Our Consultants
Bob Brackney
Bob has over 25 years’ experience in consulting, outsourcing and operations at firms including Accenture, SunGuard, Wipro and Point B. Bob believes that understanding his client's culture and communications style is the cornerstone to long-lasting business relationships and friendships. He enjoys working directly with teams, helping organize, plan and execute complex projects. He approaches every challenge with a sense of humor, a natural curiosity, and a positive enthusiasm. Bob claims technology skills that are "a mile wide and an inch deep," having been fortunate to work with super-smart people in environments from mainframe to advanced virtualization and cloud, in areas including operations, compliance, security, IT, sales and outsourcing, and in industries such as fintech, healthcare, utilities, and real estate development.
Bob has a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology from Arizona State University. He is an Arizona native and lives in Mesa but escapes to Lakeside in northern Arizona as often as possible during the summer months. Bob has 2 grown "kids," 3 dogs and one wife. When he is not working, he enjoys working on his old cars (one of which usually runs,) mountain biking, competitive shooting, fixing stuff and exploring the outdoors.
Ed has over 25 years as a consulting professional spanning a variety of vertical market industries and areas of expertise that include aerospace, electronics manufacturing, IT/Telecom, and nuclear and solar power in such roles as Test Engineer, Product Engineer, Mission Assurance Manager, and mostly as a certified Project Management Professional. Ed began his career as a USAF Firefighter and continues using firefighting skills but today in solving complex business, customer relationship, team leadership, and technology challenges. Often brought into complex project situations and applying a consultive problem-solving approach, Ed leverages industry best practices right sized for the situation at hand and also by leaning on scar tissue from past lessons learned.
Ed earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado and maintains a multitude of certifications to include Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP), Six Sigma, Agile Project Management, and Earned Value Management Systems. In his free time Ed loves the outdoors of Northern Arizona hiking, mountain biking, motorcycling, photography, gourmet cooking, and promoting his passion for Arizona’s emerging wine industry.
Ed Gee
Venn Ravichandran
Tenacious and adaptable with a penchant for solving gnarly problems, Dr. Venn Ravichandran brings 20 years of experience in data science. Venn likes to tell stories with data that help you make informed decisions faster. While he solves your short-term problems, he also creates solutions that last longer than your next phone.
Venn’s goal is to leave you better than before you found him. While his strength is in utilizing data to achieve your objectives, he always looks to identify improvement opportunities across people, process, and technology. He provides practical advice on how to achieve these.
Throughout his 12-year professional consulting career, Venn has led engagements at universities, governments, health insurance, utilities, home care, semiconductor, pharma, and non-profit companies. He has managed projects end-to-end spanning robotics, biomedical engineering, software development, process optimization, and data science. Venn excels at liaising between the business, technical, and customer groups.
Venn lives with his wife, 2 kids, 2 cats, and a few plants in Phoenix. For leisure, he enjoys growing a food forest and practicing yoga.
Leana Layfield
With 25+ years in regulated industries—banking/fintech, energy, and healthcare—Leana is a proven change agent in both technology and business process transformation. Known for quickly understanding organizational culture, she builds strong relationships across teams and vendors to drive results. Her versatile career spans roles such as product owner, program manager, and customer success manager, always adapting to meet evolving business needs. Leana holds multiple certifications, including PMP, Six Sigma, Scrum Product Owner/Master, and ITIL Foundations. She excels at translating between business and tech, making her a trusted bridge and strategic asset. Based in Phoenix with her daughter and dog, Leana brings energy, clarity, and community to every endeavor—whether leading a project or planning the next adventure.
Laura Manz
Laura brings decades of experience in energy utility operations and consulting. She is a former Vice President for the California Independent System Operator and has designed wholesale and retail markets across North America. She enjoys applying her diverse industry experience to solve complex challenges as the industry transforms toward clean energy solutions. Laura is a true collaborator, having facilitated leading edge issues that include interconnection and integration of clean energy resources, mitigating the impacts of increasing severe weather and enabling markets to reach distributed energy resources.
Laura earned her MBA from Drexel University and holds a BS in Electrical Engineering. She is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys volunteering with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Nicholas Leto
Nicholas Leto is a consulting and project management professional who thrives on helping teams turn strategy into action. With a background in sustainability and business operations, he’s passionate about finding smarter, more productive ways to work—especially within the evolving energy and utilities space. Known for his approachable leadership style and curiosity, Nick brings clarity and momentum to every engagement.
When he’s not collaborating with clients or digging into new efficiency tools, you can find him in the gym playing basketball, producing music in the studio, or cheffing up a tasty meal in the kitchen.
Todd has over 25 years as a consulting professional with the bulk of his experience with Deloitte, IBM, and Point B. Todd specializes in leading large complex projects and has developed an expertise in information management, digital strategy, as well as being a certified SAP consultant, leading ERP engagements. He has consulted at over 30 Fortune 500 companies and has vast international business experience delivering projects in Belgium, Germany, Spain, UK, India, Mexico, Japan.
Todd previously served 10 years as a U.S. Naval Officer after graduating from North Caronia State University and completing training through the university’s Navy ROTC program. Todd attributes his leadership skills to his diverse experiences in the Navy’s Amphibious, Surface, and Special Warfare communities.
Todd is a native New Englander but has since given up his Northeast roots and has called the Sonoran Desert home for the past 20 years. He resides in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife of 22 years, 16-year-old son, and two Vizslas named Copper and Boots. In his spare time, Todd enjoys camping in his Airstream, hiking, and learning new skills.
Todd Judkins
Dan Der
Dan has been working in information technology across multiple industries for 30+ years, often serving as program or project manager. Dan’s broad experience leading all phases of the software development lifecycle enables him to bring an end-to-end perspective to his engagements. Dan believes two main traits have made him successful in his career – cultural adaptability and tactical execution. “Anytime you walk into a new client, you need to be able to quickly understand the corporate culture – how they communicate, make decisions, etc. – and adapt to that culture in order to be effective.” Dan’s ability to listen, adapt, and execute often results in him leading project turnaround efforts.
Dan has an MBA from Arizona State University and a BSc in Chemical & Petroleum Engineering from the University of Calgary. Dan recently served on the Valley of the YMCA Advisory Board and currently serves as the Treasurer of Desert Vista High School’s Boys Basketball Booster Board. Dan is passionate about all things Canadian and loves to spend his time with his family cheering on the ASU Sun Devils and the Oregon Ducks. You can also find Dan with his camera shooting street & sports photography at every opportunity he can get.
Dave Blasi
Dave is an accomplished leader and trusted advisor with a proven track record of success in diverse, multi billion dollar global enterprises. With a strong background in change leadership, business process, and operational excellence, he excels in implementing strategies that drive business evolution. Drawing upon a broad skill set that lends itself to a wide range of projects including acquisition integration, software implementation, process and organizational development, and the change management that goes with them. He has held leadership positions in hardware manufacturing, high-tech distribution, software sales, IT and healthcare, providing the perspective to execute, regardless of industry.
Dave’s engagement skills are anchored in exceptional emotional intelligence, active listening, and a refined communication style that rapidly builds trust with stakeholders from the C-suite to the individual contributor.
Mike Johnson
Mike has over 20 years of experiencing with large capital projects. From mega-sized construction to multi-year/multi-site portfolios, Mike has been involved with every facet of the construction lifecycle. Mike represents owners and prides himself at becoming a trusted advisor focused on solving the challenges inherent with complex construction. He has worked across industries with a focus on technology, healthcare, and transportation. Mike has never shied away from a troubled project and has regularly been involved with helping course correct a construction endeavor gone offtrack.
Mike has a B.S. in Planning and Development and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and was previously a Director with KPMG LLP’s Major Project Advisory practice. Although a California native, Mike now impersonates a cowboy in Dallas where he moonlights as a chauffeur and accounts payable department for his two children, four dogs, and patient wife, Yelena.
Jennifer Attianese
For more than a decade Jennifer has provided consulting, advisory and leadership services to drive companies' most critical initiatives, translating strategic insight into business impact. She has experience leading work in highly regulated industries with a background in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, consumer & retail, and energy/utility. Jennifer is passionate about developing and executing digital-first business strategies and believes the key to successful innovation is the collaboration between the customer and organization. Her ability to build relationships, organize information, analyze data, and communicate key messages to various stakeholders allows her to effectively manage and deliver value at the project level, and beyond. Jennifer is a PMP, Certified Practitioner of Human Centered Design through the LUMA Institute, and recently completed a Digital Product Management: From Strategy to Launch course through the National University of Singapore. She is passionate about ever-evolving digital technology and its role in elevating the customer experience.
Jennifer lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and two young children. Outside of work you can find Jennifer at Pilates, hiking, on a patio enjoying a margarita, chasing kids, and traveling with her family.
Robert Leavengood
Rob brings over 25 years of IT consulting expertise, having led complex, high-impact transformation initiatives across industries including retail, telecommunications, non-profit, high-tech, and life sciences. Known for blending strategic vision with operational precision, he consistently drives exceptional team performance and delivers measurable business outcomes. Rob began his career during the formative years of Amazon.com, and has since consulted several Fortune 500 clients such as Microsoft, Google, T-Mobile, Apple, the Gates Foundation and serves as a board advisor a 501c3. His leadership has spanned programs and projects across North America, South America, and Europe, earning a reputation for agility, innovation, and results.
Rob holds both a BA and an MBA from the University of Washington. Outside of work, he’s a devoted husband of 27 years and proud father of three adult children, each forging their own path. A passionate supporter of UW Husky football, the Seattle Mariners, and the Seahawks, Rob also enjoys strength training and deep reading.
Brian Chou
Brian has over 17 years of experience in roles spanning business and technology project management, business analysis, and product marketing at companies including Accenture, Point B, and PlayStation. He takes a collaborative and consultative approach in leading and executing strategic programs, software implementations, and product launches. Brian has partnered with executives and clients in a variety of industries during his career, including utilities, federal government, financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail & consumer goods, media & entertainment, hospitality, and higher education.
Brian has a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and two dogs, and spends too much time thinking about the next sip of coffee.
Omar Abdeen
Omar has built a career entirely in consulting, working across industries like utilities, telecom, retail, insurance, banking, and government, with projects spanning the US, Australia, and the Middle East. His expertise covers data strategy, visualization, analytics, and governance, delivering solutions that turn complex data into clear, actionable results. Right now, he’s laser-focused on governance—building frameworks from scratch, guiding teams on best practices, and aligning leadership with data-driven priorities. With a knack for leading projects and fostering collaboration, Omar’s worked with diverse clients, from major retailers to global enterprises, always emphasizing practical outcomes and strategic impact. He brings a collaborative mindset to every challenge, blending technical depth with an ability to connect across teams and cultures. His experience includes driving analytics initiatives, crafting data strategies, and ensuring compliance, all while keeping a sharp focus on client goals. Omar thrives on simplifying the complex, approaching each project with curiosity and a commitment to long-term success.
Theresa Russell
Theresa is a seasoned Project Leader and Principal Organizational Change Management Consultant with over 15 years of experience driving enterprise transformation and operational excellence across the energy, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, finance, banking, and technology sectors. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she specializes in simplifying complex portfolios, optimizing processes, and guiding organizations through large-scale change. Theresa’s approach blends analytical precision with human-centered strategy to align resources, priorities, and outcomes under demanding conditions. She holds an MBA and is pursuing her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University, where her research explores leadership and digital transformation. With a balance of strategic insight and execution discipline, Theresa partners with clients to build resilient, efficient, and future-ready organizations.
Randal Ralph
Randal has 20+ years experience managing IT Projects in many industries. He is able to step into any environment and quickly adapt to make positive things happen. Experience includes working at Honeywell, JP Morgan Chase, American Express, DHL Global Forwarding, Cigna, Aetna, U-Haul, Experian, Silicon Valley Bank, Red Bull and others. His mindset is to get everyone to agree and execute according to that agreement.
He's been married for 23 years and has 2 wonderful daughters, one that recently graduated Magna Cum Laude in Biochemistry/Pre-med from the University of Arizona, and the other who's a Flinn Scholar Sophomore at Arizona State University studying Civil Engineering. He loves sports and in his free time he enjoys cheering for ASU and U of A sports, Minnesota Vikings Football, Phoenix Suns, and loves Fantasy Football. He also enjoys the card table, watching his daughters' volleyball activities, and taking short weekend trips when time permits.