Founders – Board

JP Finnell, Founder – Chapter Chair and Co-Founder / CEO, Mobility Partners, LLC
JP Finnell chairs the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Mobile Monday and is CEO of Mobility Partners, LLC (www.mobilitypartners.com), a pure-play wireless mobility consultancy that enables enterprises to realize optimal return on wireless and mobility investments. As a recognized thought leader in the area, JP produced a leading book on business mobility, pioneered research in mobility and identity management with Stanford University, and is a frequent public speaker on emerging trends, best practices, and strategy in the wireless industry.

Prior to Mobility Partners, JP was General Manager of Mobility Professional Services worldwide for the Enterprise Solutions division of Nokia. Prior to this role, he headed up client services, solutions management, and business development groups for startups (United Messaging) and global technology leaders (Novell, Xerox, Deloitte), where he developed expertise in wireless mobility, messaging, Software as a Service (SaaS), secure identity management, service-oriented architecture (SOA) and open source software.

JP was a Fellow in the Leadership New York program run by Coro’s New York Leadership Center, and a Fellow at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, where he received an MA from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BS from the Georgetown University.

Rick Rasansky, Chapter Co-Founder / Founder and CEO, Yorn LLC
Mr. Rasansky has over two decades of high-tech startup leadership and management experience. He has served as founder, c-level officer and a principal partner of public and private entities spanning software, telecom, financial and consumer services. Since founding one of the earliest SaaS companies which grew to over one million users in less than six months in 1999, to building mobile payment systems, Rick is considered an expert in viral marketing techniques. In addition to focusing on mobile and Internet technologies, his expertise spans payments, user authentication, and privacy, most specifically in the highly regulated financial services sector.

Currently, Rick is leading Yorn in redefining market research by using crowd-sourcing and social media to aggregate web and mobile users as panelists for any business, political cause, organization, or individual who has a need to obtain relevant feedback, trends, votes or opinions in near real-time and at low cost. Previously, Rick was a founder and CEO of Sapphire Mobile Systems, which was acquired just two years after the successful development of its patent pending, mobile payment infrastructure. Rick was also Chief Marketing Officer of TRM Corp, an operator of an international network of over 22,000 ATM terminals and CEO of eCal Corp, which he founded in 1997.

Mr. Rasansky is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, attended the Moore School of Engineering and served two years as an AVROC in the U.S. Navy. An invited speaker and panelist at numerous international conferences, Mr. Rasansky also serves on the boards of several start-ups, charitable, and industry organizations in addition to being actively involved in mentoring young entrepreneurs. Rick is also a patent holding inventor who resides outside of Philadelphia with his wife, three children and two dogs.

James A. Drobile, Jr, Chapter Co-Founder
James Drobile is a senior business leader in the wireless telecommunication and technology industry.  He has extensive business and management consulting experience and is a recognized strategy and process thought leader who has spent the past two decades driving complex and wide ranging business initiatives for client companies.  James has deep and diverse experience in operations, process improvement, mergers and integrations, as well as launching new business start-ups.  He has managed the strategic, business development and financial aspects of the business and is recognized for his ability to lead cross functional high-performing teams.

Mr. Drobile has consulted with several technology and telecommunications companies including Motorola, Iridium Satellite LLC and Lucent Technologies.  Mr. Drobile’s background also includes strong performance improvement and process consultative experience with firms like American Management Systems (AMS) and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting.  His consulting efforts have generated significant savings for companies through business and technology improvements.  Earlier in his career, James served in financial and accounting roles with DuPont and RCA/General Electric.

James holds both a bachelor of science in accountancy and an MBA from Villanova University.  He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a past member of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), and is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

MoMo-MA Board

MoMo-Ma Speakers:
Ron Braunfeld, VP Business Development, ULocate
uLocate is the publisher of WHERE. WHERE is a wireless application that provides people with access to the world’s most comprehensive library of location based content – including options for local search, news, weather, events, friend finding and much more. Prior to joining uLocate, Ron ran Business Development at MapQuest, where he was responsible for revenue and partnership opportunities in the wireless, print, and software businesses. Prior to MapQuest, Ron managed Business Development for eCal Corporation, where he brought in accounts including AT&T, CBS, Switchboard, ZDNet, Net2Phone, Disney. Ron has a BA from the University of New Hampshire and a MA from Temple University.

MoMo-MA Communications and Membership:

Lisa Allen, Director, International Business at Nelson Bostock Communications
Nelson Bostock, a leading London, UK-based international PR Agency, creates award-winning PR programs for clients ranging from global blue chips to cutting-edge startups.  Lisa launched Nelson Bostock’s Mobile Practice.  Her client experience includes HTC, Mobile Entertainment Forum, Ericsson, NEC, Glu Mobile, Shazam, Amobee, JumpTap.  Lisa is now based in Philadelphia, from where she develops and manages Nelson Bostock’s multi-country agency network.

MoMo-Ma Events:

Charles Cleary, President  & CEO of Leadership Outcomes, Inc.
Leadership Outcomes, Inc., www.LeadershipOutcomes.com , a “C”-level  Operating Management Support firm focused on scaling Mobile Internet & Managed Services businesses worldwide.  The firm’s mission is operational in nature with Mr. Cleary reporting to the Board as CEO in a full-time or interim capacity, or supporting the CEO by assuming end-to-end accountability for Customer-facing people & resources and delivery of sustainable revenues and margins.

Since Leadership Outcomes’ founding in 2002, Mr. Cleary led PADCOM (now NetMotion Wireless), as President & CEO and the European LOB expansion of Arbinet into Mobile Number Portability utilizing Hosted and SaaS solutions. Prior positions include Sales Vice President for AT&T. Operating support engagements are ongoing at Compass Global, Inc., Software Synergy, Inc. and Mobile Attainment, LLC.  Advisory Services are offered to LLR Partners and LaSalle University’s President. Mr. Cleary has a BA in Economics and an MBA in Marketing from LaSalle and is a U.S. Army Reserve Civil Affairs Officer (Ret.).

MoMo-MA sponsorship:

Chuck Sacco, VP, Sales & Business Development, Movitas
Movitas is a leading mobile communication, marketing and commerce platform for location-centric businesses such as hotels, resorts and conferences. It provides a suite of solutions designed to drive revenue, improve the customer experience, manage mobile marketing campaigns, and deliver mobile business processes. Solutions include content management, messaging, commerce, logistics, workflow, and internet based administrative tools that can integrate into property management (PMS), central reservation (CRS) and point of sale (POS) systems. Prior to joining Movitas, Chuck lead PhindMe, which was recently acquired by Movitas. Chuck has previously held operational and executive leadership roles in the fields of enterprise software, business process management, and mobile application development. He was a General Manager at SoftBrands, an international ERP, CRM, and BPM company in the manufacturing, distribution, and hospitality industries.  Chuck has specific expertise in selling and implementing technology platforms with small and mid-sized companies, helping them improve their bottom line through the effective use of technology. He has also led the setup of national and international partner programs, helping local companies leverage local market expertise.  With an MBA in technology management from Drexel University and a Beta Gamma Sigma honoree, Chuck has authored articles and speeches on mobile marketing and business process management. He recently spoke at Search Marketing Expo Local/Mobile, discussing how consumers will use mobile technologies in varied ways to interact with local business communities.

MoMo-MA Legal Counsel:

Michael Crossey - managing partner, Crossey Law Group
Michael is an experienced emerging growth and technology attorney and entrepreneur.  He is the managing partner of Crossey Law Group, where he represents entrepreneurs and emerging companies and provides outsourced general counsel services.  Michael is also founder and CEO of MG Legal Solutions – a software company working to develop SaaS-based solutions to reduce entrepreneurs’ legal costs – and general counsel for Venmo, Inc. — a start-up mobile payments company.  Prior to these ventures, Michael was an attorney with two top international law firms.  Michael first worked for K&L Gates in their Corporate and Information Management groups, and later worked in the Emerging Business and Technology Group at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.  Michael is an executive student at The Wharton School and The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

MoMo-MA Advisors:

Brad Blumberg, Chapter Co-Founder / CEO, Smarter Agent
Mr. Blumberg is the CEO of Smarter Agent, the leading company creating place-based mobile LBS/GPS applications. Smarter Agent is available on wireless carriers in the United States and is expanding internationally.

Smarter Agent won CTIA’s Emerging Technology Award for LBS and also won the Navteq Global LBS Challenge for Commerce/Advertising/Buying in both Europe and the Americas. The firm has been featured on the Today Show, CNBC, NPR and in other major media. Mr. Blumberg holds several patents for mobile LBS (location-based services) as it relates to place, real estate and advertising. www.smarteragent.com

Rebecca Bottorff, President Venture Savvy (former VP HR Motricity)
Rebecca Bottorff is a seasoned executive, management consultant and business coach with over eighteen years in business management and leadership experience. Rebecca oversees the development and implementation of human resources initiatives that shape companies into destination employers, regardless of their size. Rebecca is a Certified Business Coach, certified trainer for Crucial Conversations, and a member of the International Coaching Federation and the Society for Human Resource Management.