Tom Shaffer, Founder and President
Tom Shaffer brings more than twenty years experience in software development and general management to his role as President of Nexstra. Before founding Nexstra, Shaffer was Vice President of Engineering at TechPoint Solutions, a systems integrator that developed advanced wireless solutions for real-time interaction with ERP systems.
Prior to TechPoint Solutions, Shaffer was Senior Director of Engineering for Intraware (Nasdaq: ITRA), the market leader in ESDM. At Intraware, he directed a development team of more than fifty engineers and contractors that created the core products and technologies still used by Intraware today. Before Intraware, he held a variety of management and software development positions at Premenos (now Innovis), Booz Allen Hamilton, and Northrop. Shaffer holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College and a BA in Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
David Lee, Chief Technology Officer
David Lee directs Nexstra’s technical strategy and overall architecture. Lee has been responsible for the core architecture and design of Nexstra’s technologies in a variety of critical areas, including web store fronts, payment processing, integration with client systems, on demand production and workflow management, and integration with supplier systems.
Prior to Nexstra, Lee was President of DAL Enterprises, a software development consulting firm serving leading enterprise software vendors such as ePocractes, ePiphany, RightPoint and Centura Software. At DAL, Lee developed advanced solutions in the areas of ecommerce, messaging, multiprocessor performance enhancements, and server side programming. Before DAL, Lee worked for IBM and Sun Microsystems.
Steve Sweeney, Vice President of Engineering
Steve Sweeney is a software industry veteran with more than twenty years’ experience leading research and development activities for IT companies. Steve directs Nexstra’s development and professional service activities. Steve leads a team of developers responsible for the design and implementation of Nexstra’s technologies for content delivery and e-commerce.
Prior to joining Nexstra, Steve served as General Manager for Technology at Gulfnet Communications in Tokyo, Japan, a full-spectrum IT services company providing communications and web hosting services for several large Japanese retail businesses. At Gulfnet, Steve was responsible for the overall technology architecture supporting Gulfnet's services, as well as leading a team of 10 developers. Before Gulfnet, he served in a number of senior technical management positions, including VP of Engineering for Kaveri Networks and Directory of PowerBook Technology Development at Apple Computer. Steve holds two degrees in astrophysics - a BS from Caltech and an MA from UC Berkeley - and occasionally teaches astronomy at City College of San Francisco.
Frank Pinkela, Vice President of Sales
Frank has been in the software industry since 1983 and has held various managerial, executive and consulting positions in sales and marketing in the fields of Enterprise Management (ERP), Data Center Automation, Data Security, and SaaS.
Prior to joining Nexstra, Frank held senior positions at several companies, including Macola, IBM (Tivoli/Unison), Orbit Software, and Computing Capabilities. Frank has a BA in Business Management from St. Mary’s College and has completed the executive sales/marketing program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School.