About SIG
Our mission is simple: SIG solves problems.
Since our inception in 1987, we have been a trusted partner to over 700 colleges and universities globally providing comprehensive strategy, implementation, and managed support. 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.
What We Do
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:






By The Numbers
36
Years in Business
170
Dedicated Professionals
700
Satisfied Clients
Our Leadership
Brent Rhymes
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.
Henry A. Eimstad
Founding 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.
Frank M. Vaskelis
Founding Partner

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).
Emily Rudin
Chief Revenue Officer

As Chief Revenue Officer, Emily is responsible for driving revenue growth, by leveraging and aligning all revenue-generating departments including sales and delivery. Prior to joining SIG, Emily worked as the AVP of a nationwide firm providing leadership for managed services clients on the East Coast.
Previously, she was the CIO for an international consulting firm. Emily lives in Southern Maine and enjoys cooking, traveling, and walks on the beach with her family and 85-pound poodle.
Heather Schlenger
Chief Financial Officer

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.
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.
Brent Mellow
Vice President, Salesforce Services

Brent leads the Salesforce Services division of SIG (which he founded in 2009 as akaCRM and was later acquired by SIG in September 2022). Brent has been a member of the Salesforce ecosystem since 2001, is a Customer Experience (CX) Ambassador for Salesforce, and was named a Partner Trailblazer by Salesforce. Brent brings over 30 years of leadership experience in CRM solutions, sales, marketing, business finance, and infrastructure to SIG.
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.
David Miley
Vice President, Sales

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.
Harold George
General Manager, Professional 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.
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.
Our 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.
