VIP Welcomes Industry Veterans Monte Ford and Keith Trippie to Board

FOLSOM, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 18, 2014) - Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP), a leading provider of technology solutions, today announced the election of Monte E. Ford and Keith Trippie to its board. The two bring an impressive legacy of highly acclaimed successes in the IT industry and federal technology sector, respectively, both having led initiatives that ultimately reshaped the landscapes of these fields.

Monte Ford has been recognized as one of the "50 Smartest People in Tech" by Fortune magazine for his transformative leadership and progressive thinking as a chief information officer (CIO). He has served as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of Aptean Software, where he merged two world-wide, enterprise software companies into the newly branded, Aptean. Prior to that, he served as CIO of American Airlines. He has also held senior executive management positions with Associates First Capital Corporation and Bank of Boston. Ford was one of the first inductees to the CIO Hall of Fame by CIO Magazine, and has received multiple recognitions by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America. In addition to working with VIP, Ford is currently a director at Akamai Technologies.

"VIP partners with corporate organizations to realize the power of technology as a transformative business agent, something I've been passionate about throughout my career in technology, making them a natural fit for me," explained Ford. "I'm excited to further put my passion to work as part of the VIP board."

Keith Trippie, a Fed 100 award winner who has been recognized for his pioneering technology leadership at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), brings a wealth of federal industry experience to VIP. During his tenure at DHS, he successfully led the Enterprise System Development Office (ESDO) within the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to a mature $70 million enterprise organization. Before this position, Trippie served as the acting executive director for the Enterprise Business Management Office (EBMO) within OCIO and initially at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in an IT management capacity. He currently serves as founder and CEO of The Trippie Group LLC, providing consulting services for innovative technology arenas including cloud computing and big data. Other notable awards include the Fierce Government 15, and FedScoop 50.

"DHS has helped prove that the driver behind federal technology innovation is its ability to evoke measurable outcomes for mission performance and constituent satisfaction -- something that VIP truly 'gets'," stated Trippie. "Having the honor to participate on the VIP board gives me another key means of validating that idea."

"VIP is extremely privileged and honored to welcome both Keith and Monte to our board," stated VIP CEO, Jonna Ward. "When I think back to where we were when I founded VIP from my living room in 1996, and I look to where we are now as a rapidly growing company with nine digits of annual revenue and nine digits of backlogged revenue, I know that the key to us turning the next corner of growth lies in our continued focus on client success. Bringing two accomplished individuals to our board who clearly share that passion and commitment to excellence is a pivotal next step for us."

About VIP
Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) empowers client success at every stage of the organizational lifecycle. VIP Performance Delivery Solutions help our clients strengthen business and mission outcomes, drive operational effectiveness, and achieve integrated learning and performance management. Since 1996, we have worked with nearly 1,000 federal, state and local, and commercial clients. We offer expertise in Business & Mission Support, Technology Optimization, Learning & Performance Management, and Federal Personnel Security Management. VIP has five offices across the U.S., including its headquarters in Folsom, California. Learn more at www.trustvip.com.