John Simms – Founder and President
John Simms has designed and developed sophisticated information management systems supporting complex marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) activities of the Republican National Committee, Network Solutions, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Metrocall Paging, and numerous for-profit corporations and not-for-profit organizations.
In the last twenty-five years, Mr. Simms has directed CMDI’s transition from mainframe computers to server-based systems, taking advantage of each new wave of computer and marketing technology.
Mr. Simms has built several national marketing databases compiled from over 1500 sources and involving more than 150 million name and address records enhanced with numerous individual and household characteristics. His database systems and user interfaces allow online and web access for complex query, segmentation and selection.
Mr. Simms is a twenty five-year veteran of direct marketing communication and fundraising. He is also president and owner of Odell, Simms & Associates, Inc. (OSA), a marketing company engaged in lead generation, fundraising and corporate sponsorship, and direct marketing for many important institutions in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, China, and New Zealand.
A graduate of Yale University and Emory Law School, Mr. Simms is a member of the Mississippi, Georgia, District of Columbia, and American Bar Associations.
Bruce Pechacek – Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Bruce Pechacek joined CMDI in May 1992 and has been serving in his current role since June 1998. Mr. Pechacek oversees the day-to-day operations of CMDI and is the direct report of all department heads.
His in-depth understanding of Database Design & Project Management has enabled him to administer the successful completion of many large and complex database ventures. Under his supervision, CMDI maintains an excellent reputation for innovative and accurate data processing.
Prior to joining CMDI, Mr. Pechacek was with the Public Relations firm of Smith & Harroff, Inc. He is a graduate of The University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Junho Bae – Vice President and Chief Software Architect
Junho Bae joined CMDI in April of 1995 and was the first to receive our “Employee of the Year” award in 1998. He is responsible for the entire lifecycle of software engineering and works closely with all clients, reviewing business objectives and identifying and implementing solution products and technologies.
Junho oversees a team of software developers that includes Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Solution Developers(MCSD), all with strong skills and experience from low-level system development to Web-based front-end application development.
Junho acquired his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Virginia Tech.
Erik Nilsson – Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Erik is a seasoned marketing & technology senior executive whose work has received accolades from a wide range of media including The Wall Street Journal, Mashable, Newsweek, TechCrunch, New York Times, Washington Post, Business Week, NPR, NBC and CNN.
Prior to joining CMDI, Erik founded Fundly, the nation’s largest internet social fundraising company, helping clients raise more than $230 million (Jan 2012).
For his work during the 2008 election cycle, Erik received 2 Polly Awards and 2 Reed Awards. Erik received a 3rd Polly for his work in the 2010 elections when he worked with 125 campaigns.
Erik’s other achievements include:
• Building the fundraising platforms to power 50% of the Federal Senatorial races and 35% of the Gubernatorial races in 2010.
• Creating the ElephantScheduler which organized and coordinated 28,979 political events for the RNC, Romney for President, and McCain for President.
• Developing the first Facebook political donation processing tool.
• Prove that online fundraising yields can be increased by 52% by engaging donors through social networks.
Ginny Badanes – Director of Political
Ginny joined CMDI in 2003 to assist in compliance operations supporting the Bush-Cheney ’04 re-election committee. She has since managed accounts for countless senate and several presidential campaigns. In 2010 she took the reigns as Director of the Political Division at CMDI.
Her understanding of the software and compliance service needs of political campaigns and committees gives CMDI client’s a step-up on their competitors. She manages a department that specializes in anticipating client’s needs and resolving potential issues before they evolve.
Ginny is a graduate of Duke University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Jack Simms – Director of Product Development
Jack joined CMDI in 2010 as the Director of Product Development. In this role, he has overseen the development of CMDI’s new software products, most notably WidgetMakr and CrimsonRPM. In 2011 alone, these products were used to raise tens of millions of dollars for campaigns. His creative eye and knowledge of technology systems has helped CMDI stay at the cutting edge of innovation.
Prior to joining CMDI, Jack helped found The Daily Caller, an online news site, with Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel. He served as the Director of Technology and Operations and was responsible for all technical/design/development aspects of the organization.
Jack received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition and Theory from Tulane University in 2008.