Illinois Technology Association Names 9 New Board Members

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Jun 5, 2014) -  The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) today announced the addition of nine new members to its Board of Directors, increasing the number of growth-stage technology executives as well as female technology leaders helping to support the expansion of the local technology industry. The appointments bolster ongoing ITA initiatives focused on powering growth-stage businesses.

"Chicago has more than a 1000 growth-stage technology companies who are the backbone of our community, and they are beginning to shape Chicago's national technology identity," said ITA CEO Fred Hoch. "One of our key missions is to promote collaboration among these companies in order to help them continue to scale and raise Chicago's profile as a technology hub. These new board members are committed to that mission and will help us achieve it through their leadership. I am thrilled to have them join us."

New ITA board members are:

• Elise Fleischaker, Vice President, Marketing, Trading Technologies, a developer of professional futures trading software used in 40 countries with hundreds of employees worldwide. Fleischaker specializes in technology and financial marketing communications.
  
  
• Tina Gravel, Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Services, Dimension Data Americas, a global IT solutions provider. Gravel is a former Verizon Terremark executive and Top 50 Women of the Channel recipient.
  
  
• Melinda Kramer, Chief Executive Officer, KloudVentures, a think tank and consultancy. Kramer previously was CTO of Grosvenor Capital Management, one of the largest alternative investment firms in the world.
  
  
• John Morris, Chief Executive Officer, Cleversafe, a provider of object-based storage. Morris previously held executive positions at Juniper Networks and payments industry startup Pay By Touch.
  
  
• Mark O'Connell, President and CEO, SAVO Group, a provider of SaaS sales enablement solutions. O'Connell's background includes the same positions at product lifecycle management company Matrix One, which he led through a successful IPO and subsequent acquisition.
  
  
• Michael Schamberger, Partner, Grant Thornton, a leading independent audit, tax and advisory firm. Schamberger leads the company's Technology Industry Practice in Chicago and the Midwest region.
  
  
• Jon Schepke, CEO, SIM Partners, a provider of digital marketing products and services including its SaaS-based local marketing solutions -- Velocity and Velocity Social. Schepke founded the company in 2006 after nearly a decade in the Internet marketing space. 
  
  
• Michael Small, President and CEO, Gogo, a provider of inflight connectivity services to the global aviation industry that went public in 2013. Small has more than 30 years of communications industry experience and is a two-time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
  
  
• Bahar Wadia, Chief Executive Officer, UICO, a provider of heavy-duty waterproof touch screens. Wadia founded the company in 2007, and its technology is now used by Fortune 100 companies requiring touch screens that operate in the harshest environments.
  
  

All appointments are effective immediately.

About the ITA
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) powers tech growth in Illinois. Through vibrant programs, services and strategic consulting, the ITA drives our dynamic industry by working to grow, build and elevate our members. Visit ITA at www.illinoistech.org or @itabuzz or contact ITA at headquarters@illinoistech.org to find out more about how ITA supports the growth of Illinois technology.