Management Team
Next IT has assembled an experienced, proven team of people who have helped build successful companies and taken innovative technologies to market.
Fred A. Brown
Founder /CEO
Fred Brown is the Founder and CEO of Next IT Corporation - a company changing the way people interact with technology. Prior to Next IT, he was Founder, President and CEO of the successful LineSoft Corporation. At LineSoft, the calf-roper turned entrepreneur broke new ground in the energy industry with the development of software systems that are now considered industry standard worldwide. With Next IT, Fred continues to revolutionize technology’s impact on business with his newest vision - personalizing and humanizing user interactions with technology through Human Emulation Software™. Fred’s values of delivering on his promises and being accessible to every customer are proven in his hands-on leadership style and day-to-day involvement with every project. Additionally, Fred is actively involved in organizations serving the northwest educational and scientific communities, including serving on the Board of Trustees at Gonzaga University as well as founding WIN Partners LLC, a private investment fund for aspiring technology entrepreneurs in Spokane, Washington.
Jeff Brown
Executive Vice President, Sales/Marketing
Jeff Brown has a deep understanding of the value proposition and market requirements of intelligent customer self-service and innovative technology. Prior to Next IT, Jeff spent 10 years working on a variety of software solutions, including specializing in asset and service management systems at Peregrine Systems. His leadership and experience are proven as he led the Next IT sales team through 1,478% revenue growth from 2003-2008. Jeff works closely with Next IT’s current and prospective customers to solve their issues by pairing technology with smart business practices to grow their profits and increase customer satisfaction. With a keen eye for the impact of intelligent self-service, Jeff ensures that Next IT’s solutions are ahead of the curve. In addition to his business acumen, Jeff was a three-time Academic All American athlete for Gonzaga University, and could frequently be spotted as a color commentator for Fox Sports Northwest.
Charles Wooters, Ph.D.
Chief Technical Officer
As CTO, Charles Wooters is responsible for the strategy, planning, communication, and intellectual property surrounding Next IT’s technology. After receiving his Ph.D. in Speech Recognition from the University of California at Berkeley, Chuck went on to create the world’s first FDA approved voice recognition system which was used in a surgical robot. With more than 20 years in the human language technology industry, over 60 publications and a handful of patents, Chuck has ample experience identifying trends and can easily anticipate and react to major technology changes. In addition to his duties at Next IT, Chuck also holds an "Adjunct Research Faculty" position at the newly created "Human Language Technology Center of Excellence" (HLT-COE) at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and serves on the IEEE Speech and Language Technical Committee where he volunteers his time reviewing technical papers and serving as an editor for the committee newsletter. Chuck’s contribution to the development of new technology, new ideas, and new algorithms ensures that Next IT stays one step ahead of the competition.
Tanya Miller
Vice President, Research
Spearheading the Research & Development team at Next IT, Tanya Miller makes the impossible possible with her determination and entrepreneurial attitude. After earning a BS in Mathematics and Computer Engineering from the University of Puget Sound, Tanya worked at LineSoft Corporation developing advanced software applications in order to streamline and optimize transmission and distribution systems. Tanya’s career-long focus on future development has led to a consistent record of success in technological advancements at Next IT.
Sam Fleming
Vice President, Products and Development
As the Vice President of Products and Development, Sam Fleming is responsible for the delivery of Next IT’s software technology as well as serving customers and their end users. A British Columbia native, Sam came to the U.S. to attend Whitworth College. While attending college to earn his BA in International Business, Sam founded his first company in 1997, which was later acquired by Next IT. Sam’s experience combined with his enthusiasm and zeal for Next IT’s innovative solutions help drive the company to always be on the cutting edge.
Jeff Hooper
Controller
As Controller, Jeff Hooper oversees the day-to-day financial activities of Next IT, providing fiscal and strategic reporting. A former CPA, Jeff spent nearly four years working in public accounting before making the leap to the private sector with an emphasis in construction accounting. Jeff directs and coordinates Next IT’s financial planning, budget management and forecasting. His fiscal tenacity ensures projects are on time and under budget.
Linda Belobersycky
Director, Technical Operations
In her role as Director of Technical Operations, Linda Belobersycky leads the team of project managers, business analysts, application analysts, and component managers to ensure that the delivery and implementation of Next IT’s Human Emulation Software™ meets the business needs of new and existing customers. As an information technology veteran, Linda brings intimate knowledge of development and integration of business solution software, including quality assurance, development, design, and architecture.
Stacia Rasmussen
Director, CMS
As Director of Maintenance and Support, Stacia Rasmussen leads the oversight and improvement of the quality assurance team, customer service managers, content services management, and the operations and support team. Stacia’s 24-year career in information technology has given her deep knowledge of all facets of solution development and support, allowing her to influence the shape and scope of the Next IT solution with a keen understanding of technological evolution.
Roth Fouty
Director, Solutions Architect
As Director of Solution Architects, Roth oversees the system design for potential customers. Prior to his current role, Roth managed Next IT’s development team and helped establish the quality assurance and production development teams. Roth’s deep technical understanding of Next IT’s products and services provide customers clarity on architecture, infrastructure, and integration for every implementation. In addition to keeping up with the latest product improvements and implementation best practices, Roth is constantly studying the technology to see how it can better enhance the customer’s experience.
Chris Howat
Director, Product Management
Chris Howat’s primary focus as Director of Product Management is to drive the strategy, processes and decisions that lead to high quality software products, allowing Next IT to maintain a unique competitive advantage. His 15 year career in the technology industry enables him to establish a clear product vision and effectively translate that vision into product plans, requirements and roadmaps. Howat ensures that Next IT’s customers’ wants and needs are delivered in our software products, and that Next IT continues to deliver new, innovative and financially impactful solutions to its customers.
John Halberstadt
Director, Product Development
As Director of Product Development, John Halberstadt is responsible for the leadership and oversight of Next IT’s ActiveAgent software development process. John and his team develop and enhance Next IT’s natural language human emulation platform, along with the tools which help manage and improve the breadth, depth and accuracy of Next IT's Virtual Experts. John has spent over 16 years working in information technology management. Before joining the Next IT team, he served in key executive technology leadership roles within Fortune 500 companies such as First American and Fidelity National. John’s extensive background in technology guarantees that Next IT will continue to develop industry revolutionizing self-service solutions.
Professor George Luger
Technology Advisor
Dr. George Luger, Professor of Computer Science, Psychology, and Linguistics at The University New Mexico, is Next IT’s Chief Technology Advisor, an advocacy position counseling the company’s senior technologists on artificial intelligence and expert systems, and their application to semantic web technology.
George is a Spokane, Washington native, and Gonzaga University graduate. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, then performed five years of post-doctoral research in the Department of Artificial Intelligence of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His research in AI has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA and others. He is the author of many articles and several books, including his popular AI text, Artificial Intelligence: Structures and Strategies for Complex Problem Solving, which is in it’s fifth printing, and has been translated into multiple languages, including Russian, Chinese, and German.
George conducts regular online and in-person brainstorming sessions with Next IT’s development staff, and is available to discuss ideas and problems with Next IT technologists one on one.
Find more information on George’s work at http://www.cs.unm.edu/~luger/.