LEADERSHIP

Our executive team has the experience and industry knowledge to achieve sustainable growth through innovation

Focused on realizing our founder Spencer Cramer’s vision, ei3‘s leadership team brings together operational talent, strong customer focus, excellence in software engineering and data science, and full dedication to service delivery.

Spencer Cramer

Founder, Chairman and CEO

Spencer Cramer founded ei3 in 1999 to pursue his passion for building highly reliable, secure, and efficient internet technologies for manufacturing. Under his direction, ei3 has become an award-winning global leader in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Executive team

Board of directors

Craig Rowles

Executive Vice President

Craig Rowles has been managing operations at ei3 for seven years. In his role as Executive VP, he uses a customer-centric approach to define and develop product and business opportunities and customer relationships that create mutual long-term value.

Prior to joining ei3, Craig held executive engineering, R&D, and operations positions at Pratt & Whitney, Albany Engineered Composites, and numerous high-tech medical device manufacturing companies. He graduated with a BSME from Tufts University and with an MS in Engineering Management from MIT. Craig enjoys fine wines and skiing.

Elizabeth Takacs

Head of People Operations

Elizabeth leads all things “people” for ei3. She is responsible for the company’s talent growth and development, cultivating an engaging culture, and creating an environment where employees can do their best work. She provides support to the global offices partnering with leadership to bring the company’s core values to life through employee development programs, engagement initiatives, and company events.

Bringing over 20 years of experience to the role, Elizabeth spent 14 years of her career working in the advertising industry at Mindshare, where she began as a Human Resources Manager and grew to be the  Chief People Officer, U.S. overseeing a team of 20 professionals responsible for a population of 1600 employees.  She has also held positions at DraftFCB, Carr Futures, and Sieba Ltd.  Elizabeth credits her success in Human Resources to her earlier career in restaurant management where she honed her people and customer service skills. She graduated from Binghamton University with a B.S. in Management and a Masters in Business Administration with a leadership concentration.

Outside of work, she is a wife and proud mother of two. She enjoys being a dance mom, doing jigsaw puzzles, and volunteering at her local food pantry.

Donna Meier

Controller

Donna Meier has been Controller at ei3 since 2006. Drawing on her years of accounting experience, she oversees all the daily accounting operations, including payroll as well as the accounts receivable and accounts payable departments. In addition to handling all insurances for the company, she is also responsible for ensuring that ei3 provides comprehensive and complete benefits and programs to all its employees.

Donna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Ramapo College. She enjoys spending weekends at the Jersey shore.

Ken Herndon - ei3 Leadership Team

Ken Herndon

Vice President Client Solutions

Ken Herndon is a software development executive with more than 30 years of experience in the field of Software-as-a-Service. He adds both depth and breadth to the ei3 team by contributing to the development of custom ei3 solutions, including to the specification, design, and development of system architectures, databases, user interfaces, and mobile platforms.

Ken leads the Client Solutions team, which is responsible for expanding the company’s reach by incorporating new technologies and addressing specialized customer needs. His key strengths include communicating with clients, analyzing complex project requirements to define implementation strategies, and following through to achieve successful results.

He holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Brown University. In addition to spending time with his family and his dog, Ken also enjoys playing his guitar and taking long rides on his ebike.

Chad Ifill

Director of Customer Experience

With his leadership and follow-through, Chad ensures that every customer contact at ei3 is a positive experience. His customer focus and attention to detail have been instrumental in creating the company’s customer-first corporate culture.

In addition to customer support, Chad is also responsible for supervising the ei3 premium installation service team. His team provides on-site provisioning of industrial machine secure connections and accelerates the onboarding of SaaS customers by delivering configuration assistance and training.

Chad has been with ei3 since its founding and has participated in and developed many of the internal systems and policies essential for the solid growth and success of the company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Fordham University. He loves everything about sports, from watching and playing to learning about obscure sports from around the world.

Richa Patel - ei3 Leadership Team

Richa Patel

Marketing Communications Leader

Richa Patel is Global Marketing and Communications leader at ei3. Relying on her deep understanding of strategic communications, content creation, and cutting-edge digital marketing, she showcases the company’s portfolio of powerful IIoT and AI solutions.

Prior to joining ei3, Richa worked on projects with consumer companies and their suppliers at IBM. She was responsible for applying technology to help optimize productivity, reduce costs, and improve sustainability performance. She found ei3‘s vision, strong team, and expertise to be the perfect match for her professional and personal interests.

Her passion for connecting with people and her ability to make technical topics relevant to audiences has helped ei3 become a trusted AI and IIoT partner for manufacturers and machine builders worldwide.

Richa holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Corporate Communication and Public Relations. She loves spending time in nature and is a huge promoter of vegetarianism and sustainable living. She is a certified yoga instructor who enjoys her daily practice leading to a more compassionate, true existence.

Gokhan Kucukgirgin

VP Technical Services

Gokhan Kucukgirgin has been the Manager of ei3 Technical Services in Canada since 2017. Guided by his 24 years of experience, ei3 Canada has become a key contributor to the company’s global success.

In his leadership position, Gokhan is responsible for increasing ei3 brand presence in the market and growing the Canadian team in parallel with corporate needs. He oversees intercompany relationships and has played a significant role in establishing ei3 Canada as an exceptional place to work.

Gokhan graduated from Istanbul University with a bachelor’s degree in Business in 1998. He enjoys spending time outside hiking and camping with his family and friends.

Frazier Sinkler

Vice President Applications

Frazier Sinker is an Information Technology executive who joined ei3 in 2009. He has more than 20 years of experience managing high profile and mission critical projects in the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and Industrial Internet industries.

Frazier leads the ei3 Applications Team that uses an Agile methodology to create and deliver innovative Software-as-a-Service platforms based on the ei3 portfolio of proprietary intellectual property, research, and development. With his background and experience in custom application development, management, and systems integration, he is responsible for the company’s award-winning no-code IoT application suite. Frazier is instrumental in bringing applications to market and adapting technology to meet changing requirements and technological advances.

Frazier holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from New York University. Outside of work, he enjoys touring national parks, listening to progressive rock, and consuming science fiction.

Dr. Mark Goldber - ei3 Leadership Team

Dr. Mark Goldberg

Dr. Mark Goldberg is a technology investor and has served on the board of several growing technology companies. Drawing on his experience with early and mid-stage organizations, he helps develop and implement the ei3 corporate strategy.

Mark has served as the Chief Medical Officer at Syncardia, the maker of a total artificial heart, Micromed Cardiovascular, the manufacturer of a left ventricular assist device, and Saguaro Clinical Research. He directed the Chest Pain Center at TMC from 2011 to 2018 and has also been the principal investor on 53 clinical research studies.

Mark received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his cardiology training at the University of Arizona. He also maintains a private practice in cardiology. He enjoys playing tennis whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Sheldon Hirt - ei3 Leadership Team

Sheldon Hirt

In addition to his position on the board, Sheldon Hirt is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Orbia (NYSE:MXN). Prior to joining Orbia, he worked with Johnson & Johnson, Actavis, and Progenics Pharmaceuticals.

Sheldon brings his experience with handling legal and compliance matters affecting international companies to ei3. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, licensing, securities, and corporate governance.

In addition to holding a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, Sheldon also received a juris doctor degree from Columbia Law School. He is a US Marine officer with combat experience and enjoys dialing in a scope at the rifle range when time permits.

Chris Sapka - ei3 Leadership Team

Christopher Sapka

Christopher Sapka is currently CFO at Talener Group, LLC, an IT staffing and recruitment firm. He has more than 20 years of experience in the professional services industry, focusing primarily on the technology sector.

As a member of the board, Chris strives to find new opportunities for increasing operational efficiencies at ei3. His prior experience includes serving as CFO for Axon Solutions, Inc., a publicly traded global business transformation consultancy and SAP integrator, until its acquisition by HCL Technologies in 2008. At Axon, he was involved in mergers and acquisitions, including valuations, due diligence, and integration.

Chris is a Certified Public Accountant and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Stern School of Business at New York University. He enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family.