Who We Are » Board Of Directors
Frank Auger
President and CEO
Frank Auger brings over 15 years of experience in leading software development and marketing teams to Metallect. As president and CEO of Metallect, Frank is responsible for the overall strategic direction and leadership of the company.
Frank joined Metallect in late 2006 as VP Marketing. Prior to joining Metallect, Frank was part of the founding management team at SilverStream Software, where he served first in quality assurance, later as vice president of research and development and ultimately as vice president of product management and marketing for identity management and SOA when Novell acquired the company. He has also held key positions at Watermark Software and Phoenix Technologies and is well versed in all operational aspects of the software business.
Frank, who recently moved from New England to Texas, enjoys fine wines and playing the guitar and believes that these are best done at the same time. A true workaholic, Frank’s passions are his family, his team, and his customers.
Thomas Hite
CTO and Co-Founder
Tom Hite is responsible for Metallect’s technology strategy. He brings 20 years of executive experience in both early-stage and publicly traded companies. As chief technical officer of Metallect, he is driven by his passion for enterprise systems, service-oriented architectures and his interest in the future of technology, particularly where technology and business intersect.
Tom has extensive experience with both public and private companies. Prior to co-founding Metallect, Tom was chief technical officer of AMX Corporation (NASDAQ: AMXC), where he led the development of a sophisticated software platform for home and business automation. Previously, Tom was vice president of software development at AnswerSoft, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Concerto Software (NASDAQ: CRTO).
Tom earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa, and enjoys water skiing and martial arts in his free time.
Robert E. Keith, JR
Managing Director
Robert is a managing director of TL Ventures, a $1.4 billion group of venture capital funds focused on technology services and software communications. In addition to his work with individual companies, Robert is chief executive officer of the company. He is also a senior advisor to and co-founder of EnerTech Capital, a $290 million specialty firm focused on early to expansion-stage venture investments in principally U.S.-based software, technology and services businesses that serve the energy and communications industries.
Prior to his affiliation with TL Ventures in 1989, Robert held executive positions with Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia for more than 20 years, most recently as vice chairman. At Fidelity, he headed the corporate banking department, which included specialized and commercial lending groups and several non-banking subsidiaries.
Robert serves on the boards of directors of a number of the TL portfolio companies. In addition, he is chairman of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., on the board of Internet Capital Group, chairman and a member of the board and executive committee of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, chairman of the board of The Reinvestment Fund and a member of the board of the American Revolution Center.
Robert is a graduate of Amherst College and Temple University School of Law.
Ernie Knight
Director, Nationwide Mutual Capital
Ernie is a director with Nationwide Mutual Capital where he focuses on investments in enterprise software and business services. He currently serves on the boards of Xceedium, Metallect, ISD Corporation and SpineMatrix, in addition to working closely with portfolio companies BDNA Corporation and Lombardi Software.
Prior to joining Nationwide Mutual Capital, Ernie managed the investment process across numerous transactions for Reservoir Venture Partners, a venture capital firm targeting seed-and early-stage technology companies with an emphasis on information technology and biosciences, and Innovation Works, a seed-stage investment organization. Prior to Reservoir, Ernie spent more than 9 years in senior technology management operating roles. He has held leadership positions with venture-backed Internet startups (e-Steel and Autodaq Corporation), a high-growth public enterprise software company (Interwoven) and a Fortune 1000 corporation (LTV Steel) in marketing, sales, R&D and manufacturing. In addition, Ernie has served with two top consulting firms, Booz Allen & Hamilton and NezTech Corporation.
Ernie received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, where he focused on entrepreneurial finance, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Case Western Reserve University in electrical engineering and applied physics with a minor in economics, where he graduated magna cum laude while earning the Michael L. Wolfe Prize for creativity in engineering.
Wendy Lea
Advisor
Wendy is an entrepreneur who has successfully built a global services business and serves as an advisor on integrated sales and marketing strategies and alliances to venture-backed startup companies. In that capacity, she served as interim CEO and is chairman of the board for Newmerix, a provider of enterprise application lifecycle management software; and a board member for Stratify, Metallect and The Forum of Women Entrepreneurs & Executives. She also sits on the advisory board of StillSecure and Amazon Consulting.
Wendy is an active partner for SV2, Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund, an organization that aims to make a local impact through building the capacity of nonprofit organizations. She is an advisor for TechStars, a startup fund/incubator founded by a group of Colorado-based entrepreneurs promoting entrepreneurial activity in their home state.
Wendy has been in the customer relationship management (CRM) space since 1984 and he has co-authored two innovative sales methodologies, CHAMP (channel and alliance management process) and TMP (territory management and planning), which were widely adopted as global standards by IBM, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Oracle.
She is currently managing partner of Chatham Group, an independent consultancy focused on go-to-market strategies for early/mid-stage startups. Previously, she led Siebel Systems' eBusiness Consulting division, joining them in 1999 as a result of its acquisition of OnTarget, Inc., where she held the position of vice president of marketing and alliances.
Wendy is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and lives in Menlo Park, Calif.
Armando Pauker
General Partner, Apex Venture Partners
Armando is a general partner with an investment focus in enterprise infrastructure (hardware, software, security) and networking hardware. Prior to joining Apex, Armando served as vice president of networking products for Cybernet Systems Corporation, a startup company developing and marketing Linux-based software applications. Previously, he was a senior product manager for Electronics for Imaging, a developer of high-performance digital imaging servers. Armando also served as a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton where he worked with clients in technology industries. Prior to Booz, Armando was a senior engineering manager at Tandem Computers, Inc., where he led product strategy and hardware and software development in computer subsystems. Armando holds an M.B.A. with high distinction from the University of Michigan, and he received his B.S. in engineering from California Institute of Technology.
Armando currently serves on the boards of Cogency Software, DigitalWork, Informative, Initiate Systems and Metallect Corporation. He has worked extensively with the management teams of Nayna Networks and Metatomix.