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| Company > Executive Bios |
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Executive Bios
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Pat Nola
President and CEO
Pat Nola is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sorenson Communications, Inc. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, and for managing all departments including sales and marketing, development, and VRS Interpreting. Previously, Mr. Nola held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) and was instrumental in guiding the exponential growth of the Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) from its beginnings in 2003. Mr. Nola also served as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he successfully built key OEM partnerships and launched the first consumer-based videophone into the marketplace. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Inc., Mr. Nola held various management and sales positions at General Electric within the Medical Systems Division. He then joined Evans & Sutherland as a marketing executive and rapidly grew sales for the Industrial Design Software group and then the 3D Personal Graphics group. Mr. Nola also led Engineering Animation Inc.'s marketing and business development efforts for visual collaboration, providing the company with strong revenue growth and making EAI the recognized industry leading engineering visualization solution, which resulted in a successful acquisition by Unigraphics (a former General Motors subsidiary). Mr. Nola holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
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Scott K. Sorensen
Chief Financial Officer
Scott K. Sorensen joined Sorenson Communications in August 2007 as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Sorensen has served as the senior financial executive for several companies, including two NYSE listed enterprises. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Mr. Sorensen served from 2005 through 2007 as the Chief Financial Officer of Headwaters, Inc. (HW - NYSE), a diversified company with leading positions in the building materials and alternative energy industries with over 4,500 employees and $1.2 billion in revenues. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Sorensen was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hillenbrand Industries (HB - NYSE), a leading provider of healthcare equipment and funeral services products with approximately 9,500 employees and revenues of $2.2 billion annually. Prior to Hillenbrand Industries, Mr. Sorensen was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Pliant Corporation (formerly Huntsman Packaging), a leading producer of polymer-based packaging materials from 1998 until 2001. Prior to 1998, Mr. Sorensen was a financial executive with Westinghouse Electric / CBS and Phelps Dodge Corporation, respectively. In addition, Mr. Sorensen was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Sorensen currently serves on the Board of Directors of Wabash National Corporation (NYSE - WNC) with assignments on both the Audit and Compensation committees. Mr. Sorensen previously served on the Board of Directors of two privately-held companies; GMP Companies and Pliant Corporation. Mr. Sorensen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with high honors from the University of Utah and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School.
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Paul B. Kershisnik
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
As the Chief Marketing Officer, Paul leads the marketing efforts for all Sorenson services and communication products including Sorenson videophones. Paul is responsible for marketing strategy, tactics, messaging, branding, regulatory, and oversees press/community relations, events, eMarketing campaigns, internal and external marketing communications, and all marketing operations. During his career Paul has worked in both the communications and food sectors. In communications Paul spent 10 years with Sprint domestically and internationally, including serving as V.P. Whole Sale Services and serving as the CMO for Intelig, a joint venture with France Telecom in Brazil. In the food sector he has worked for General Mills, Pizza Hut and Mrs. Fields. Most recently Paul served as CMO for Wendy's International in Dublin, Ohio where he had overall responsibility for all marketing areas at Wendy's. Paul holds a B.S. in education from the University of Utah and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis in marketing from Brigham Young University.
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Dave Johnson
Vice President, Outreach
As Vice President of Outreach, Dave Johnson oversees the national Sorenson Video Relay Service (VRS) outreach organization and strategies for Sorenson Communications. Mr. Johnson has played a critical role in developing and implementing the company-wide initiatives that began Sorenson VRS, and have grown Sorenson Communications' revenues by ten fold. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience, Mr. Johnson has helped cultivate a customer base that continues to grow exponentially. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications in early 2001, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President of Games for the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee, where he managed International Relations and Operations. Mr. Johnson holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Utah.
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Chris Wakeland
Vice President, Interpreting
Chris Wakeland oversees the Sorenson Video Relay (VRS) interpreting operations for Sorenson Communications as the company's Vice President of Interpreting. Under Mr. Wakeland's direction, Sorenson VRS has become the largest video relay interpreting service provider in the country. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Mr. Wakeland served as a liaison for the Governors task force of Utah to develop a master plan for statewide interpreting services. During his time with the task force, he played an instrumental role in passing into Utah State law the Interpreter Act and the ASL as a Second Language Act. Following this, Mr. Wakeland became the President of the Utah Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Affiliate Chapter, where he established the foundation to build a Utah statewide RID interpreter membership base. Mr. Wakeland has also served as Vice Chair and Evaluator for the Utah Interpreter Certification Board, where he worked closely with the Utah Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Wakeland worked as Coordinator of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services for Brigham Young University. Mr. Wakeland has been interpreting professionally for over 14 years. He is RID certified with a Certificate of Interpretation and has a Utah Master Level Interpreter certificate from the Utah Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. Mr. Wakeland holds a B.A. in History and a Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from Brigham Young University.
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Ronald C. Burdett
Vice President, Community Relations
Ronald C. Burdett is Vice President of Community Relations at Sorenson Communications. Mr. Burdett's responsibilities include building and maintaining positive relationships with key organizations within the deaf community as well as working extensively with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies to ensure that Video Relay Services (VRS) are mandated to benefit the deaf community. Additionally, Mr. Burdett is also responsible for establishing relationships with deaf communities and governments outside the United States to further improve communication services for the deaf worldwide. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Mr. Burdett worked in various educational positions including Professor and Dean of Deaf Studies and Special Services at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. Also, Mr. Burdett served as president of the California Association Post-Education of the Disabled which oversaw 107 community colleges, 8 California State Universities, and 3 Universities of California. Recently, Mr. Burdett worked with the Southern Utah Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing program under the Division of Services to the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing. Mr. Burdett holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Studies and Accounting from Gallaudet University in addition to a Masters degree in Special Education and Rehabilitation from California State University, Northridge.
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Joe Romriell
Vice President, Engineering
Joe Romriell is Vice President of Engineering at Sorenson Communications. Mr. Romriell has spent nine of his 12 years of engineering experience with Sorenson Communications. Serving in many capacities, Romriell has acted as Senior Software Lead, Video Codec Project Lead, Director of Codec Engineering and most recently Director of Engineering. In these various roles, he developed and produced the Sorenson Video codecs, which have become the de facto standard for QuickTime video compression. Mr. Romriell also collaborated with Macromedia in creating a new codec for Flash technology and was integral in the development of the award winning Sorenson Squeeze video compression software. An expert in the field, Mr. Romriell is the author of many disclosures and patents relating to video compression, videoconferencing, and related technologies. Prior to Sorenson, Mr. Romriell assisted in the design and implementation of Intel's video codec and represented Intel as a member of the ISO MPEG-4 international standards group. Mr. Romriell holds a Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University.
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James Locke
Vice President, Information Technology
As Vice President of IT for Sorenson Communications, Mr. Locke is charged with developing and refining the company's infrastructure as it adds additional services and customers. Mr. Locke and his committed team of IT professionals ensure that all of Sorenson Communications' services are operational, stable, and scalable at all times. With over ten years of high-level experience in information technology, Mr. Locke offers tremendous expertise to benefit Sorenson Communications' offerings for the deaf and hard-of-hearing market. Previously, Mr. Locke served as the president and founder of a successful wireless Internet service provider and he has also held several executive positions including Chief Technology Officer for iDeal International and Vice President of Technology for Promedix. Mr. Locke holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from the University of Colorado.
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Janice Barson
Vice President, Human Resources
Janice Barson is Vice President of Human Resources at Sorenson Communications. Working in a variety of executive Human Resource positions, Mrs. Barson brings 28 years of experience to Sorenson Communications. Mrs. Barson is chiefly responsible for all Human Resource functions. She oversees recruiting, hiring, career development, benefits, and has assisted with the growth of over 1,700 Sorenson Communications' employees. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Mrs. Barson held the positions of Director, Sr. Director, and Vice President of Human Resources at companies such as Promedix, Baxter Health Care, and Clark Financial Corp. Within these positions, she designed and administrated benefit plans, handled public relations, and managed the career development for property management teams at over 100 privately owned commercial and residential properties across the United States. Mrs. Barson is a long time member of the Salt Lake and national SHRM organizations. Having lived in England and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Mrs. Barson brings a uniquely balanced perspective to Sorenson Communications. In private life Mrs. Barson has served her community as a member of the local Community Council. Mrs. Barson's education emphasis is in Business Administration and Employment Law.
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Reed Steiner
Vice President, Finance
Reed Steiner is Vice President of Finance for Sorenson Communications. Previously he held the position of controller at Sorenson Communications for over five years. Mr. Steiner is responsible for all financial information and reporting including the administration of credit agreements. He oversees all functions of the finance department, and reports directly to the CEO. Mr. Steiner has a BA in Accounting from the University of Utah and over sixteen years of experience in the accounting industry as a licensed CPA. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Salt Lake City. He has also worked as a controller for Healthrider Corp (a subsidiary of Icon Health & Fitness) and Magellan Technology, Inc. a small publicly traded OTC company.
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Jason Dunn
Vice President, Operations
As Vice President of Operations, Jason Dunn oversees all Sorenson Video Relay Service (SVRS) and Sorenson IPRelay (SIPRelay) operations for Sorenson Communications. Mr. Dunn and his team are responsible for forecasting, staffing, and maintaining a sound and consistent operation. He directly oversees the international operations team as well as the business and management of the SIPRelay team. Prior to joining Sorenson Communications, Mr. Dunn held FAA compliance and management positions with American Airlines. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Utah as well as an Associate of Science degree from the College of Eastern Utah.
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