Meet our leaders

Ju-kay oversees Switchboard’s strategic growth and development. As a pioneer in enterprise-scale data analytics he brings for more than 15 years experience working with business leaders to solve some of the most challenging problems in media, marketing and retail. He is obsessed with solving this data resource scalability problem because of the impacts it has for enterprises and businesses that are scaling.

Ju-kay launched Google BigQuery as a founding executive of Google Cloud Platform, partnering with a top-five global agency to build the world’s largest DoubleClick and Audience Analytics pipeline. At Google, he also launched a range of AI-driven products including GCP’s early machine learning APIs, Gmail Feedback and data center automation. 

Prior to his time at Google, Ju-kay’s early career spanned product management and software engineering at Wily Technology (acquired by CA Technologies), and R&D engineering at SAP. He holds MS and BA degrees from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Ju-kay is committed to finding and empowering the industry’s best talent towards fulfilling Switchboard’s mission.  In his spare time, he enjoys downhill and backcountry skiing, scuba diving instruction, and creating nerdy science projects with his daughter.

Michael is a serial problem-solver. The insatiable curiosity that inspires everything from his world travels to academic research projects is the catalyst that drives him to continue identifying and solving some of the biggest problems in data.

After spending four years at Google building the BigQuery and App Engine developer ecosystem, Michael co-founded Switchboard to enable people to solve business problems by leveraging big data.

Before the IoT was cool, Michael created a real-time crowd reporting tool for Google’s I/O conference, connecting hundreds of wireless sensors. Prior to Google, Michael spent a number of years working for digital broadcast media and technology publications. He holds degrees in Information Management and Biology at UC Berkeley, and authored the book, Data Just Right: Introduction to Large-Scale Data & Analytics. 

As a nature-lover, Michael is happiest outside, spending his spare time hiking, adventure traveling and cultivating plants.

Leading the Customer Success team at Switchboard, Kathleen is a dedicated customer advocate with deep experience in guiding customers to optimize SaaS solutions that can deliver 6-7 figure impact.

Kathleen has been building and scaling CS teams through hyper-growth phases for over a decade. As a trusted advisor and recognized thought leader, Kathleen has guided more than 30 early-stage companies to build strong customer success foundations.

In her free time Kathleen enjoys running marathons, playing the bagpipes in an Irish band, and traveling with her husband and twin daughters.

Topher loves to code. His experience spans more than thirty years building distributed storage and apps at scale. 

Prior to joining Switchboard, Topher built the open-source distributed database TreodeDB. Before that, he spent six years at Google writing tools to manage its data centers, fleet of machines, and multitude of services. Topher earned his Master’s at University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Bachelor’s at Carnegie Mellon University. 

When not writing features, refactoring code, and sleuthing bugs, Topher can be found lifting weights, shooting photos, and eating.

Julie is an experienced entrepreneur and startup operator. Drawing on her background in Human Resources and organizational psychology, she has helped dozens of startup founders and executive leaders scale their businesses from the ground up. 

As Head of Operations and Partnerships, Julie plays a key role in establishing and executing on processes and strategy across the entire organization. Prior to joining Switchboard, Julie founded Capa Talent, a boutique recruiting and staffing firm with a focus on automation and operational efficiency, specializing in hard-to-fill executive roles in Engineering, Finance, Data/Analytics, Sales, and Revenue Ops.

A former global nomad, Julie spent two years traveling the world and now enjoys her down time exploring the East coast in her renovated Airstream.

Guyanne loves building businesses that people love to be part of. Leveraging two decades of sales, marketing, and operational success, she has built and led local, regional, and global teams from bootstrapped startups to Fortune 500 companies. 

As Head of People, Guyanne oversees Switchboard’s organizational and HR strategy including HR and recruiting operations, employee development, DEIB, and company culture initiatives. Prior to joining Switchboard, Guyanne spent several years as a startup consultant. She founded Zero21 to help venture backed companies build high-performing teams and has been instrumental in scaling high-growth startups from 10 to 100+ employees.

A former scuba divemaster and yoga instructor, Guyanne enjoys adventuring with her kids, experimenting with sourdough, and exploring different countries and cultures.