ConnectWise, the leading provider of intelligent software and expert services for technology solution providers (TSPs), today announced that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named four members of the ConnectWise team to its esteemed 2020 Women of the Channel list: Joy Beland, Security+, CSX|F, SSAP, Senior Cybersecurity Education Director; Brooke Candelore, Product Manager at BrightGauge, a ConnectWise solution; Nicole Hunter Hart, Director, Strategy and Execution; April Taylor, Vice President, ConnectWise Manage; and Tatiana Thomas, Director of Product Management (CX). Recognizing the unique strengths, vision, and achievements of a select group of women, this prestigious, annual list acknowledges channel leaders who are blazing a trail for future generations. These women are from all areas of the IT ecosystem, including technology vendors, distributors, solution providers and other IT organizations.
The CRN® editorial team selects the honorees to celebrate a list of exceptional women acclaimed for their contributions to channel advocacy, growth, thought leadership and dedication to the IT channel.
Beland started her own MSP in 1997, LA IT Girl, Inc., which was later rebranded to Pink Hat Technology Management. The managed service provider (MSP) served small businesses in the greater Los Angeles area for 21 years, actively engaging with the MSP community to share information and participate in user groups and conferences. Beland brought that experience to Continuum, now ConnectWise, where she led a team of security experts to develop the first-ever vendor-agnostic foundational cybersecurity certification for MSPs.
As product manager, Candelore has defined the strategy for ConnectWise to expand its BrightGauge BI and reporting offering for MSPs to serve small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In 2019, she and her team of three developers successfully built and delivered six new integrations, providing partners the ability to use BrightGauge as a single pane of glass for their key metrics.
In her current role as director, strategy and execution, Hart has been driving strategic initiatives focused on acquisition integrations, operational efficiency and go-to-market effectiveness. This includes multiple end-to-end acquisition integrations providing ConnectWise’s partners with desired solutions, new product launches to MSPs, client engagement optimization, partner journey improvements, implementation of business systems and voice of the customer programs such as NPS surveys, voice of the partner and advisory councils.,
After beginning her career as an implementation and support consultant at ConnectWise in 2006, Taylor moved from sales executive to sales support manager before landing her current role as the vice president of ConnectWise Manage where she manages the product life cycle of ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Sell and ITBoost. Taylor has received several accolades over the years, including landing on the MSPMentor 250 list in 2014, being named a CRN Channel Chief in 2015 and being selected as one of CRN’s Women of the Channel in 2017 and 2018.
Thomas began her career as an immigrant and mother with a Russian education in mathematical modeling and optical systems before restarting her career in the United States as a user interface programmer. In her current role as director, product management (CX), Thomas fuses the product design strategies for Continuum and ConnectWise together while preserving a dynamic and hard-charging culture of innovation in an effort to meet users’ business needs and ultimately deepen ConnectWise’s partnership with their businesses.
“CRN’s 2020 Women of the Channel list recognizes an accomplished group of influential women leaders whose strategic vision and unique achievements accelerate channel growth through cultivated partnerships, innovative thought leadership, and unwavering dedication to the IT channel,” said Bob Skelley, CEO of The Channel Company. “We are proud to honor them for their accomplishments and contributions to driving channel success.”
“ConnectWise is extremely fortunate to have such accomplished and talented women working with the company. Joy, Brooke, April and Tatiana are great leaders within the industry and at ConnectWise, consistently bringing their knowledge and expertise to every situation,” said Jason Magee, CEO, ConnectWise. “Whether they’ve been with the company for 16 years or just joined our team, they’ve each made positive and lasting impressions with our partners and within the channel.”
“Before joining ConnectWise, I had my own business and I was the only female-owned MSP focusing on cybersecurity, so belonging to the CRN Women of the Channel means a lot to me,” Beland said. “It’s been my personal mission to educate the community on cybersecurity and help businesses adopt a cyber-aware culture in their own practice and I appreciate each opportunity to accomplish this mission throughout my career.”
“It’s incredible to have your team acknowledge the hard work you put into each day and equally fulfilling to be recognized by a leader in the channel,” Candelore said. “Every accomplishment is by no means mine alone but comes from the mentorship of the exceptional women on this list, the leadership of ConnectWise and the hard work of my team. With their continued support, I’ll continue to strive to grow to be the best leader I can be.”
“I spent the past year providing leadership for the acquisition of Continuum and its initial integration with ConnectWise by supporting the M&A preparation and providing a deep understanding of Continuum’s business and customer base. I am working to ensure operational efficiency and enhance partner experience,” Hart said. “I am immensely proud of this recognition and will continue our momentum so that we can achieve our goal to become the ultimate business partner for TSPs.”
“It’s my third year being selected as one of CRN’s Women of the Channel and I feel more and more grateful each time,” Taylor said. “I’ve worked with so many talented women in my time at ConnectWise and it’s an honor to not only work alongside Tatiana, Joy, Nicole and Brooke, but to also be on the list with them this year.”
“I’m truly honored by this recognition and I’ve enjoyed working at ConnectWise over the past two years, where I’ve maximized every opportunity to connect with partners and provide them the technology, creativity, leadership and integrity to help teams and companies reach their potential,” Thomas said.
The 2020 Women of the Channel list will be featured in CRN® Magazine on June 8 and online at www.CRN.com/WOTC.
