Staff & Board

John Wilson was elected Chair of the Kramden Board in March 2023. John brings with him 20+ years of experience in technology strategy and execution spanning pharmaceutical, banking, and insurance industries. He is now the Senior Vice President of Digital Product Management
at Wells Fargo.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, John was at MetLife for more than 9 years, most recently as Vice President of Technology Transformation. John sharpened his skills in prior roles across the banking and pharmaceutical industries where he used his early-in-career development background to build data models and automated solutions that would solve for problems ranging from training, business continuity, predictive performance measurement, and total cost of ownership. Eventually this culminated into chief of strategy roles which introduced him to more complex business problems, strategy development, and people leadership experiences.

Derek Kelly joined the Kramden Board of Directors in 2014. Derek is the Senior Director of Market Development at Lumos, a fiber-to-the-home company with operations in North Carolina and Virginia. Derek joined the Lumos team in December, but has been in the industry for more than 20 years with leadership roles in sales, operations, and government relations. For Kramden, Derek was instrumental in launching Kramden’s partnership with Martin County Schools, was involved in multiple computer awards with Sampson County Schools, and led lobbying efforts to make changes allowing for state surplus computers to flow to organizations like Kramden.

For Lumos, Derek leads public-private partnerships, broadband grant programs, government relations, as well as developing and executing expansion strategy for the company. Derek engages external partners within local and state government and the community to expand exposure in targeted markets along with forming public-private-partnerships. Derek is also the chairman of the Virginia Broadband Industry Association.

Brendan L. Couture is the Associate Executive Vice President of Technology Business Management at State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), bringing nearly 15 years of experience in IT financial management, governance, and cost optimization. He has played a pivotal role in shaping financial strategies for major organizations, including MetLife, where he oversaw multi-million-dollar budgets and led financial planning initiatives.

He earned both his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Master of Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University. Recognized for his leadership, he was named a “Top 30 Under 30” Future Leader of Charlotte and inducted into the Gardner-Webb University Gallery of Distinguished Alumni.

Brendan is engaged in the professional and local community, serving as Treasurer for the SIM RTP Chapter (Society for Information Management) and as a Board Member for Wrestlers in Business Network – Raleigh. His expertise in financial strategy, cost transparency, and IT governance drives innovation and efficiency in the financial sector.

Dick is an entrepreneurial financial executive with over 30 years experience in accounting, finance, and operations in public, private, and nonprofit organizations. He has focused his more recent career serving start-ups through their growth stage in life science, technology, and healthcare organizations.  Dick’s broad range of business experience has involved organizations in a variety of industries including financial institutions, hospitals and other healthcare providers, biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals, informatics, manufacturing, retail, and numerous others. Dick has specialized experience in areas including intellectual property valuation and prosecution, managing in highly regulated environments, healthcare facilities reimbursement, accessing capital markets, SEC reporting, strategic partnering, and government contracting. Dick holds a Master’s Degree in accounting from Virginia Tech, and is a CPA licensed in North Carolina.  He is an active member of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, and supports fund raising efforts involved in a number of nonprofit organizations including of the North Carolina Ballet as a patron, and more recently the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Mark D. Dibner, Ph.D., MBA, brings to Kramden Institute a strong background in management of technology, education, non-profit management, and entrepreneurship.  In June 2003, he and his 13-year-old son, Ned, built a PC from spare used parts in their basement and agreed to refurbish more PCs to give to students in Ned’s middle school lacking a home computer.  They did 42, and Kramden Institute began (FYI, Kramden is Ned/Mark spelt backwards).  Mark has served as the Chairman of Kramden’s Board of Directors since its founding in 2003.

Mark was the founder/President of two companies, BioAbility, LLC (1994-present) and Strategic Outcomes Services (1998-2001).  In 1986-1998 he was an Adjunct Assoc. Professor of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, teaching MBA courses in entrepreneurship and technology management.

Mark’s not-for-profit management experience includes as a VP of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center 1986-1994.  He holds a Ph.D. in neuropharmacology from Cornell Univ. School of Medicine, an MBA in Strategic Planning from Widener Univ., and a B.A. in physiological psychology from the Univ. of Pennsylvania.  He worked as a researcher in neuropharmacology at the Univ. of Colorado Medical School and U.C. San Diego, and served 6 years as a principal scientist at E.I. DuPont.  Mark has authored 13 books on technology management.  He has served on numerous boards of directors, including companies, non-profits and editorial boards.  Mark and his wife Elaine live in Raleigh and Henderson, NC.

Timeri Anderson is Vice President, End User Technology at MetLife.

Mia is the Director of Government Affairs for Charter Communications’ Triangle and Triad regions in North Carolina. Her responsibilities include making use of the 15+ years of experience that she has gained working with local governments and the NC General Assembly to coordinate and implement strategies on the local and state level. In addition to the Kramden Board of Directors, Mia is a Board Member of the NC Cable Television Association, Executive Board Member of the Downtown Housing Improvement Corporation (DHIC), YMCA SE Raleigh Advisory Board and the SE Raleigh Promise Board. A graduate of Shaw University and North Carolina State University, she lives in Raleigh with her family.

Tom graduated in 1984 from Penn State Capitol Campus with a Bachelor of Humanities majoring in Multi-Media Journalism.  He joined IBM in 1994 after spending nine years in retail and merchandising with Silo/Dixons, plc. During his career at IBM, Tom has held management positions launching Options by IBM in the consumer business worldwide, sales operations, brand management, and e-business Internet strategy and execution. As the Director of Marketing and Merchandising for US Direct, he was responsible for all marketing with IBM Direct including merchandising, offerings and promotions, segmentation, and web strategy and execution. Tom was promoted to Vice President, Global SMB TeleWeb Sales in January of 2003. He was responsible for all aspects of the Small / Medium business Worldwide through the tele-web organization of ibm.com. Tom then moved on to be VP of Inside Sales at IBM responsible for the Lead Development Reps generating leads for IBM, the marketing team, and the Online Commerce group which delivered 18 of 18 quarters of over achievement to plan. He later became VP of Global Marketing Volume Demand Systems in Global Technology Services. He was responsible for the Volume Demand System Program and driving demand through events and agencies for Global Technology Services.

Tom currently is Vice President of IBM Global Digital Sales Acceleration where he manages a lead development team, a group of data scientists, the private digital commerce function, and the sales acceleration/marketing teams. His focus is on social selling, developing talent, and new business opportunities. Tom is an advisory board member of AA-ISP (American Association of Inside Sales Professionals) where he was named a 2010 Top 50 Most Influential Inside Sales Professional and received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Inside Sales.

Tom and his wife Natalie (1985 Penn State Capital College, Bach of Hum) have two daughters, Maire and Anna, and live in Chapel Hill, NC.

Mia Freeland is a driven healthcare strategist passionate about the intersection of technology and healthcare. With five years of project management experience, she brings expertise in both agile and waterfall methodologies, risk management, and strategic alignment. Known for her exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, Mia effectively navigates complex client dynamics. She recently earned her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently serves as a Strategic Advisor on the Integration & New Product Enablement team at Blue Cross NC. Mia is eager to leverage her skills and experience to drive innovation and improve healthcare outcomes.

Luis is the Vice President of the PC&SD Integrated Development Center at Lenovo.

MariaRosa Rangel is the Director of Family and Community Engagement for the Wake County public School System. MariaRosa obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Bilingual/ Bicultural and Elementary Education from Northeastern University of Chicago, Illinois, Master’s Degree in School Administration and Doctoral Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from North Carolina State University. She has served as a third-grade Bilingual teacher, a GED instructor, Spanish / ESL Teacher, an Assistant Principal, district-wide LEP/ Dual Language Coordinator, Senior Administrator for Latino Outreach, Senior Administrator for LEP Family Outreach and presently the Director for Family and Community Engagement in the Office of Equity Affairs in the Wake County Public Schools System.

Her special focus areas include equity education, bilingual education programs, family engagement, Spanish for educators, interpretation/translation services, Latino culture, and cultural responsiveness.

In addition to board service to Kramden, MariaRosa also volunteers as a Board Member of Governor Cooper’s Hispanic/Latino Advisory committee, Board Chair of the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board Chair for the Wake County PTA.

Jordan Rogers is the Director of Relationship Marketing for the NC Telehealth Network Association (NCTNA). NCTNA is a dynamic, member-led nonprofit that works to connect and empower North Carolina’s public and non-profit healthcare providers with medical-grade broadband connectivity services. Members of NCTNA have access to the most reliable and secure statewide fiber optic broadband network—and to discounts funded by the FCC’s Universal Service Fund’s Health Care Connect Fund (HCF). One of her current focuses is on advocating for the preservation and modernization of the Universal Service Fund that subsidizes broadband connectivity for healthcare providers, schools and libraries across the United States.

Jordan attended Appalachian State University as a first-generation college student. Her work with non-profit organizations began with sea turtle protection projects on the NC coast and from there, she went on to live and work in the Seychelles of Africa where she served as a conservationist, professional diver on coral projects, and a marketing assistant on the island Fregate. Upon returning to the US, she worked with non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation in-patient hospitals and eventually served as the marketing director for large surgical groups in South Carolina. The High Point, NC native is now happily back in her home state supporting and empowering healthcare providers through her work with NCTNA.

John Sanchez is Vice President Of Infrastructure & IT Operations of Builders FirstSource. As a solutions developer, innovative problem solver, and key member of the leadership team, his background includes a record of success in identifying needs and implementing unique IT strategies to enhance business operations, optimize performance, reduce costs, and maximize revenue. He excels in strategic planning, multimillion-dollar budget management, development of high-performance agile teams, and implementation of best-in-class technical procedures and continuous improvement programs. He has been recognized for extraordinary proficiency in strategic planning, best-practice methodologies, and project management.

Tracy Sternberg joined the Kramden Board of Directors in February 2020. She is currently the Director of Programs and Sponsorship at NC TECH and is responsible for developing and executing content and programming, and securing sponsorships to support those efforts with the goal of ensuring that NC TECH members have meaningful and productive engagement with the organization and its members.

Jim Weaver joined Pure in January 2025 as the National Strategy Advisor for the US Public Sector, focusing on State, Local, and Education (SLED). In this role, Jim acts as a key advisor to the Public Sector Sales leadership team and District Managers, helping to navigate the competitive SLED market. His responsibilities include building relationships with consultants, lobbyists, and stakeholders, while providing strategic guidance across internal teams. He will also play a crucial role in identifying market trends and growth opportunities within the SLED sector.

Before joining Pure, Jim served as the Secretary and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, where he oversaw IT strategy, procurement, cybersecurity, and broadband expansion. Prior to that, he was the CIO for the state of Washington, where he enhanced the state’s IT infrastructure and promoted technology adoption. Additionally, Jim led the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) as its president, contributing to the development of IT policies nationwide.

Jim’s experience with large-scale modernization initiatives and his leadership in technology will be invaluable as Pure continues to grow in the SLED sector. He is a recognized leader in his field, having received multiple honors from NASCIO and Computerworld Honors. Outside of his professional career, Jim serves in the U.S. Army National Guard in North Carolina and previously served in Washington and Pennsylvania respectively.