About SIG

Our mission is simple: SIG solves problems.

Since our inception in 1987, we have been a trusted partner to over 700 higher education institutions globally. Providing technology consulting services, including comprehensive strategy, implementation, and support for a myriad of technology solutions. From Procurement, Business Process, CRM, Cybersecurity, Project and Change Management, to Implementation, BI, and Analytics, our extensive consulting services can help your school reach new levels of success.

Strategic Partnerships

SIG is committed to partnering with industry leaders. And while each partnership is unique, our goal is to deliver a broad range of solutions, expert guidance, and quality services to our mutual client base. Our strategic partners include:

SIG provides comprehensive cloud consulting services for AWS.
SIG Partner Ellucian Partner
SIG partner Oracle
SIG partner Salesforce
SIG partner Slate
SIG partner Workday Advisory Partner

By The Numbers

37

Years in Business

200

Dedicated Professionals

700

Satisfied Clients

Our Leadership

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Brent Rhymes, SIG CEO

Brent Rhymes

CEO

Brent Rhymes

CEO

Brent Rhymes, SIG CEO

Brent has over 32 years of experience in software and technology services experience. Before joining SIG, Brent was the Chief Executive Officer of PakEnergy, Zimbra, iWave, and Software Realization. Brent held technical and managerial positions at Exxon, Microsoft, and IBM Global Services earlier in his career.

Brent, his wife Jennie, and four children live on their cattle ranch north of Abilene, Texas. Brent is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. In the fall, you can find him in Neyland Stadium, cheering on the Vols when not attending one of his children’s events or traveling with his family.

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Henry Eimstad SIG Co Funding Partner

Henry A. Eimstad

Founding Partner

Henry A. Eimstad

Founding Partner

Henry Eimstad SIG Co Funding Partner

Henry was a Founding Partner of SIG and has over 40 years of experience in higher education and information technology systems. He has served as CIO/CTO, has conducted numerous ERP procurement processes, and has managed many large ERP implementations for colleges and universities throughout his consulting career.  A veteran of the US Navy and the Peace Corps, his interests include travel to Africa and South America. He is a life-long runner and completed the 2018 Boston Marathon under some of the harshest weather conditions in years.

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Frank Vaskelis SIG Co-Founder

Frank M. Vaskelis

Founding Partner

Frank M. Vaskelis

Founding Partner

Frank Vaskelis SIG Co-Founder

Frank was a Founding Partner of SIG and has over 40 years of experience in IT and higher education. In addition to serving as CIO and CTO at several institutions, Frank also has a technical background in telecommunications, network design, database administration, and more. Frank’s personal interests include traveling, hiking, scuba diving, photography, and high-handicap golf (more practice might help).

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SIG CFO

Heather Schlenger

Chief Financial Officer

Heather Schlenger

Chief Financial Officer

SIG CFO

Heather joined Strata in 2022 as the CFO. She has worked the last 18 years in accounting & finance, beginning with public accounting in both audit and tax, serving both privately held and private equity backed companies. In early 2018, she moved into private accounting role for a Private Equity backed healthcare company. As CFO, she recently helped grow a group nationally through 23 acquisitions.

She is a transplant to California, born and raised in Portland, Oregon and is one of seven siblings. The youngest sibling, David Mayo, is a linebacker for the Washington Commanders. Heather has been a Rotary member since 2010. She also served on the Board of the YMCA of San Joaquin for 8 years. She and her husband, Chris have been married 21 years and have two children, Eric and Natalie.

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Tiffany Palacz

Chief Operating Officer

Tiffany Palacz

Chief Operating Officer


Tiffany has over 26 years of management consulting experience with a focus on mission-based organizations and operates with a continuous improvement mindset while striving for outstanding employee and client experience. She thrives on coaching, mentoring, and fostering an environment of belonging and inclusion. Prior to joining SIG, Tiffany was the Chief Operating Officer at Collaborative Solutions and oversaw global solutions, front and back-office operations, and capture strategy. She has held various solution delivery and development roles at PeopleSoft and Oracle where she first began to consult with higher education, nonprofit, government, healthcare, and professional services sectors, focusing on financial and operational transformation. And, for many years was an independent consultant in various roles from program/project management, to advisory, and architect.

In her spare time, you can find Tiffany with her family, friends, and two dogs on the beaches or in the waters of Cape Cod, or on the mountains of Vermont. Tiffany is based in Connecticut.

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Jon Poole, SIG Chief Sales Officer

Jon Poole

Chief Sales Officer

Jon Poole

Chief Sales Officer

Jon Poole, SIG Chief Sales Officer

Jon has spent 20 years as a sales manager in the higher education space. His varied experience includes digital content, learning design, assessment, and online program management. 

Before joining SIG, Jon held senior sales management roles at Nearpod, Pearson, Blackboard, VitalSource, and as an independent consultant, operating in both domestic and international markets. His focus has been on building teams, driving revenue, launching sales and marketing initiatives, fine-tuning sales operations, and cultivating strategic and channel partnerships. Prior to his time in the higher education market, Jon was a systems implementation consultant for Ernst & Young and Nortel.

Jon is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He spends his free time with his wife and two sons, reading, watching sports, and traveling. Jon and his family live in Raleigh, NC. 

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Brent Mellow

EVP, Strategic Alliances & Marketing

Brent Mellow

EVP, Strategic Alliances & Marketing


Brent brings over 30 years of leadership experience to SIG where he leads Strategic Alliances & Marketing. Brent formerly led the Salesforce Services division of SIG (which he founded in 2009 and was later acquired by SIG in September 2022). Brent has been a member of the Salesforce ecosystem since 2001.

Previously, Brent held positions including VP/Chief Administrative Officer and VP Sales & Marketing of a multi-national call center outsourcer and spent over a decade with a variety of commercial and investment banks and had roles including Senior Vice President and Managing Director in Bank of America’s Global Corporate and Investment Banking Group. Brent has been a featured presenter and panelist for Salesforce, Guidepoint, UBS, Verified First, the Call Center Networking Group, and the Southwest Venture Forum.

Brent resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is happily married, and has three wonderful children. He enjoys fly fishing, hiking, camping, and mountain biking.

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Brian Kirk

Vice President, Cybersecurity Services

Brian Kirk

Vice President, Cybersecurity Services


Brian has more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology with the last 15 years focused on cybersecurity. Prior to joining SIG Brian was Cyber Practice Leader at a top 40 accounting and advisory firm and the Chief Information Security Officer at a Fortune 500 engineering, design, and construction firm.

Brian and his wife Christy are both Clemson graduates (Go Tigers!) and reside in Greenville, South Carolina.  They have 3 daughters and enjoy travel and being outdoors.

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SIG Director of Sales headshot

David Miley

Vice President, Sales

David Miley

Vice President, Sales

SIG Director of Sales headshot

David has more than 20 years of experience working with Higher Education technology. Since joining SIG in 2006, he has served in several capacities, beginning as an ERP implementation consultant and later as an Account Executive assisting customers on the East Coast.  In 2023, David was promoted to Vice President of Sales, overseeing the firm’s Sales organization and Account Executives.  

David resides in Pennsylvania and enjoys antiques, traveling, cooking, and playing fetch with his Labradoodle, Calli.

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Harold George

General Manager, Procurement Services

Harold George

General Manager, Procurement Services


Harold is an experienced project manager and has led many ERP procurements for colleges and universities over the past 40 years. He has served as a university CIO and as Vice President of Client Services for a major higher education software company. Harold lives in Henderson, Nevada and enjoys watching sports, fishing, and playing golf.  He has two grown children, Amanda and Travis.

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Ellen Scully

General Manager, Salesforce Professional Services

Ellen Scully

General Manager, Salesforce Professional Services


Ellen is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations associated with SIG’s Salesforce and Conga professional services offerings. Ellen is dedicated to providing a white glove experience for firm clients. She combines her love of puzzle solving and experience with best practices within the agile Salesforce configuration platform to create practical results in client deployments.

Ellen began her career with the Salesforce application by successfully completing training in 2003 to become the Salesforce administrator for a private destination club. She subsequently held a variety of professional positions including Marketing Manager, Salesforce Administrator, and Salesforce Consultant. Ellen successfully applies her knowledge of Salesforce for companies in a wide range of industries including energy (wind, solar, and oil), waste and recycling, insurance, timeshare, and financial services. Her goals are to customize the user experience to help gain buy-in, better define user reporting, and to improve systems to maintain processes that will enhance business success. 

Ellen currently resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and enjoys water rafting, reading, and cycling.

SIG Team

Our business is our people. We attract and retain exceptional professionals with proven expertise. With over 160 consultants located in the US, Canada, and the UK, each averaging 20 years experience, our team lives to solve problems. We are passionate about the people we serve.