Management Team

EDWARD TAYLOR
CEO and Founder

Ed Taylor, brings more than 25 years experience in building and managing IT consulting organizations to Collective. Mr. Taylor created Collective Technologies in 1994 to satisfy the growing demand for highly complex systems management services. Collective Technologies has grown to be a premier provider of Infrastructure Technology and Managed Infrastructure services.

Prior to founding Collective, Taylor and his Pencom partners launched PSW Technologies in 1989. The first company to graduate from the Austin Technology Incubator, PSW completed a highly successful IPO in 1997. Taylor served as President of PSW Technologies until 1992 and currently serves on the board of directors.

He also serves as Executive Vice President of Collective's parent company, Pencom Systems, a leading technology staffing firm. Taylor has a respected track record for identifying emerging technologies and launching Pencom spin-offs to capture these new markets.

Taylor holds positions in several industry forums. He co-founded the New York UNIX Users Group in 1982 and chaired the group until 1987. He also founded the International AIX Users group in 1989. In addition, Taylor chaired the UNIX EXPO Advisory Board and Conference Committee from 1984 to 1990, and is a member of the IEEE, Usenix, and UniForum. In 1999, Taylor received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for High Tech Services. He is also one of the few to receive the prestigious UniForum Pioneers of UNIX Award.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Taylor sits on the board of both the Austin Technology Council and the Austin Technology Incubator. He is a member of the Austin Community College Software Industry Advisory Council, as well as the Austin Technology Council's President/CEO Peer Group. Taylor is a member of the 1998-2003 360.Alpha Summit Advisory Board, serves as a guest lecturer at the University of Texas School of Business, and teaches Junior Achievement Classes.

BILL KERLEY
COO/CFO

Bill Kerley serves as Collective's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. His extensive background in operations and financial strategy is a valuable asset to Collective's continued growth and the development of Collective's service offerings.

Prior to joining Collective in September 2000, Mr. Kerley was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for JDN Realty Corporation, where he was a key architect of JDN's strategic corporate plan, raising more than one billion dollars in six years for the company. Kerley has also held various positions in financial consulting and management. He was President of his own strategic and financial consulting business for three years and served as Vice President of Finance for Potts Investment, Incorporated, an Atlanta-based merchant-banking firm. As Senior Assistant to the Controller for Bechtel Group of Companies, he assisted with a major organizational restructuring of the 40,000-employee company.

Kerley holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky. Kerley is a member of the Austin Technology Council's CFO Peer Group.

JASON THOMAS
Vice President
Professional Services

Jason Thomas is Collective's Vice President of Professional Services. He has over twelve years of experience in the IT industry and has focused on creating professional services organizations, consulting practices, and partnerships for the storage management space for the past 5 years. Prior to joining Collective in 2000, Mr. Thomas was the Practice Manger for Pioneer Standard's Backup and Recovery Practice and a Practice Principal for IBM Global Service's ADSM/TSM consulting, designing the business process, strategy, and sales for storage consulting. Thomas spent 9 years in Military Intelligence assigned to the National Security Agency, specializing in Electronic Warfare Operations.

Thomas holds Bachelor degrees in Linguistics from the State University of New York and Business Information Systems and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He is a graduate of the National Security Agency Cryptologic Services School and the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center and holds black belts in Goju-Ryu, Shotokan Karate-Do and Tae Kwon Do.

JONATHAN HINES
Vice President
Staffing

Jonathan Hines is Vice President of Staffing for Collective Technologies. Recruiting is an essential competitive advantage for a service company and under Mr. Hines' leadership, Collective has succeeded at driving a unique and world class hiring model that targets and hires the top 1.5% of industry talent.

Prior to joining Collective, Hines was Director of Recruiting for Pencom Systems, Collective's parent company, building and running one of the most successful recruiting operations in the country, recognized by many as a new paradigm for recruiting best of breed talent.

Previously, Hines held positions at Cheyenne Software, L&M Financial Services, Conbow Corporation, and Standard & Poors. He earned his BA in Communications from SUNY Buffalo and served on the boards of several local groups including the Austin AIX Users Group, the Austin AITP, and Any Baby Can.