Leadership
Here is an overview of the visionaries who have been key guiding forces behind the VIACK® company and technology.
Rusty Swartz, President & Chief Operating Officer
In his role of President & COO, Rusty Swartz brings to VIACK strong managerial and planning skills combined with a steadfast customer focus and practical marketing creativity. Prior to VIACK, Rusty held senior sales/marketing and general management roles in three Fortune 500 organizations including The Dial Corp and Universal Foods Corp. Most recently, Rusty was President and CEO of Skolniks Inc., a publicly traded, food manufacturer serving the restaurant, retail grocery and club store segments. Under his leadership, the company was taken from bankruptcy to profitability to salability. As VP-General Manager for the Cudahy Food's division of General Host Corporation, Rusty was awarded several President's Club distinctions for revenue growth and profitability. Rusty served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Universal Foods Corp achieving company milestones with a renewed focus on strategic planning, new product development and market expansion. Rusty has been an adjunct professor at Arizona State University's School of Global Management and Leadership teaching sales/marketing and was recently elected Chairman of the Dean's Advisory Council. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Babson College.
Geoff Shaw, Senior Vice President, Advanced Programs
Geoff Shaw is Senior Vice President, Advanced Programs Group. The Advanced Programs Group implements and manages Continuous Compliance Assurance projects to include the DOT funded Intermodal Containerized Freight Security (ICFS) program in collaboration with industry, government and university research partners. He is also responsible for establishing VIACK's risk assessment and policy compliance practice. This operation focuses on information sharing between multi-national governments and industries to better assess risks, ensure enhanced infrastructure security, and strengthen the economic competitiveness of the global supply chains dependent upon those infrastructures. Geoff previously served as president and CEO of ESI Corporation, which focused on large-scale distributed computing solutions for space mission planning, defense, and complex business process and data analysis applications. He also served as CEO and Chairman of the Global Commerce Companies from 1997 though 1999 which focused on multi-national payment and settlement systems technology. Geoff has served as a commissioner on The Colorado Governor's Commission on Science and Technology and on the board of directors of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. His expertise has been called upon by numerous advanced information systems conferences in North America, Asia and Europe, and he has been an invited author for technical and financial publications. Most recently, he was honored as a principle contributor to international space science for his work on the NASA Astrophysical Data System. Geoff is a graduate of the University of Arizona and a veteran of the United States Army.
Frank Guglielmo, Sales Vice President
Frank Guglielmo brings almost 40 years of government service and IT related experience to VIACK Corporation. As Vice President of Sales, he leads sales efforts within commercial organizations and federal, state, local and county-level governments. Most recently, Frank served as senior vice president of homeland security for Perot Systems Corporation, where his responsibilities covered a major profit center supporting Records Management at the Department of Homeland Security and System Engineering, System Integration and Telecommunications at the Department of Justice. In various capacities over the years at Perot and formerly Soza & Company, Ltd., Frank was responsible for the Enterprise Architecture of the U.S. Coast Guard, information sharing initiatives at the Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), Seat Management, and Advanced Technologies at the Department of Justice. For the fifteen years prior to retiring from government service to join the IT industry, Frank served at the U.S. Department of Justice, attaining the rank of Senior Executive Service IV. Frank's government career includes supporting intelligence analysts at the National Security Agency, supporting information sharing initiatives within INTERPOL, providing systems support for the U.S. Coast Guard and supporting various areas within the Justice Department. Frank was a significant contributor to the creation of the Drug X program, one of the federal government's first information sharing initiatives that linked FBI and DEA drug databases. He was honored by Computerworld as one of the World-wide Premier 100 Information Technology leaders for 2002. Frank holds a master's degree in management of technology, information systems and computer systems from American University, and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Connecticut.
Andrew Johnson, Vice President of Engineering
Andrew Johnson brings a wealth of expertise in engineering and product development to the VIACK senior management team in his role as Vice President of Engineering. In this position, Andrew plays an instrumental part in the continued growth of the VIA3® product line by overseeing the organization's product engineering, development, quality assurance and IT efforts. This includes the management of the VIA3 product architecture; design and implementation of new VIA3 features; and evaluation and selection of new technology. Prior to VIACK, Andrew led the development of FileNET's next generation document management engine Brightspire, an applications-focused eBusiness framework that enables organizations to easily define and reuse business logic. Prior to that position, he was the lead developer for the design of network protocol stacks and device drivers for SCO, a leading UNIX vendor. Throughout his career, Andrew has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to organizing and leading diverse teams to meet aggressive product deadlines while upholding the highest levels of quality. Andrew holds a BS degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Kent, Canterbury, England.
Lois Koenig, Vice President of Administration
Lois Koenig is the Vice President of Administration for VIACK. Prior to coming to VIACK Lois owned and managed several service/manufacturing companies in the Northwest and Southwest. Her previous responsibilities include a position at Hillhaven, Inc., a large national health care conglomerate, as a Regional Field Accountant/Internal Auditor. While at Hillhaven she was promoted to Director of Human Resources, with responsibility for all nursing homes located throughout the company's Southeast Region. Earlier in her career, Lois held various administrative and management positions for Paid Prescriptions, LLC, one of the nation's leading pharmacy benefits managers. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tim Vittetoe, Director of Product Marketing
Tim Vittetoe, Director of Product Marketing, oversees the strategic direction of the VIACK product line and its progress through each development cycle. Prior to joining VIACK, Tim held a variety of program and product management roles in the high-tech industry including Data Channel, GoAhead Software, Sequel Technology and Midisoft. He has played key senior management roles in the development of both enterprise and award-winning consumer software products that have been used by millions worldwide. Before moving into commercial software development, Tim held various engineering positions at Lockheed Martin where he worked on government related programs. He holds a B.S. degree in Engineering Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Brent Gwisdalla, Director of Client Growth & Development
Brent Gwisdalla, Director of Client Growth & Development, plays a critical role in customer account management and retention. Brent leads the cross-functional VIACK Client Adoption Retention and Education (CARE) Team which facilitates product implementation, client education, training and aftermarket growth. The comprehensive implementation approach developed by Brent places the client at the center of VIACK’s educational efforts, encompassing online education as well as custom-tailored learning and training to help users integrate the software into their natural work styles and business processes. In addition to these activities, Brent oversees internal organization development including the certification process for all client service analysts, performance based metrics for new hires, and ongoing education for all VIACK employees. He has been an active participant in the e-learning field since its inception in the early 1990s. With more than 17 years as a training and instructional design professional, he has created numerous educational events in print, multimedia, in person and other mediums. Brent has spoken at conferences such as ASTD and Online Learning and is a published author in key industry trade journals. Brent earned a Master's Degree in instructional design at Western Michigan University, where he also developed The Emerging Leaders Program, still in service to undergraduates today.
