senior management, including European New Products Introduction Manager (10 years) and European Localization Manager (5 years).

  • Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial), 1980
  • Honours MBA 2002
  • President of Microsoft Project Users Group (MPUG) Ireland Chapter

Scott Cottle, Senior Development Manager

Part of our Research Triangle Park NC team, Scott Cottle heads up our intranet and portal technologies group. He has worked since 1997 to develop integrated software systems for companies in the manufacturing, Internet, retail, financial services, real estate and automotive industries.

Scott has more than 19 years of experience in software application development, designing ATM settlement processing systems, order preference programs, and other accounting and integration programs for companies such as United Jersey Bank, Automatic Data Processing, EDS, and Mercedes-Benz, among others.

With expertise in back office systems integration, Scott has delivered secure, integrated solutions that enable companies to merge electronic commerce applications with their existing sales channels.

Scott is the lead engineer on the StageOne platform used to develop our portal solutions. He recently built the hosted time and task-tracking system for Seagate Technologies web development team, as well as the Seagate Branding Portal.

Over the past seven years, Scott has developed numerous database-driven web applications, particularly on the ColdFusion platform. As a web engineer, Scott has extensive experience in Web Services, WSDL, XML, HTML, CSS, AJAX, JavaScript, DHTML, RIA, and Flash MX programming. His expertise includes extensive database experience including SQL programming.

Rebecca Perry, Lead Developer

Rebecca Perry has over 17 years full product lifecycle experience developing complex and sophisticated software applications, with 9 of those years developing websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and programmatic scripting languages.

In addition to her extensive background in software analysis and programming, she has experience in user interface design, database design, object-oriented programming, and writing and editing web content and documentation. Predominant web technologies have included PHP, ColdFusion/ColdFusion MX, MS SQL Server, Oracle, JavaScript, VBScript, DHTML/HTML/XHTML, CSS 2.0, Web Services/XML/XPath, and eCommerce applications.

In addition to website development, Rebecca has many years experience architecting and programming desktop Windows applications such as order and inventory, accounting, marketing analysis, and customer tracking.

Her clients include Ravix, Harmonic, DigiDesign, AudioFeast, Shiseido America, New York Software Industry Association, and HarperCollins Publishers.

Rebecca holds a BS in Mathematics from George Mason University, an MA in Urban/Environmental Planning from University of Virginia, and a BA in Environmental Studies and Politics from UC Santa Cruz.

Information Architecture Consultants

Marco Pasillas, User Experience Designer

Marco brings an in-depth understanding of user-centered design theory and practice. He has experience in translating business and user requirements into conceptual designs and structural architectures, while convincingly articulating ideas and preparing to iterate deliverables through aggressive timelines.

Marco’s 12 years’ experience in the architecture, design, development, and deployment of Web-based software suits him in writing design/development guidelines, user experience testing and Implementation. His expertise also includes prototyping, wireframe creation, site organization and navigation, interaction design, presentation taxonomy, and business needs assessment.

Marco most recently contributed his expertise to Seagate’s Branding and Security online portals. He has successfully completed roles as User Experience Designer, UI Engineer and Senior Interface Designer, working in J2EE and .NET development environments, in his most recent projects with Bargain Network, 5 Square Systems and DealerTrack, respectively. 

Marco holds a BFA in Graphic Design from California State University, Fullerton. During 2000-03 he completed development courses that included GAR Technologies J2ME Programming, J2EE Web Application Development Using BEA WebLogic® Server 6.1, and QuickStart Technologies Java Programming for Professionals.

Margo Hays, Information Architect

Margo Hays has over ten years of web design and information architecture experience. In 1995 she served as Art Director for The WeLL, one of the first and most famous online communities. She them went on to Organic Online, one of the top ten web design firms of the late 1990s, where she served as information architect until taking a position as information architect for Bank of America.

In 1999, Margo expanded her information architecture reach at the highly-regarded eBusiness consulting firm, Scient Corporation, where she served as a Director of Customer Experience Architecture. There, Margo directed customer experience for the first stage of Buy.com’s redesign, including content strategy, information architecture, visual design, and user interface design. She also led the information architecture and customer experience initiatives at Wells Fargo Bank.

In 2001, Margo became a Manager of Information Architecture at Walmart.com, where she defined the customer experience strategy. Since 2003 she has served as an interaction design and user experience consultant for companies that include Glam Media, Hartle Media, and Electronic Arts.

Margo has a degree in Studio Art and English Literature from St. Olaf College, in addition to postgraduate coursework in Multimedia Studies from the SF State Multimedia Studies Program and Graphic Design at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Cory Ferber, Information Architect

Cory Ferber has over 15 years of experience in Information Architecture, User Interface Design, and Interaction Design. He has been researching and designing web-based software applications, web sites, e-commerce sites, and intranets since 1995. Cory worked as a Software Design Expert at Amdocs (Clarify CRM) in Silicon Valley for over five years.

Cory has completed interactive design projects for clients such as Chevron (Texaco / Caltex / Delo / Ursa / Havoline), Hewlett-Packard (Digital Media Services / Video Merchant Services), Wal-Mart's Video Downloads Store, Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines, Nortel Networks (Clarify CRM), EDS@Xerox, Xerox, Kenneth Cole, KC Reaction, The Museum Company, STA Travel, Mitsubishi Motors, Visa, BMG Direct, Moody's Investor Services, Hanover Direct Catalogs, Eardman-Anthony Consulting Engineers, The Zone 94.1 WZNE (American Radio Systems), and TemPositions Group of Companies. Cory has also created the visual design for over 40 web sites.

Cory worked in San Francisco as a Lead User Experience Designer at marchFirst, and worked in New York City as a Senior Information Architect and Lead Site Author at iXL. He worked as a Web Designer in NYC and Rochester, NY. He has also worked as a Graphic Designer and Desktop Publishing Specialist.

He received a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Information Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) - College of Applied Science and Technology. He has a formal education in computer science, human-computer interaction, new media publishing, and graphic design.

Molly Wright Steenson, Information Architect

Molly Wright Steenson is an information architect, design researcher and mobile and Web strategist. With 12 years Web experience and 14 years online community experience, she has been a pioneer in developing interactive user experiences.

As Manager of Online Services for Reuters Health in 1995, she created Reuters’ first news-delivering website. At Netscape in 1996, she produced the very first web portal, Netscape Destinations (later to become Netcenter, launched the People and Yellow Pages sections, and managed the Search page, at that time the second most hit page on the Internet. She built and ran Netscape’s Web Building channel in 1999. She was also the first employee at Electric Minds, the groundbreaking online community.

Molly joined Scient Corporation in 1999 as a content strategist and customer experience architect. She opened the Munich office and led content strategy efforts for Europe and Asia. In 2001, Molly became the Director of User Experience for Liquid Thinking’s Chicago operation, where she led the redesign of Wrigley.com.

As associate professor at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy, a graduate design institute, Molly led the Connected Communities research group. She continues this research in a masters degree at the Yale School of Architecture, where she focuses on mobile technology and the urban context. She speaks and publishes frequently on issues of information architecture, media, urbanism, and design.

Board and Advisors

Rich Julius, Chairman

Currently serving as CTO of New Media News LLC, Rich has held a number of executive management and senior technical positions over the past 20 years, including VP of Interactive Technology at Crimson Consulting Group, Director of Product Marketing at Netblue, Information Architect at Marketing Solutions Software (MS2), Director of Consulting Engineering at Perspecta, Director of Knowledge Systems at Informix, Director of User Assistance at Oracle, and Project Manager at PeopleSoft.

Rich has defined information architecture and localization strategies for some of the world's leading technology companies, including Applied Materials, Cisco Systems, Harmonic Inc., Seagate Technologies, and Verizon. He also sits on the board of AllEire Ltd., the Irish eBusiness community web portal whose EireBiz.com property received European Union grant funding in 2005-06 and again in 2009.

Founder of UC Berkeley Extension's Technical Communication program in 1995, Rich taught Digital Communication and Information Architecture courses for UCBE for over five years. He also served for three years as President of the Berkeley chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. Rich holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan, where he later served on the faculty of the Department of English before his career in Silicon Valley high-tech.

Karen O'Brien

Karen is a Partner and Senior Strategist with Crimson Consulting Group, where her primary focus is in developing viable interactive product and service strategies, and designing the strategic, marketing and organizational requirements to achieve competitive advantage. She has over 15 years of strategy and marketing experience at the corporate and agency level. Karen’s experience includes designing global web strategies for companies such as Symantec, HP, Kodak, Cisco, Seagate, Sun, Verio/NTT and Yamaha.

For nine years, Karen has been involved in building consumer and enterprise portals. These include groundbreaking online community, The Well, in 1996, and such portals as Match.com and Ebates.com, with several million registered users. Previously, Karen was Director of e-Business Strategy Consulting for Grant Thornton. There, Karen led diverse, large interactive projects for Fortune 500 companies, rock bands, CPG as well as media and manufacturing companies.

Prior to Grant Thornton, Karen was VP of Sales and Marketing at an interactive agency where she worked on over 70 web projects and online strategy for clients as diverse as Nortel Networks, Match.com, Deutsche Bank, Woolworths and Visa International. Karen is a guest professor in the EMBA Program, Ottawa University in Hong Kong (teaching e-Business and High-Tech Entrepreneurship).

Kenneth Feldman, JD

Mr. Feldman is a seasoned intellectual property attorney and litigator with over 20 years experience. He has extensive Federal Court experience in New York, New Jersey, California, Michigan, and Colorado. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, an MA in Public Policy from Duke University, and a JD from Rutgers Law School. Mr. Feldman was in private practice in midtown Manhattan for over ten years, and presently has a varied practice on both coasts as managing attorney for Feldman Law Group.

Richard Yien

Mr. Yien is President of R2K Inc., a worldwide IT consulting firm headquartered in New York City. Mr. Yien has over twenty years of industry experience with particular expertise in systems architecture, data communications, computer graphics, document imaging, and workflow automation. Prior to founding R2K, Mr. Yien was Director of Software Development at Wang Software and Sigma Imaging Systems, where he led the development of its production imaging and workflow products. Previously at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Mr. Yien developed advanced network monitoring systems and services for which he has received many awards.

Mr. Yien consults today on leveraging advanced systems in the workplace with emphasis on network-based solutions. He has a dual BA from the University of California, Berkeley, an MS from Rutgers University, is an AIIM Laureate of Electronic Document Image Management, and holds two U.S. patents.

 
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