Celebrating Pride Month: Embracing Diversity and Overcoming Challenges in the Workplace

In honor of Pride Month, we would like to shine a spotlight on Matt Barrett, the Director of Demand Generation for ITsavvy. Matt’s journey as a gay man in the workplace serves as a testament to the progress made in fostering acceptance and inclusivity. With a passion for his work, Matt has successfully navigated professional challenges while remaining true to himself. Join us as we delve into Matt’s experiences, his thoughts on pride, and how his unique perspective has shaped his career.

Embracing Individuality at ITsavvy

As the Director of Demand Generation, Matt leads a team responsible for acquiring leads for ITsavvy’s sellers. His role also involves managing the company’s client live events, webinars, and organizing the annual Sales Kickoff event. Matt’s unwavering dedication to his work is evident in the love he has for his team and the satisfaction he finds in contributing to ITsavvy’s success.

ITsavvy: A Haven of Acceptance

Reflecting on his experiences at ITsavvy, Matt expresses his admiration for the company’s commitment to inclusivity. From his perspective, it is challenging to pinpoint specific instances where he faced discrimination or bias because ITsavvy has cultivated an environment that is accepting of everyone. The company’s inclusive culture enables Matt to bring his authentic self to work each day, contributing to a positive and productive atmosphere for all employees.

The Significance of Pride

For Matt, Pride Month holds a profound personal significance. Having grown up during a time when being open about one’s sexuality was not widely accepted, Matt remembers the need to hide his true self. Pride Month provides a safe space for him to reflect on the progress made in LGBTQ+ rights and equality. It also offers an opportunity for Matt to celebrate with friends and family, expressing his true identity and embracing the freedom he was denied in the past.

Unleashing Creativity and Innovation

Being a gay man in the workplace has had a unique impact on Matt’s professional growth. Through his personal journey, he has developed resilience and a willingness to challenge the status quo. The experiences of overcoming adversity and living authentically have equipped Matt with an unconventional approach to problem-solving. When faced with obstacles, he thrives on finding alternative solutions and thinking outside the box, ultimately driving his team to success.

Cheers to Matt!

Matt Barrett, the Director of Demand Generation for ITsavvy, exemplifies the resilience and strength of individuals who have overcome societal challenges. As we celebrate Pride Month, Matt’s story reminds us of the progress we have made in fostering inclusive workplaces.

His experiences highlight the importance of creating safe spaces where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work, contributing to a diverse and vibrant professional environment. We applaud Matt’s accomplishments, and his journey serves as an inspiration to those who strive for acceptance, equality, and success.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team.

Jori Lane Curry, Senior Director of Learning and Communications

Jori came to ITsavvy 4 years ago from the Adobe space. She was the founder and president of Ascend Training, the first woman-owned Adobe Authorized Training Center in the country. Jori joined ITsavvy after 20 years designing and delivering learning programs for creatives, developers, and marketing professionals at Ascend.

A passionate leader, mentor, coach, trainer, and facilitator, Jori has created a world-class learning and onboarding program at ITsavvy. Combining her creativity with technology, she is our change-agent, constantly elevating engagement. Collaborating with all divisions, her technical training and soft-skills courses create an amazing atmosphere of empowerment.

The secret sauce at ITsavvy is we truly believe in the entrepreneurial spirit. We are encouraged to find new innovative ways of doing things and to embrace change. I am so fortunate to be able to be involved in so many different areas instead of being told to “stay in my swim lane” like those at other companies. If you’re looking for a place to grow and evolve, ITsavvy is the place for you. –Jori Curry

With ITsavvy doubling in size since 2019, Jori’s leadership has been a key component in our growth and ensuring our teams feel connected. She excels in detecting gaps in skills and processes. Jori consistently helps ITsavvy excel and improve while ensuring everyone is educated and informed.

Jori motivates others by her actions and her personal approach contributes to our team-driven corporate culture.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team. Congratulations Amber on your promotion to Director, Sales Support!

Amber White, Director, Sales Support 

With 18 years in sales and operations, Amber began her career at ITsavvy as the Client Associate Manager. When she interviewed with ITsavvy leadership was so impressed they created her role specifically for her. Amber has recently been promoted to Director, Sales Support and has been a key component of some of ITsavvy’s growth.

When I started 3 years ago, ITsavvy was already growing rapidly and it has been so exciting to be part of our exponential growth. Opportunities are endless at ITsavvy and our collaborative spirit enables me to build key connections with different departments. These relationships enable me to be a solution finder and build success for my team and ITsavvy as a whole. –Amber White

With her strategic thinking and vision, Amber broke off her group to be a stand-alone department with more growth opportunity.

Excelling at personally connecting with her team members, she focuses on how to serve them as a leader to aid in their success and happiness within their roles at ITsavvy. Whenever a problem is encountered, Amber deftly finds solutions for faster results and create true progress.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team.

Ruby Bachus (she/her), Senior Partner Operations Manager 

Before joining ITsavvy, she worked as a South America Sales Rep and Implementation Coordinator at Faria Systems. With experience in tech sales, marketing & operations, she’s been a key component and was on the ground floor of the Partner Management team at ITsavvy.

In 2016 Ruby was new to the IT channel when she first joined ITsavvy as our inaugural partner manager, overseeing one of ITsavvy’s largest partners. She was our HP Partner Manger and for 4 years and enjoyed building the HP brand presence with our sales teams.

“ITsavvy has been instrumental in developing my career and goals. ITsavvy does an amazing job of encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in every single one of us. My career path has been filled with positions that I have been able to help develop and create.

There are infinite possibilities to what one can build at ITsavvy.” – Ruby Bachus

After a successful tenure as our HP Partner Manager, Ruby went on to be promoted to manage a team performing the role she was once the “guinea pig” for.

Ruby is a leader in our Partner Management organization and continues to manage a brand, team and has various other responsibilities including accounting and marketing to name a few.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team.

Jenny Halilovic, Talent Acquisition Manager

Jenny is a Bosnian immigrant who migrated to America as a child in the early 2000’s to live the American Dream. Fleeing the Bosnian war, she and her family settled in Wisconsin and then moved to Chicago and was the first in her family to obtain a college degree.

Because people are central to an organization’s success and culture, Jenny is passionate about ensuring that we provide a positive working culture, which starts with the talent who joins our organization. Jenny is grateful for the opportunities that she has been given, and a large part of her career advancement has been paved at ITsavvy.

“ITsavvy encourages our people to share innovative ideas that mold our company day in and day out. We drive ourselves to push boundaries, improve processes, and enable our people to make a strong impact.

ITsavvy and John Skeffington, ITsavvy’s CHRO have given me the runway and support to build my career path, and that is what has allowed me to succeed in my career with ITsavvy. I am grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see where my ITsavvy journey will take me.”  –Jenny Halilovic

Jenny’s Road to ITsavvy

Before Jenny landed at ITsavvy, she worked in various HR roles in healthcare, including Advocate Healthcare, NorthShore University HealthSystem, and Presence Health.

She was new to the IT industry and was excited to try something new with a rapidly growing organization. From the moment she met with John Skeffington, ITsavvy’s CHRO, she knew this was the best next step in her career.

Transformational Roles at ITsavvy

After three years at the organization, Jenny was promoted to Talent Acquisition Manager where she will take the organization’s talent acquisition vision and values to the next level. Jenny is passionate about creating the best possible job candidate experience and helping ITsavvy grow.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team.

Kit Schmierer, Regional Vice President, Sales, Eastern Region

Kit has been instrumental in the growth of ITsavvy since our inception in 2004 and was our 6th employee hired and our very first remote hire.

In 4 short years Kit was promoted to Regional Sales Manager in 2008. Her first initiative was to create a business plan to hire a remote workforce–a first for ITsavvy and the industry at large. She successfully navigated technology speed bumps such as AOL Instant Messenger, the broadband network revolution, and the Blackberry! 

Kit’s innovative telecommuting strategy was an enormous success and created our current template for ITsavvy. In 2015 Kit was promoted to Regional Vice President, Sales, Eastern Region.

“ITsavvy has given me the opportunity to be an integral part of our organization’s development. Working closely with leadership, I continue to love what I do and do what I love.” –Kit Schmierer

Prior to joining ITsavvy, Kit built a successful 15-year career in technology sales. While at Global Computer/Systemax, she was the #1 sales rep out of 250 nationwide for 12 consecutive years. At Global Computer/Systemax, Kit designed and developed a rewards program called The President’s Club in which she was an award recipient every year. 

Kit now oversees an expanded territory that includes the entire Eastern seaboard that represents 30% of the company’s total sales. She fosters her high-performing team by being supportive of their individual and professional goals, helping them succeed within ITsavvy’s culture of excellence and dedication.

Celebrating International Women’s Month

ITsavvy celebrates and recognizes the amazing contributions of women on our Team.

Heather Carlson, Senior Vice President, Partner Management at ITsavvy.

Before joining ITsavvy, Heather worked in various marketing roles at WMS Gaming, a Casino Slot Machine Manufacturer overseeing Tradeshow Logistics, Sales Enablement and Digital Marketing.

She originally joined ITsavvy’s marketing team in 2017 and soon saw the opportunity to further develop and expand the partner relationships and leverage the resources available through those partnerships.  Heather developed a proposal that outlined her vision for Partner Management- and how it could help with marketing and demand generation efforts and presented it to Chris Kurpeikis and the rest was history.

“ITsavvy has given me the freedom to cultivate new ideas and bring them to life. If you are entrepreneurial, hardworking and have a passion for IT solutions, ITsavvy is a great place to execute your plans for success.”

–Heather Carlson

Heather’s Road to ITsavvy

Before Heather landed at ITsavvy, she held marketing roles usually related to database marketing and marketing operations in a variety of industries including Credit Bureaus, CPG, Advertising and Casino Manufacturing. She was new to  the IT Channel and was excited to branch out into IT and the ever changing technology landscape.

Transformational Roles at ITsavvy

After eight months at the organization, Heather moved to the Partner Management Team and was promoted to Director, Partner Management. Heather has spent the past 6 years building an amazing team of 14 that has led to exponential growth at ITsavvy. Heather was pivotal in creating a Demand Generation Team led by the Director, Demand Generation, 1 Sr. PM Operations Manager, 9 funded heads and two marketing support team members.

ADDISON, Ill.—ITsavvy, a leading complete technology solution provider, was just named to CRN’s 2021 Tech Elite 250 list of the top IT companies in North America. The annual list features IT solution providers that have earned cutting-edge technical certifications from leading technology suppliers. This is the sixth year in a row that ITsavvy has received the recognition.

Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company, said, “CRN’s Tech Elite 250 list highlights the top solution providers in the IT channel with the most in-depth technical knowledge, expertise, and certifications for providing the best level of service for their customers. These solution providers have continued to extend their talents and abilities across various technologies and IT practices, demonstrating their commitment to really conveying the most exceptional business value to their customers.” CRN is a brand of The Channel Company.

Each year, The Channel Company’s research group and CRN editors distinguish the most client-driven technical certifications in the North American IT channel. Solution providers that have earned these high honors — enabling them to deliver exclusive products, services, and client support — are then selected from a pool of online applicants as well as from The Channel Company’s solution provider database.

ITsavvy President and COO Munu Gandhi said, “We are grateful to CRN for this recognition. Our clients need to deliver business outcomes, and they are looking for technology solution providers that can help them accelerate time to value.  Our talented team of engineers are focused on growing their skills and certifications.  Their knowledge of our partner capabilities enables us to develop, deploy and manage solutions on behalf of our clients – creating a win-win-win scenario.”

Coverage of the Tech Elite 250 will be featured in the April issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.CRN.com/techelite250.

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