Tell us about your professional background and roles you’ve held prior to joining AireSpring.
I’m an industry veteran, channel evangelist, and strategist. I have more than 25 years of experience in telecommunications and systems integration, IT outsourcing, and managed services. My carrier journey includes being a trusted advisor, supporting trusted advisors, and technology alliances. I have also established deep relationships with partners and customers across Texas. I began my career as an Account Executive and then Regional Product Manager for AT&T, honing my skills in direct sales as well as national account management. As Sales Director for Rockwell FirstPoint, a market leader in contact center technologies, I helped develop and lead channel strategy in Latin America as well as the United States. I then joined Unisys Corporation as Global Alliances Director and XO Communications as Senior Manager, Innovation and Strategy.
Before joining AireSpring, I served as Senior Channel Manager at Fusion Connect, where I helped partners and customers find solutions ranging from hosted voice to unified communications and managed security. In these capacities, I specialized in UCaaS / CCaaS, networking, SD-WAN, SASE, and security.
Tell us about your role and goals as a CM at AireSpring.
I’m a channel manager focused on developing new logo customers from our technology advisor ecosystem. My role is to deepen relationships with partners and educate them along with providing support, quotes, and contracts. I always make sure they’re aware of all the products and services we offer—often, they won’t have to go to another carrier to get what they need. AireSpring is a company devoted 100 percent to the channel, and we offer a lot of training opportunities and support, so it is always my goal to ensure partners take part in that.
What do you like about working at AireSpring/What attracted you to AireSpring?
Initially, I was attracted to the brand and capabilities of AireSpring, its team, and its broad product line. I was also seeking a company that was privately owned. AireSpring is devoted to not only the channel but also the success of the customer and known for its personalized service and support. Since I’ve started working here, I’ve been impressed by and grown attached to the quality of my coworkers and the culture.
Tell us about your hobbies outside of work.
My favorite hobby is fly fishing. It takes me to beautiful places with amazing people.
I have been fishing my whole life, but fly fishing is more than just fishing to me. It has become my happy place, a way to be present. I started fly fishing in the early 1990s and have learned to design and tie my own flies. Most of all, I enjoy the places, people, and the process that go along with it. I’ve been as far north as the Bow River in Banff National Park, high altitude streams in the Rockies, and local spots around Texas, some of them just a short walk from my home.
Regardless of where I am, joy and serenity are the usual components of my experience. Fly fishing asks you to slow down and take in your surroundings. You can’t rationalize what you are going to do once you get to the water. You start by observing, listening, and learning what the fish are doing. There is also the sheer excitement of the fight, the screaming sound of your reel when a fish decides it doesn’t just want to jump into your net. I’ve had fish hit my fly so hard it felt like a hammer! In the end, one of my favorite things is releasing the fish and thanking it for playing with me.
