Rob McCarthy – Founder & Senior Software Developer
Rob McCarthy is the founder of Lightspeed Systems and its senior software developer, specializing in network protocols, antivirus, spam, and web crawlers. In 1984, McCarthy established MacSoft, which is now incorporated as Lightspeed Systems. He also founded Lightspeed Net, which was acquired and incorporated into EarthLink in 2000. McCarthy received a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Occidental College, a Bachelor of Science in engineering from California Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

Joel Heinrichs – CEO
Joel Heinrichs is CEO of Lightspeed Systems, providing strategic direction to the rapidly growing company that serves the K-12 education market. Prior to his current position, Heinrichs was president of Lightspeed Net, a regional ISP that was established as a division of Lightspeed Systems, but quickly grew to serve 20,000 customers in central California. Before moving into the private sector, Heinrichs began his career in local government, which culminated in his appointment as the County Administrative Officer for Kern County. In this position, he managed a team of more than 7,000 employees, and led the county’s efforts to improve customer service, streamline operations, and more effectively plan for the region’s increased development. Heinrichs has been involved in educational endeavors his entire life. He currently serves as the president of the South High School Alumni Association and as a member of the Kern High School District Board of Trustees. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Bakersfield.

Scott Garrison – President
Scott Garrison is president of Lightspeed Systems. With 80 resellers throughout the United States and distributors in England and Australia, the company has tripled annual revenues since Garrison joined the company in 2005 as the vice president of sales and marketing. Previously, Garrison was vice president of business development for Arrival Communications. In 2000, Arrival acquired a telecommunications company originally co-founded by Garrison and his business partners in 1991. Garrison serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce as the immediate past chairman, and as the vice president of the Bakersfield Police Activities League (PAL). He has actively served on the BPAL Board of Directors for 13 years. Recognized as the 1996 CSUB School of Business alumnus of the year, Garrison serves on the CSUB Council of 100. He is also a mentor for Kern County Leadership at North High School in Bakersfield, Calif. Garrison earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Cal State University, Bakersfield.

Brian Thomas – Chief Revenue Officer
Brian Thomas is the Chief Revenue Officer at Lightspeed Systems, creating the sales strategies and business development opportunities that are pivotal in the growth and success of the company. Brian joined Lightspeed in 1999 as a Regional Sales Manager, and his excellence and dedication have earned him the Top Sales Award in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Brian holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University.

Ileana Rowe – Chief Marketing Officer
As the Chief Marketing Officer at Lightspeed Systems, Ileana drives innovative and multi-faceted campaigns to create a powerful presence for Lightspeed Systems. Ileana has cross-functional, multi-channel expertise leading start-up, fast-track growth and diversified high-tech ventures and holds a recognized position as a key leader in the educational market industry. In her nearly thirty years of experience, Ileana has worked with companies such as Apple, Mattel, Portland Public Schools and Learning.com, using her visionary skills to successfully plan and execute executive-level strategies, formulating a company vision and long-term strategies. Ileana received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Costa Rica.

Rob Chambers – Chief Technology Officer
Rob Chambers is the Chief Technology Officer at Lightspeed, planning and executing innovative product roadmaps that uniquely address the needs of our education customers. Before joining Lightspeed, Rob held key positions in educational technology, where he gained the experience that drives him to develop solutions to meet the unique needs of schools. Rob was the Director of Technology Services at Rosedale Union School District in Bakersfield, CA, where he planned, organized, developed, implemented, and monitored all aspects of the district’s technology services. Rob also worked as a consultant for FCMAT, reviewing the technology services, infrastructure, and personnel structure of a school district’s technology department; served as an adjunct faculty member at Bakersfield College, teaching courses for the Computers Studies Department; and held the position of network manager for the Kern Community College District. He also served on the California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA) Board of Directors from 2005-2007. Rob holds an Associate degree in Liberal Studies from Bakersfield College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Phoenix.

John Genter – Chief Operations Officer
John Genter is the Chief Operations Officer at Lightspeed, overseeing and directing the daily operations of Customer Support, IT, QA, and Facilities teams. John develops the interdepartmental relationships and cross-department work flows that keep operations at Lightspeed running efficiently and effectively, and also leads the implementation of Lightspeed’s Quality Program and ISO900 certification. Before joining Lightspeed in 2005, John was the VP of Network Operations/CTO at Arrival Communications, managing operations, overseeing budgets, supervising teams, and leading major operational projects for the $20+ million telecommunications company. John received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from DeVry Institute of Technology.

Cherese Grell - Channel Manager
As the Channel Manager for Lightspeed Systems, Cherese is responsible for managing over 100 partners throughout the United States and Canada to meet or exceed Lightspeed Systems’ annual sales targets. She has implemented the Lightspeed Partner Program, establishing sales goals, training tools, incentives, and rewards to increase partner productivity and inspire confidence in Lightspeed Systems solutions. Before joining Lightspeed in 2008, Cherese held key management, sales, and consulting positions in multimillion-dollar telecommunications companies, including Telepacific Communications and Arrival Communications, where she played a key role in the growth of annual business revenues by partnering with resellers and creating business strategies for sales success. Cherese enhanced customer satisfaction through excellent customer communications and relations and won many awards for her sales achievements. Cherese holds an Associate in Arts degree in Business Administration from Bakersfield College.

Philip Scrivano – VP, Professional Development
Philip Scrivano is the Vice President of Professional Development at Lightspeed, where he is responsible for ensuring ongoing, superior customer service through support, training, user groups, and communication of customer needs with engineering and product development teams. Philip has a keen understanding of Lightspeed customers, honed during his time as Director of Instructional Technology in Student Services for Kern County Superintendent Of Schools and as a management analyst for 54 K-12 school districts, during which he was responsible for technical reviews, forensic technology investigations, administrative duties, and network administration. Philip holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, a Teaching Credential, and a master’s degree in Administration from California State University Bakersfield.