Abi Chandra
My career in telephony has unintentionally mimicked the life cycle of contact center solutions. In the 1990's, I was working on Rockwell's legacy ACD systems after which I then used server board-based systems at Aspect Solutions. Now, for the past five years, I have been working on IP systems for Interactive Intelligence. My primary background is in Cisco Systems data and voice networking and integrations. At Interactive Intelligence I am responsible for designing and architecting large-scale contact center solutions for strategic customers. I also regularly train our channel partners in systems engineering design methodologies. In my spare time, I enjoy making movies and the creative arts. People are surprised to hear that I am an avid Jazzerciser.
Anish Sharma
I joined Interactive Intelligence in July, 2011. Prior to that, I worked with an Elite partner for 11 years. Over the years, I worked with various products from Interactive Intelligence, including support, implementation and development. A self-confessed geek, I enjoy taking things apart and figuring how it works. One of my passions is photography and I have a personal photo blog.
Bobbi Chester
I joined the Solutions Marketing team at Interactive Intelligence April 2011, leading our vertical marketing efforts, and focusing specifically on the accounts receivable management and collections industry. I have over 14 years experience with contact center technologies, beginning in 1997 at MCI (which eventually became Verizon Business) where I was part of a specialized services team selling complex call routing and treatment solutions to Fortune 1000 and global clients. Just prior to joining Interactive Intelligence I was Director of Marketing for a contact center outsourcing company headquartered near Chicago. I am a proud wife of an Air Force officer, and admittedly a bit melancholy now that the Harry Potter series has come to an end.
Brad Herrington
As a Manager in the Solutions Marketing Group, Brad is responsible for the product direction and marketing strategy of the suite of products offered by Interactive Intelligence. Solutions Marketing is also the outward facing delivery team for webinar, seminar, analyst and media presentations as well as prospect and end customer demonstrations. His experience includes more than 20 years in the contact center and telephony industry, including the past 11 years with Interactive Intelligence focused on both the traditional and IP telephony markets.
Brandon Rowe
As a Solutions Marketing Manager, Brandon is responsible for cultivating the company’s Workforce Optimization marketing strategy, messaging and content. Brandon has over five years of IT/Telecom experience having worked at Avaya/Nortel and IBM. Prior to joining Interactive, he served as a product marketing manager with Avaya. While at Avaya, Brandon was responsible for the marketing of several contact center products generating over $10 million in annual revenue. He also has a background consulting for start-up companies.
George Ganahl
I joined Interactive Intelligence in March of 1999 as a member of the Education team. Coming from a data networking background, telephony was a new world to me, but I caught on and have enjoyed my work here. After several years in Education, I moved to Development as the Finalization Manager (heading the Install, Documentation, and Build teams), then filled the IC Platform Manager role for a while. During my time as the Platform Manager I had the privilege of working closely with all the development teams, as well as administering one of our production servers, building hotfixes, and working on various special projects. Eventually I returned to my first love, which is training our partners and customers as part of Education. Outside of work I enjoy time with my wife and four children, and competitive fencing when I have the opportunity.
Janet Thalacker
I am currently a strategic business consultant for Interactive Intelligence. My role is to review an organization’s business practices and tools, to promote the awareness of new technologies, and demonstrate how new functionality, processes, and applications could increase customer satisfaction and employee productivity. My career path includes over 20 years of experience working for a Fortune 500 insurance company. My experience includes work with automatic call distribution (ACD), self-service applications, quality monitoring, workforce management, multi-channel communications platforms, knowledge management, and contact management. I am a very passionate person, enjoy what I do, and am motivated to help others and make a difference in my work and in my personal life. I enjoy music, reading, good friends and laughter. I value my family and friends, and cherish time with them.
Jason Alley
Jason has both a broad and deep background in the area of customer interaction. He served as a product manager and strategist for the first six years of his career with companies such as Nortel, Aspect and Hipbone (a web collaboration company acquired by Kana). Jason spent the next ten years of his career consulting with enterprise customers and suppliers for Vanguard Communications and a company he later founded, SmartContact Consulting. Jason now serves on the solutions marketing team at Interactive Intelligence. His unique blend of end-user and supplier experience equips him with a fresh, comprehensive perspective – something he strives to infuse in every project. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from UCLA.
Jennifer Wilson
I joined Interactive Intelligence in May 2009 as part of the AcroSoft acquisition. I currently work as the Solutions Marketing Manager focusing on our insurance vertical marketing efforts. During my time at AcroSoft and Interactive Intelligence, I have worked closely with our content management and workflow automation tools, both in professional services and product management. This includes over 10 years of experience working with insurance organizations on product implementations, customer support, product specifications, and business needs analysis. I hold a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina, and am a devoted USC Gamecocks fan. When I'm not working, I'm most likely mountain biking, playing tennis or kickball, or traveling.
Joe Staples
I was fortunate enough to join Interactive Intelligence in January of 2005 as senior vice president of worldwide marketing (an overly long title that barely fits on one line of my business card) and since that time have managed our corporate and product marketing/management groups, as well as our public relations efforts. I spend the majority of my time in the world of branding, advertising, lead generation, product strategy, and media/analyst relations. I’ve been at this for more than 25 years with experience in technology and marketing, including assignments in the areas of contact centers, computer telephony, unified messaging, mobile wireless, computer networking, and computer-based education.
Mechele Herres
My role at Interactive Intelligence is focused on the Utilities Vertical as a Marketing Solutions Manager, a role I began at the end of November 2011. My career has spanned roles in Marketing, Sales, Sales Training, and Product Development/Management. I gained experience in the Utilities space from working at Columbia Gas and Time Warner Cable Business Class. Additionally, my time spent at IBM and Cardinal Health rounds out my knowledge base with other industry experience. When not at work I enjoy hanging out with family and friends, reading, gardening, beading, knitting, and doing just about anything creative.
Murph Krajewski
I joined the Interactive Intelligence family in 2000 as an IT guy. Since then I’ve spent years demonstrating and showcasing our software and services to the masses both in person and via video through my current role as Video Production Manager. I’m most passionate about helping companies improve their customers’ experiences, and love thinking up new ways to make that happen. I’m a true jack-of-all-trades, and I will likely never stop trying to figure out a way to move to London, England.
Patrick Patton
I started with Interactive Intelligence in October 2011 as a Pre-Sales Consultant for the Strategic Initiatives Group. In this role I work with companies who are looking for opportunities to utilize process automation tools, and review their current business processes to find those opportunities. Previously, I spent ten years with a Fortune 25 health insurance company and that is where I first encountered Interactive Intelligence in 2008. As the technology Director for an internal sales contact center, I led a team that implemented the Interactive telephony solution. Over the next three years I became very familiar with Interactive Intelligence as a company, their products and many of the employees. I was so impressed with what I had seen that I set a personal goal to find a position within the company. I have over 15 years’ experience in continuous/process improvement, project management, and operations. I am always interested in learning about new technologies and the creative ways companies and people are using them. On a personal note I am a car enthusiast (gearhead), enjoy travelling, and recently have taken up photography as a hobby.
Ric Kosiba
I joined Interactive Intelligence in August 2012 as part of the Bay Bridge Decision Technologies acquisition. I helped found that company back in 2000 and thoroughly enjoyed working with our brilliant development and operations team, which helped us become the leading U.S. supplier of long-term forecasting and planning solutions. One of my proudest career achievements was obtaining a patent on the application of optimal collection strategies to delinquent portfolios, in addition to a patent on the application of simulation and analytics to contact center planning. In my current role as president of the Interactive Intelligence Bay Bridge Decisions Group, I’m responsible for the development and enhancement of our contact center capacity planning and analysis product line. I tripped into the call center industry about 22 years ago and can honestly say that I still love it. I hold an M.S.C.E., B.S.C.E., and Ph. D in Operations Research and Engineering from Purdue University (go Boilers!). I reside in Maryland with my wife and four children. I love being a dad and enjoy coaching kid’s football, basketball and lacrosse.
Tim Passios
I began working for Interactive Intelligence in 1998 and have a more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and software industries. I also worked in contact centers as an agent, supervisor, field trainer and manager for eight of those 20 years. In my current role at Interactive Intelligence I have constant interactions with customers, prospects, the media and industry analysts, which all help me to understand many different perspectives related to the contact center, unified communications and business process automation markets. When I’m not working I like to spend time with my family.
Travis Gillison
I have been in the telecom industry for over 10 years, and I began my employment at Interactive Intelligence in the fall of 2007. I was hired as a member of the Product Integration Team in Testing, where I still currently reside. I work on our 2.4, 3.0 and 4.0 offerings, focusing mainly on service update testing as well support cases that are escalated to our group. Our team tends to be a “jack-of-all-trades” so we get to replicate a lot of real world scenarios. I enjoy these, because I get to see how our products are used out in the field. This has helped me generate more knowledge of our software, as well as gain a better understanding of our customer base. I offered to blog for the corporate site because I enjoy discussing topics that are relevant to not only Interactive Intelligence, but the industry as a whole.