Our Team
Lara Kisielewska
Lara co-founded Linux Magazine in 1999 and her introduction to high tech came from representing the magazine at 25 Linux trade shows over three years. Supercomputing quickly became her favorite show, and she launched Xand Marketing in 2005 to capitalize on the many relationships she had built in HPC and the Open Source community.
Lara also owns Optimum Design & Consulting, a graphic design firm that she founded in 1992 and which has given her a career’s worth of branding experience, and is a founding partner of Silaroca Partners, which helps European companies go to market in the US and vice versa. She currently volunteers with Women in HPC and particularly enjoys lending her ideas and insights to start-ups.
Lara has extensive experience on non-profit boards, serving on the NYC Chapter board of the National Association of Women Business Owners for a decade (including two years as chapter President) and the New York Chapter board of the Graphic Artists Guild for seven years (including four as chapter President). Lara has been on the National board of the Guild since 1998 and is currently National President. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications, Technology, and Management from New York University.
Danica Yatko: Project Manager
Danica project manages Xand’s projects from start to finish, including branding and advertising, lead gen campaigns, PR initiatives, events, and trade shows. She is a graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in event management, and most recently worked for HPCwire, where she handled social media and built media sponsorships with high tech conferences and events worldwide.
Michael Asirvadem: Trade Shows and Events
Michael’s background spans media, communications, advertising, PR, and events in Asia, the Middle East, and the US. He is happiest when he is creating unique and memorable experiences for clients and product launches. In his spare time Michael volunteers with children and animals, most notably in the herpetology department of the Bronx Zoo. Michael holds a certificate of event management from the Asian Body of Event Management in Sri Lanka.
Rebecca Blake: Graphic Designer
Rebecca has worked as a Design Director for 25 years, overseeing both print and web design. She has been active on the New York City and National boards of the Graphic Artists Guild. She has been active on the boards of the Graphic Artists Guild for almost that long, and heads a workgroup with ico-D, the International Council of Design. Rebecca is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and studied design in the Continuing Education Division of the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Raymond Mongroo: Webmaster
Raymond has been involved in technology in one form or another for the last 15 years. He is an expert in WordPress-based websites, and assists with all technical aspects of digital marketing campaigns. Raymond is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College in Trinidad, and Katharine Gibbs School in New York City.
Andy Young: Administrative Assistant
Andy has been with Xand for a decade, providing critical backbone support in logistics, market research, telemarketing, and trade show and event hostessing. She makes the wheels turn behind the scenes. Andy is a 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry and an accomplished actor and model, and holds a BA in Spanish Arts and Literature from the Instituto Internacional de Madrid.
Robert T. Wilcox (Tim): Founder Emeritus
Tim is a well-known industry expert in the High Performance Computing and Open Source environments who consults on technologies futures, evaluates new technologies prior to commercial release, and assists in design of specialty systems for a broad range of business and governmental clients. He co-founded Xand Marketing with Lara in 2005 and provides valuable ongoing insight into industry dynamics.