ITA Adds Key Industry Leaders to Its Board

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - February 17, 2016) - The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) today announced the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors. The new appointments bolster ITA's commitment to helping local tech companies scale by adding additional expertise and depth on how to grow and expand tech businesses. 

"I'm thrilled to have these new board members join us," said ITA CEO Fred Hoch. "ITA has undergone significant changes in the past few years to strength our value proposition and our focus on growth-stage technologies companies. Each of these new board members brings a unique perspective on how ITA can continue to grow and evolve our services to strengthen Chicago's profile as a technology hub."

New ITA board members are:

• Ash ElDifrawi, Chief Commercial Officer, Gogo, the world leader in in-flight connectivity and wireless entertainment services for commercial and business fleets. In this role, ElDifrawi oversees global marketing, revenue management, product management, customer care, and retail operations. 
• Kayne Grau, Chief Executive Officer, DRIVIN. Powered by CarCo Technologies, DRIVIN is defining used vehicle sourcing by bringing data and technology together to help automotive dealers acquire the right used cars, at the right price. Grau has more than 20 years of strategic leadership experience in technology, automotive and early-stage companies.
• Stacey Kacek, Chief Executive Officer, Microsystems. Microsystems software is used worldwide by lawyers, medical writers and others to create business documents of exceptional quality. The patented technology is used throughout the authoring process to create legal and scientific documents that are pristine in appearance and precise in meaning. Kacek is responsible for leading Microsystems strategic direction and previously served as its Vice President, Product Development and Chief Technology Officer.

All appointments are effective immediately.

About ITA
ITA offers innovative business services that enable Illinois technology companies to scale through collaboration, education, talent development and industry visibility. For more information, visit illinoistech.org, follow @ITAbuzz on Twitter or find us on LinkedIn.