Ralph Thomas, Ph.D

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Ralph is a product visionary in applied analytics and the founder of two companies that deliver solutions in casino gaming, education, and adult learning. As a gaming industry veteran, Dr. Thomas has substantial experience implementing analytics into single and multi-property gaming companies to drive tangible and measurable gains to the bottom line and has built business intelligence tools for multibillion-dollar casinos. Dr. Thomas is co-author of four books and over 80 articles on applied analytics and data science in gaming, an inventor on dozens of patents, and understands gaming from raw data up through casino operations, giving him a unique, 360-degree view of the industry.

Andrew Cardno

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

Andrew is an established thought leader in visual analytics with over 25 years of experience in the field. He has led private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams in visualization/development for over 20 years; this leadership won Andrew two Smithsonian Laureates and more than 50 innovation awards. In addition, he is an inventor with over 60 granted patents, has published over 100 industry and academic articles and is coauthor of four books on applied analytics.

Kyle Gryzanoski

VP of Sales

Kyle has a B.S. in Economics and over two decades of experience successfully leading Business Development and Sales both domestically and internationally with a specific focus on cutting-edge technology in the gaming industry. He brings his extensive knowledge of the casino business to his sales leadership at QCI, developed during his time spent partnering with casinos in various aspects of their operations, from strategically optimizing their floor to opening large casinos.

Lisa Jensen

VP of Business Development

Lisa is an accomplished business development leader with a passion for understanding and solving client challenges with innovative technologies. For over 16 years, she has partnered with casinos to uncover critical insights and gain operational efficiencies for increased market share and revenue. Her expertise will guide business development and growth strategies at QCI. Lisa has an MBA and enjoys partnering with operators to unlock the power of their data for the continued player and operational growth.

Joel Rovics

Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer

With a strong background in both marketing and finance, Joel has over twenty years of experience leading strategic planning, revenue generation, and business development in executive marketing roles. This includes a number of casinos across the U.S., both commercial and in the Native American community, as well as previous experience in leadership roles with Eastman Kodak and Mobile Oil Corporation. He has a Master’s Degree with a marketing emphasis from St. Louis University and a B.S. in Finance from Texas Christian University.

Babu Arunachalam

VP of Engineering

Leading the QCI Engineering Team, Babu brings over 20 years of leadership experience in software development in data analytics, data engineering, machine learning, embedded systems, mobile network, mobile phones, cellular modem, and mobile applications. He has managed teams located across the globe and successfully led projects with a few users to millions of users at Qualcomm, Broadcom, Nokia, and Ericsson. He has been awarded two patents and has filed trade secrets for proprietary algorithms. Babu has a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy.

Lynette O'Connell

VP of Customer Success

Lynette’s expertise is comprised of 20 years of high-volume gaming operations experience in CRM, database marketing, analysis, and loyalty club development. She leads the QCI customer team as well as being the customer advocate at QCI, focused on customer adoption, best practices, gathering feedback, and working to ensure that the customer’s goals are achieved satisfactorily, thus helping to increase sales as well. She defines and optimizes the customer’s journey post-installation, helping them develop best practices and working with them to measure success and see the ROI in QCI products.

Simon Burgess

Chief Administrative Officer

Simon is a Senior Finance and Gaming Executive with over twenty-five years of experience in the gaming industry with a specific emphasis on financial leadership, growth and creating a positive culture. Having spent many years leading teams for global gaming equipment manufacturers, he has successfully overhauled multinational operations, financial reporting systems and internal processes all with the goal of creating an efficient and highly focused team. At QCI, Simon will take the reins directing the overall financial leadership as we continue our fast-paced expansion.

Warren Mack

Senior Database Developer

Warren has spent the past 20+ years in the casino gaming space, with a mix of Native American and Commercial companies. His primary focus has been Casino Marketing, specializing in Database Strategy and Analytics. Over the past seven years, he’s been working in software development with casinos across the U.S. and internationally, gaining a wealth of knowledge regarding the significant differences experienced across various markets. In his free time, Warren and his wife like to hike and camp at Red Rock Canyon or hang out at home with their four cats.

Paul Cardno

Distinguished Engineer

Paul has extensive experience in data visualization, UX/UI design, and the knowledge to code in multiple languages. He has training in medical physics and an acute interest in various creative and artistic endeavors. This experience and insight give him the unique ability to create stunning applications that are also firmly grounded in practical data science, skills he is using in product development for the QCI team.

Casey Wasser

Senior Staff Software Developer

With over 15 years of experience solving difficult technical problems and building useful, usable web applications, Casey is a skilled software developer and UI designer who is proficient in numerous programming languages. Prior to joining the QCI team, Casey worked for leading companies creating network-automation tools, customer-management applications, marketing platforms, and websites. Casey graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Painting and a BA in Graphic Design.

Rick Bowyer

Sr. Systems Engineer

Rick brings to us more than 20 years of experience in casino operations, gaming software development, and data technology. His primary focus is spearheading advanced technical support solutions and implementing customer-requested functionality enhancements. With client satisfaction and customer success centric to our core values at QCI, Rick’s role is pivotal to our continued growth and long-term success.

Mike Wright

Rapid Development Team Leader

Mike is an Analytics Technology Expert with over 15 years in the software industry. Having created software for small start-ups and Fortune Top 50 companies alike, he can identify solutions to customer’s unique needs and deliver custom tools to improve their operations. With several years of experience building supply chain analysis products, he specializes in gleaning meaningful insights out of highly complex data sets and using automation to reduce the demands on staff. Originally coming from the design world, Mike finds every opportunity to make tools that feel fresh and beautiful.

Michelle Wood

Software Developer

With a B.S. in Mathematics from California State University, Chico, Michelle brings her extensive analytical skills to the QCI software development team. With over seven years of experience working in the analytics field, including two specifically focused on the casino industry, her knowledge and skills are a great addition to the continuous development of the QCI products.

Tim Moser

VP of Product Strategy

With his leadership success across the spectrum of Information and Data Technology, Tim brings his experience to QCI to guide the global product strategy and execution with a focus on achieving the business and sales objectives. He has a proven history as a Product Manager in the computer software industry, working in sales support, management, strategy, and digital marketing. In addition to a B.S. in Business Administration, he is also an inventor on more than ten patents, an avid cyclist, and a former Triathlete.

Julie Margeson

Sr. Customer Engagement Manager

Julie is a diversely skilled Technical Engineer with over 20 years of experience helping businesses in the casino industry maintain smooth operations and an optimal workflow.  She is committed to applying emerging technologies to streamline product development and business operations.  Her extensive background includes several years spent at top casinos in Las Vegas including The Cosmopolitan, Wynn, Encore and The Mirage.  Now she brings her exceptional industry skills to work with the QCI Customer Success Team.

Ken McConkey

General Counsel

With nearly two decades of legal experience, Ken now joins QCI as its General Counsel. His broad experience includes time as legal counsel to a U.S. Senator and clerking for a U.S. District Court Judge, followed by a decade in private practice wherein he focused on business/corporate transactions, regulatory compliance and related business administration issues.  Then transitioning to inhouse corporate counsel, Ken spent the four years preceding him joining  QCI serving as Deputy General Counsel for an international digital marketing firm.  In his new role, Ken provides valuable legal insight and counsel to the QCI team.

Nick Salemi

Client Engagement Manager

Nick earned a B.S. in Business Management and followed that up with a decade working in customer related roles from hockey teams to video technology companies, eventually finding his place in the casino gaming industry.  He then focused on casino operations specifically as it pertains to customer loyalty and retention by delivering a positive experience and managing these relationships. He now brings all of this experience to the QCI Customer Success Team.

Silver Texeira

Customer Training Manager

Silver brings her many years of Business Administration experience to the QCI team and is focused on Compliance and Customer Training. Along with the rest of the customer success team, she works to ensure that QCI’s customer’s goals are achieved and that they are completely trained on the products, helping them to ensure best practices and fully utilize all of the product capabilities.

Hanna McCall

Executive Assistant to the CTO

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management and extensive experience working in the hospitality industry including at an exclusive golf club, a hotel, and restaurants, Hanna joins the QCI team as the Executive Assistant to the CTO and Sales Support Specialist. She will use her skills to support the CTO as well as working with the sales and marketing teams to maintain the CRM tool and help make sure that all of the QCI processes run smoothly with potential and existing customers.

Karen Cardno

Operations Manager

Karen has a background in political science and policy analysis and has worked for various government agencies and investigative committees. She has also held operational positions in various businesses, both in the United States and overseas. Karen’s role at QCI is to manage operations and provide technical and policy support.

D’Amber Thomas

Business Strategist

Having worked closely with the inner workings of the data analytics business for over a decade, D’Amber brings her extensive knowledge of the casino industry to QCI to provide insight into the business strategy and marketing goals. With a focus on the overall picture and understanding of the client-based growth, her leadership is invaluable to the continued success. She is also an award-winning journalist and dedicated parent.

Laurel Kay

Sr. Manager Marketing & Events

Laurel has two decades of experience working in events and marketing in the technology industry, both with large and small companies. She specializes in corporate event planning, event strategy, project management, digital marketing, and social media marketing. Managing all aspects from inception to execution and logistics, she has successfully implemented events and marketing plans across the technology industry.

Thomas Christian

Software Developer

Thomas is a software developer primarily working on QCI Loader as well as using his skills to contribute to the overall development team. Based in San Diego, he has a solid background in coding and is quickly learning more about big data and the energetic teamwork of creating meaningful products.

Monica Chao

Software Developer

With a degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, Monica joins the QCI development team bringing her advanced analytical skills to product development. Her favorite coding language is Python. She also works extensively in SQL and is interested in working on AI development in the future. Plus, she has a beautiful pet budgerigar.

Yin Zhu

Geospatial Developer

Yin has more than 15 years of experience in the Science Industry, especially in the biopharmaceutical and food industry internationally. She also has an M.S. Degree in Materials and Process Engineering from the Waikato University in New Zealand. She joins the QCI Geographic Information Systems team, bringing her R&D, problem-solving, and analytical skills to work on advanced technology. Her primary focus is on geocoding, MapInfo, and SQL Server tools to do custom data analysis and visualization. She enjoys learning new things and is excited to work in the gaming industry.

Berna Erten

Revenue Accountant Specialist

With over a decade of working in the accounting/banking industry and having earned a B.S. Degree in Mathematics, Berna brings her strong accounts receivable experience and math skills to the operational side of the QCI business where she will be responsible for tracking revenue as we continue to grow and expand our customer base. She is very proud to be joining the fast-paced team at QCI and her math and organizational skills are very much appreciated.

Colby Harris

SQL Database and Application Engineer

Colby is an SQL and Software Developer with over 7 years of experience in the gaming industry in various development and implementation roles. He loves exploring emerging technologies, learning about new ways to create applications for customers to better interpret and visualize their data, and finding the most efficient way to do what is needed by the customer.

Dustin Zimmerman

Sr.  SQL Database Engineer

Dustin has spent the last 20+ years in technology, including the last 10+ years in the casino industry. He started his I.T. journey as a system administrator and system engineer. Over the last decade his primary focus has been in databases, first as a database administrator and now as a database engineer. He has worked for two of the largest casino system providers in the world putting in systems for casinos across the globe. During his free time he likes to hike with his two dogs, go camping, travel, and is always looking for a new project around the house.

Jonathan Contreras

Accounting Lead

Jonathan graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.S. in Mathematics, then joined a real estate brokerage firm in the accounting department focusing on accounts payable and then becoming their revenue accountant.  Following that, he advanced to a position as an analyst for a mortgage company and now joins the QCI team as an accounting lead.

Ed Funcheon

Senior Staff Software Developer

Ed is a database engineer with a B.S. in Computer Science and two decades of experience in advanced diagnostic skills in stored procedure logic, data analyzation, and index utilization.  He also has extensive casino management knowledge and implementation, including a specific focus in casino player marketing, player history and real-time interfaces with casino floor services.  At QCI, Ed joins the product development team in a senior role focused on customer support and process automation.  Ed resides in sunny central Florida.  He enjoys playing soccer, tennis, Golden Tee video golf, and is an avid hockey fan.

Sean Brady

Board Member

Mr. Brady is currently consulting GTM and operational efficiency strategies for high-growth organizations in SaaS and Life Sciences. Mr. Brady previously held the position of President of the Americas for Emarsys (acquired by SAP), where Brady worked to develop and deliver the most innovative marketing technologies driving business results for North and South American enterprises.  Prior to Emarsys, Brady was Senior Vice President of Existing Business in North America at ExactTarget, which was acquired by Salesforce.com for $2.5B.  As SVP, he was responsible for the majority of the revenue generated by overseeing thousands of accounts, transforming clients’ businesses through the company’s core offering — its innovative one-to-one marketing application helping them increase sales, optimize marketing investments and strengthen customer relationships. Brady’s overall success at ExactTarget helped grow the multi-million-dollar company into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

Alok Pandey

Board Member

Alok is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Clubspeed - a growing private equity backed payment enabled vertical SaaS business based in Irvine, California. Alok is an experienced operator previously serving as CFO, VP of Corporate Development & VP of Finance at various Venture Capital and Private Equity backed technology companies (backed by leading investors such as Accel, 8VC, SignalFire & Wndrco). Over the past 12+ years, Alok has significant M&A transaction experience, Board of Directors experience, operating experience, and private equity/growth equity investing experience in the technology space. Prior to becoming an operator at technology companies, Alok was a Vice President and senior investment professional at Vector Capital - a $4B+ global private equity firm. Earlier in his career Alok was an investment professional at Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV, $20B+ of AUM) and prior to TCV, Alok was a technology focused investment banker at JP Morgan (with M&A and IPO experience). Alok also serves on the Board of Directors of various technology companies and was previously a Member of the Board of Directors at Emarsys (sold to SAP in 2020).

David Jacques Farahi

Executive Chairman

David Jacques Farahi served as Chief Operating Officer of Monarch Casino & Resort (Nasdaq: MCRI) from 2012 to 2021, after re-joining the company in 2007 as Director of Investor Relations. As Executive Chairman of QCI, Mr. Farahi collaborates with QCI’s executive leadership with regards to product development, finance, and key clients, while developing initiatives to expand QCI into new verticals. As Chief Operating Officer of Monarch, Mr. Farahi oversaw all operations at the company’s two resorts, including its more than 2,000 team members. He was also directly responsible for the company’s investor relations and business development efforts.  In 2022, Mr. Farahi was named a Non Executive Director of PlayAGS (NYSE: AGS), a global company focused on creating a diverse mix of entertaining gaming experiences for every kind of player. Also in 2022, Farahi commenced teaching an introductory course in Gaming and Sports Book Operations at Metropolitan State University of Denver as an Adjunct Professor. Mr. Farahi served four terms as President of the Colorado Gaming Association, from 2015 to 2021, where he spearheaded the industry’s legislative agenda, including three successful state-wide ballot initiatives. Mr. Farahi was honored by the Reno Gazette Journal with their “20 Under 40 Award” for 2013, Global Gaming Enterprise magazine with their “40 Under 40 Award” for 2015 and the Denver Business Journal with their “40 Under 40 Award” in 2020. He was also recognized by JEWISHcolorado with their 2015 Young Leadership Award.

Mr. Farahi earned an MBA from Columbia Business School with concentrations in both Real Estate and Finance. He also holds a BA in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University. He earned Dean’s List honors from both institutions. He enjoys skiing, basketball and traveling to lesser-known corners of the world.