J.B. Wood
President & CEO
J.B. Wood is president and CEO of the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). Spearheading a broad agenda of vital strategic initiatives as the service and support industry enters the 21st century, Wood is particularly interested in programs which enhance the practical value of the association for member companies by educating executives on ways to heighten efficiencies, customer brand loyalty, and overall return-on-investment. He spends a considerable amount of his time on advocacy issues, helping build awareness of the vital role that service and support plays across a growing spectrum of both business-to-business and consumer product categories.
Wood is a co-founder, along with IBM and Oracle, of the Service Research & Innovation Institute (SRII). He is a frequent speaker at key industry events and has been quoted in Fortune, BusinessWeek, New York Times, CNET, Computerworld, and CRM Magazine, among others. Over the course of his career, Wood has counseled hundreds of leading companies including Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, on leveraging quantitative, verifiable metrics to improving products and services through a more concise understanding of their customer bases. Wood co-founded InsightExpress, which pioneered use of the Internet in market research applications, and was president and CEO of Prognostics, one of the largest customer research and consulting companies in the IT industry.
Thomas Lah
Executive Director
Thomas Lah is the executive director of the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). Previously he co-founded and served as the executive director for the Technology Professional Services Association (TPSA).
Since 1996, Lah has helped a broad range of companies establish or improve their professional services organizations. Prior to TPSA, as founder and principal of Thomas Lah, Ltd. he became known worldwide for his incisive analysis, strategic thinking, and creative solutions. His books include Mastering Professional Services (2005), Building Professional Services: The Sirens' Song (2002), and, recently, Bridging the Services Chasm (2009). Mastering Professional Services is the first complete guide to designing a viable services strategy that complements a broader company portfolio. Building Professional Services: The Sirens' Song has been adopted by technology companies throughout the world, including China's Lenovo, which acquired IBM's PC business in early 2005.
In 2004, Lah was invited to Zhejiang University in China to lecture on the topic of building professional services. In his earlier career, he was Director of Solutions Engineering at Silicon Graphics. Previously, he worked with several other companies in related roles, including Director of Solutions Engineering, Business Development Director, Regional Sales Director, and Senior I/T Development Manager. He received an undergraduate degree in Information Systems and holds an MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
Stephen Smith
Senior Vice President of Operations and CFO
Stephen Smith is the senior vice president of operations and CFO for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). Previously, Smith served as the executive director of the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA).
Smith has championed innovation and change throughout an impressive 17-year career spanning several industries. Prior to joining SSPA, Smith was credited for leading IBM's On Demand Business Transformation strategy globally for 30,000+ Business Consulting Services employees. During his time at IBM, Smith also developed and launched their Component Business Model offering to global customers, and led services strategy for IBM's Business Performance Transformation Services–IBM's strategic initiative to move into high-value, high-growth areas.
Previously, Smith gained accolades for leading the successful operational transformation for the customer care operations of one of the largest telecommunications providers in North America. In addition, Smith had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership not only in diverse industries and billion-dollar corporations, but in small and medium-sized companies as well. Smith helped build one of the largest independent Lotus Notes consulting and software businesses which was later sold to Ernst & Young. Continuing along his entrepreneurial track, Smith co-founded and served as the COO of Encadia, which was sold to Mainspring, and later, to IBM.
Smith, a Wharton MBA, lives in Westlake Village, CA with his wife and 3 children.
Diane Brundage
Senior Vice President of Membership Development
Diane Brundage is the Senior Vice President of Membership Development for TSIA. In that capacity, she is responsible for all membership acquisition and retention as well as expanding the utilization of TSIA services used by its members.
Ms. Brundage has over 25 years experience in sales and marketing in the technology and software sector. Prior to her joining TSIA, she served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for Rainmaker Systems, a business process outsource service focusing on sales, marketing and order management of service contracts for technology companies. From 2000 to 2002, she served as senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer service for Creative Planet, an enterprise business software and application service provider to the entertainment industry.
Prior to 2000, Ms. Brundage served as vice president and general manager of Compaq Computer/Digital Equipment Corporation's Customer Service Business Unit and director of Worldwide Strategic Relations at Apple Computer. She has an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois, as well as an Advanced Management Certificate from INSEAD.
Tom Rich
Senior Vice President of Programs
Tom Rich is the senior vice president of programs for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). In that capacity, he is responsible for TSIA's conference business, marketing and publications, and member and partner programs. Previously Rich served as the senior vice president of programs for AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA.
Over his 20-year career in the technology industry, Tom Rich has acquired deep insights into the knowledge infrastructure of the IT sector and shared his expertise with senior management teams throughout the industry. Prior to TPSA, he was a Regional Vice President at TNS Prognostics; one of the leading worldwide providers of survey-based research and consulting to the IT industry. In that capacity, he provided strategic counsel to CEOs and executive management in the formulation of organizational change action plans in response to customer, partner, and employee feedback. Over that same period, he was a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in boardrooms on the topic of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Earlier in his career, while in senior marketing and sales positions in project management and CRM software companies, he played key roles in building and growing installed base account management programs.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in operations research from Yale University, and served in the US Navy and the US Naval Reserve, where he attained the rank of Captain.
Thomas W. Pridham
Vice President & General Manager, Organizational Development Services
In this important role that serves to move the TSIA mission forward, Tom maintains overall responsibility for developing and providing members with a full suite of advanced services including the TSIA Rated Outstanding Certification, TSIA Excellence in Service Operations, and the J.D. Power/Certified Technology Service and Support Certification, as well as Advisory and Consulting Services delivered in conjunction with our alliance partners.
Previously, Tom was the CEO of Diversified Software; President of Micro Optics Design Corporation; and Vice President, Western Region, for Amdahl Corporation. In each of these executive roles he gained the knowledge and experience that service and support is a critical foundation for effective and efficient procurement, installation, implementation, integration, deployment and ongoing use of hardware, software and services to global corporations. As a result, Tom shares TSIA’s passion for the need for technology companies to increase their investment in service research and innovation in order to meet the growing complexity and demands of our service based economy.
Tom holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in commerce and economics from the University of Toronto.
Bill Rose
Vice President of Services Research
Bill Rose is the vice president of services research and the chairperson of the Support Services Advisory Board.
For almost two decades, Rose has served as an energetic and articulate advocate for the service and support industry. The founder of the SSPA in 1989 and its chief executive for 15 years, Rose has over the last decade emerged as a global expert on best practices within the industry, and as a leading authority on ways to heighten efficiencies while at the same time building customer loyalty. Perhaps more than any other single individual, Rose is responsible for service and support becoming a highly valued, mission-critical department within the structure of Global 2000 enterprises.
Rose is also a widely acclaimed international speaker, and has authored a number of influential guides, including Managing Software Support, Automating Your Support Center and Taking Charge of Your Support Center, in addition to hundreds of industry articles. He has also been recognized as an "Industry Champion" by the CRM industry and as a "Call Center Pioneer" by Call Center Magazine.
Bo Di Muccio
Vice President, Research and Advisory Services
Bo Di Muccio, Ph.D., is the vice president of research and advisory services for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), and the chairperson of the Professional Services Advisory Board. Previously he served as the senior director of research and advisory services for TPSA.
Di Muccio is responsible for developing and delivering research and advisory programs that are focused on helping executives to build and optimize professional services in many of the world's leading technology companies. He has nearly 10 years of experience in technology industry research, analysis and consulting, including experience in hardware, software and services. Prior to TPSA, he was the Program Manager for consulting services research at International Data Corporation (IDC). He also had a lengthy tenure at Deloitte Consulting, where he served several business units in a variety of roles, including services strategy and marketing, market research, competitive intelligence and client service. He also held market research roles at AltaVista Company and Compaq Computer Corporation prior to his tenure at Deloitte.
Di Muccio earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees in international political economy from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California and was a tenure-track faculty member of the University of Florida's Department of Political Science prior to beginning his career in the technology sector.
Michael Israel
Senior Director of Research and Advisory Services
Michael Israel is the senior director of research and advisory services for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), and the chairperson of the Field Services Advisory Board. Previously he served as the senior director of research and advisory services for AFSMI.
In his current role, Israel is responsible for expanding the TSIA research portfolio in the area of field services. He works closely with TSIA members to provide the industry data they need to optimize their services organizations.
Israel previously had founded igniteService, Inc. and has worked in customer support, field services, and repair operations for more than 30 years. He has significant service operational experience, having spent 15 years–including 12 years with IBM–managing field services, service parts, and technical support operations. He also spent more than 15 years selling and marketing customer service, service management, and service parts management software solutions to manufacturers and service providers in a wide variety of industries. His sales and marketing roles include management and executive-level positions with Oracle, SAP, and other leading software organizations.
In addition, Israel was a widely respected research director in the service chain practice at Aberdeen Group, where he researched and reported on customer support, field services, maintenance, and repair topics.
John Ragsdale
Vice President of Technology Research
John Ragsdale is the vice president of technology research for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA). Previously he served as the vice president of technology research for AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA. Ragsdale's area of expertise is in creating strategies for improving the overall customer experience and services operation through technology. Ragsdale drives TSIA's highly regarded technology research agenda, delivering insightful, thought-leadership research and analysis on the most pressing business issues facing services leaders to enable them to better plan and execute their service strategies.
Prior to joining SSPA, Ragsdale spent over six years at Forrester Research as vice president and research director. During his career, Ragsdale has held product management and marketing positions at various service and support technology vendors, including Clarify, AnswerSystems, Platinum Technologies and Nortel Networks. He has been involved in customer service throughout his career, including over ten years managing both the internal and external customer support organizations at J.C. Penney, before moving to the Silicon Valley in the mid-90s.
With his in-depth industry analysis experiences, Ragsdale brings an extensive understanding of the technology and vendor landscape for services. He leverages those insights to help guide Association members in making informed technology, business and investment decisions.
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