At Accella, we place an extremely high value on hiring experienced, communicative and flexible team members. We want you to feel passionate about your team and start to form a relationship with them from day one. Check out the team below to get some background, we expect you’ll be impressed with what you read.
Jason started his professional career at government contractor Northrop Grumman where he helped build systems used for overseas tracking of foreign threats. During his time at Northrop, he gained a love for web based systems, but felt the commercial space was a more engaging venue for digital experiences. His interest in ground breaking technologies led him to start his own design and development consultancy helping aspiring companies leverage technology to transform their businesses.
In 2006, Jason formalized Accella and hired the company's first full time employee. The focus of Accella would be a positive work environment, a passion for customer service and communication, an eye towards new technology and innovation, and a foundation in creating robust and extensible websites and applications through the hiring of highly experienced, highly communicative, and an ultra-flexible team of designers and developers across the country. The result is a thriving design and development agency focusing on the implementation of robust systems for both growing businesses and enterprise organizations alike.
Crystal began as a Project Manager in the medical insurance industry working for MAMSI/United HealthCare. Opting for a change, she ventured into government consulting and has worked for companies including SAIC and Booz Allen Hamilton. During this time, she has had the opportunity to provide services to several agencies including the Maryland States Attorney’s Office, United States Air Force, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such opportunities have provided experience with all aspects of the software development lifecycle with an extensive focus on requirements gathering, testing, and project management.
Crystal joined Accella in 2013 with a desire to work on many new and exciting projects as well as venture more into the mobile arena. As a project manager, she is responsible for maintaining and tracking schedules and resources. Her goal is always to keep the client happy while striving to stay on time and on budget.
Through her hard work and excellent management skills, Crystal was promoted to COO of Accella in 2018. As COO, Crystal is responsible for the day to day operations of the entire team and oversees all projects within the company. She dedicates her time to making sure the team has the tools and strategy needed to ensure success for all.
Crystal was born and raised in Maryland, but moved to Seattle, WA in 2014 with her husband, son, dog, and two cats. In her spare time she enjoys DIY projects, restoring old furniture, hiking, and relaxing with a good book.
John earned a BS degree in Accounting and a MPA from the University of Baltimore. He spent 11 years working for the State of Maryland Pension Systems and then 23 years with 3 midsize banks headquartered in Maryland. John finished his banking career with Provident Bank serving as President of the Greater Baltimore Region. He then went on to serve as the CEO/President of the MidAtlantic Clearing House Association for 8 years before joining Accella LLC as the CFO. John has served on numerous Boards including the Baltimore Museum of Industry (Treasurer) , Sparrows Point Country Club (Treasurer), MidAtlantic Clearing House Association (Chairman), and Saint ignatius Loyola Academy (Treasurer). John lives in Pasadena, Maryland with his wife Janine.
Alyssa Hulka crafts digital strategies, develops digital products and manages programs that build meaningful connections between brands and consumers. An agile enthusiast, change driver and project management geek, Alyssa specializes in uncovering user needs and architecting innovative digital experiences.
She has experience in digital strategy and program management within the home and building, healthcare and financial services sectors, including work for PayPal Credit, John Deere, Kwikset Locks, CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield of Maryland, AstraZeneca, Zoetis, T. Rowe Price, Wells Fargo Insurance, and Travelers.
Kevin is an experienced designer and html/css coder. After switching from print to digital design while attending the University of Maryland, he started his professional career with an advertising agency in Baltimore where he worked with key clients on their branding and web based properties. As Art Director at Accella, Kevin provides creative direction and user experience design for our projects. Working in collaboration with key stakeholders and Accella team members, Kevin translates project objectives and requirements into wireframe prototypes where various user experiences are defined and challenged. Factoring in latest trends and best practices, he then transforms those wireframes into high fidelity designs for client approval, after which point he works with the development team on implementation.
Kevin is the proud father of two children (twins!). During his down time he enjoys working on various home improvement projects and watching Orioles baseball in the summer.
Steve Demby began working for Accella in 2006. As Chief Operating Officer, Steve oversees all projects within the organization. With his knowledge and experience in development and project management, he ensures our projects are completed on-time, in budget, and within scope.
He began his career as a web programmer, developing web applications in PHP. He has worked on various projects including social networking, e-commerce and real-estate websites, as well as mobile applications. He spend a brief period doing sales for the organization before moving to director of development full time in 2008.
Steve earned his BS in Computer Science from the University of Maryland. He now lives in Los Angeles, California.
Jacob started with Accella on the web development side, building custom applications in PHP, Actionscript, and FLEX. The industry shifted when Apple released the iPhone and allowed developers access to create their own apps. As a result, Jacob shifted his technical focus to the mobile side.
The need for mobile application development has grown tremendously over the last several years. Jacob has made it his aim to stay on top of these rapidly changing technologies to deliver top quality iOS and Android applications.
Building on a software development education focused on C, Java, Delphi and others, Shannon taught himself PHP and has accrued over a decade of experience in open source based web application development. In his years with Accella, he has been involved with projects such as The BCAT, National Archives, iWannamaker, and Parker-Hannifin. Prior to joining Accella, Shannon spent over four years in a leadership role developing a partner portal platform which allowed tens of thousands of users worldwide to access marketing materials, training, register sales leads and request Marketing Development Funds (MDF) for clients including Palm, Informatica, Arrow ECS, Ipswitch and ExactTarget.
Shannon is an alumnus of Bond University located on the beautiful Gold Coast in his native Australia. After completing his Bachelors degree in Information Technology with majors in Software Development and Multimedia Design, he went on to attain a Masters of Information Technology Management. Shannon followed his wife to the US and spent several years in Silicon Valley before moving to to the East Coast. Shannon now lives in Severna Park, Maryland with his wife Jena and three young sons. He is very active in his spare time enjoying ultimate frisbee, basketball, running and adventuring with his family.
Laura went to school to be a cook, she earned a certification in Culinary Arts from a vocational / tech school. She worked in a few kitchens along the way, and eventually worked on a cruise ship in Hawaii, where she met her now husband.
She has had a few sales jobs, one of her favorites was selling cars, while living in Las Vegas. She worked for Accella for a little under 2 years through a partner, and now works for Accella full time.
In her free time she spends time with friends and family, and dog Sampson. She enjoys the beautiful mountains in Colorado, breweries, baking, and crocheting.
Erika is a passionate project manager professional with over seven years of experience in digital marketing and website development. She has worked across various industries including, but are not limited to, healthcare, animal health, and higher education.
Erika joins Accella with the desire to integrate strategy and optimization with innovative technology and solutions. Striving for client success and continued growth, Erika works collaboratively with her clients and teams to nurture successful project delivery.
Erika graduated from Monmouth University with a degree in Communication and is a Certified Scrum Master. She is a proud dog mom of three, pizza enthusiast and can usually be found in the kitchen trying new ethinc-inspired recipes from across the globe.
Stephanie is a digital marketing and project management professional with 7+ years experience with advertising and marketing agencies in the Baltimore area. Her breadth of experience has given allowed her to do more than just keep teams on schedule and on budget. Stephanie's experience spans digital strategy, measurement and optimization strategy, marketing campaign planning and execution in addition to project management.
Since graduating from Elon University with her MA in Interactive Media, Stephanie has had the opportunity to work on projects for major brands including Boa Technologies, Inc., LookingGlass Cyber, Kwikset, Powerbar and AstraZeneca.
Stephanie is currently living in Baltimore City with her husband and Australian Shepard, Bennett. In her spare time, you can find Stephanie in a yoga class, exploring the Baltimore restaurant scene or at the local dog park with Bennett.
Lyndsey joined the Accella team in 2019 with the desire to become part of a company culture focused on innovation, while always striving to be on the leading edge of new advancements in technology. As a Project Manager, Lyndsey will apply her passion for determining efficient processes and detail-oriented mindset to create positive experiences for clients and effective delivery of valuable services.
Lyndsey has a background in public and healthcare administration, earning her MPA in 2015. She has experience with both public and private sectors which have provided opportunities to work with a variety of clients and a range of innovative, highly-specialized solutions. Most recently, she focused on project management and business development for a local development agency providing e-commerce services for state government agencies through web and mobile application development and custom websites. This experience allowed Lyndsey to form relationships with clients to better understand current processes to create government efficiencies as well as greater accessibility to public services.
Currently residing in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband, Lyndsey enjoys staying active in the community by volunteering with her church and various local organizations. In her free time, you may catch her cheering on the area’s minor league baseball team, attending a local theatre play or hanging around at an Aerial Arts class.
As a Marketing Analyst at Accella, Karli Taylor spends time defining and implementing data metrics that align with client marketing and business objectives. Karli focuses on producing actionable insights based on data analysis to aid clients in their UX and marketing efforts. She joined the Accella team in June of 2018 to be part of a team-oriented company culture that puts value staying relevant within the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
Karli Taylor is a digital marketing professional with a background within a variety of industries – working heavily within the AEC, education and non-profit environments. She graduated with an undergrad in Marketing from UT-Arlington and recently received her MBA through UNC-Wilmington in 2017.
Currently residing in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and child, Statham. In her free time, you can catch Karli and her husband playing pick-up basketball games, kayaking, fishing or just playing out back with her son and two dogs!
Adam Behnke has been a developer for most of his life, since he started on a Commodore VIC-20 at age eight. He got his first programming job at age 14, and decided that was the life for him!
After stints at an ISP and AT&T, he and a partner started a cellular location company, which took him and his family around the world a number of times, even living in South Africa for a year. He speaks fluent German and some Spanish, and proudly calls West Texas "home."
Adam is married to his high-school sweetheart, has eight children and two dogs, and plays bass and guitar in several Texas Country bands. He is active in his community, church, and children's school, cooks pancakes for his children every Saturday morning, loves reading about quantum physics, scientific accomplishments, and metaphysics, and is generally having a great time with life!
Brian Swartz has been developing private and commercial applications since 1998. While attending college he took a job with a small medical software company where he specialized in developing interfaces for lab machines and clinical systems. At that time the web and mobile markets were relatively small but he spent his time studying and learning both while the industries grew. After more than fifteen years in the healthcare sector he decided to join Accella in 2012 where he now specializes in .Net and mobile development.
Brian received his B.S. in Computer Science at Texas Tech University. He currently resides in Lubbock, TX with his beautiful wife and his two wonderful kids. When he isn’t working he spends his free time studying the latest in .Net, iOS, and Android development. He also enjoys watching college football and basketball with his family and friends.
Ryan is a seasoned software developer who does math for fun. In the last 10 years he’s held positions with titles like Director of Mobile Development, Programmer Analyst (I, II, & III), High School Computer/Math Faculty Member, Adhoc Art & Design Faculty Member, and now is largely responsible for the development of web and mobile products for a variety of our clients. His background in math, computer science, and design has paved the way for our ability to create a wide range of web and mobile products with a large scope of capabilities and features.
Evan is a self-taught web developer that specializes in a wide array of web technologies such as Drupal, React, and React Native. He previously worked at a local development agency where he created web and mobile solutions for various government agencies.
Evan currently lives in Montgomery, Alabama with his longtime girlfriend and his two dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys reading up on modern web development topics.
