Management Team

TapRoot Systems has assembled a talented and innovative management team that has the experience and drive to lead the company in successfully capturing the Smartphone market. The team is comprised of seasoned veterans from throughout the wireless industry; silicon platforms, embedded software, and manufacturing.

• Bob Bicksler, CEO
• Lori Prouty, CFO
• Mike Linstrom, VP, Product Development
• Robert Lyle, VP, World Wide Sales
• Blane E. Rockafellow, VP Marketing & Product Strategy, Co-Founder
• Glen Shelton, VP, Engineering
• F. Andrew Smoak, VP, Technology, Co-Founder
• Keith Collins, VP Systems Engineering

Bob Bicksler, CEO

As the CEO of TapRoot Systems, Bob is in charge of the strategic vision for the company and is responsible for the overall operations. Bob brings an extensive background in corporate leadership to TapRoot having held numerous senior executive positions in the telecommunications and software industries. Before joining TapRoot, Bob was the President and Chief Financial Officer at HSW International, Inc., where he was responsible for global operations and the strategic direction for the company’s Brazil and China markets. Prior to HSWI, Bob was with Megapath Communications and AT&T Canada as Executive VP and CFO. Bob has also held senior leadership positions with Global MetroNetworks, Performance Awareness Corp. and Seer Technologies.

Lori Prouty, CFO

Lori is responsible for the financial and legal aspects of the company and has a strong financial background with more than 25 years of executive corporate financial management experience. Prior to joining TapRoot Systems, Lori served as the VP of Finance with Strategic Technologies, CFO and COO of PathTech Software Solutions Inc., VP of Operations at Broadway & Seymour and CFO and GM at Corbel & Co.

Mike Linstrom, VP, Carrier Technology

Mike leads the development and strategy for TapRoot products directed at the carrier market and has over 25 years of software and product development experience. Prior to joining TapRoot, Mike was the Director of Enterprise Solutions / Mobile Devices Business Unit for Nokia in Irving, Texas where he was responsible for delivering leading-edge mobile phones for the enterprise market place.

Robert Lyle, VP, World Wide Sales

Bob is responsible for the company’s worldwide revenue generation and the day-to-day operations of TapRoot’s sales team. Prior to joining TapRoot Systems, Bob was the Director of SOC Operations at Samsung Electronics and VP of Sales and Marketing at Ellipsis Digital Systems. Bob has had an extensive 16 year career in which he has held management positions with Qualcomm, Motorola, and IBM Microelectronics.

Blane E. Rockafellow, VP Marketing & Product Strategy, Co-Founder

Blane is responsible for the company’s overall marketing and product strategy. In over 25 years of industry experience, Blane has co-founded and been responsible for the management of multiple businesses for a proven record in the development, management and strategic direction of companies. Blane has also held positions in engineering and management with Raytheon, Litton/Amecom and Hatteras Networks.

Glen Shelton, VP, Engineering

Glen has primary responsibility for all engineering activities within the company and brings more than 30 years of experience in managing software development within the networking and telephony industries at IBM and Pliant Systems. Prior to joining TapRoot, Glen held management and senior management level positions in software development, verification testing, system design and architecture.

F. Andrew Smoak, VP Technology and Co-Founder

Andy oversees the development of TapRoot technology and manages the software strategy ensuring the company's technology strategies align with TapRoot’s short and long-term corporate goals. Andy has a background of 22 years in development of software and systems for mobile phones, embedded devices communications protocols and real-time products. Previously, Andy has held engineering management positions with NetEdge and was a senior engineering staff member at IBM and Hatteras Networks.

Keith Collins, VP Systems Engineering

Keith is responsible for analyzing new product concepts as they relate to TapRoot’s corporate direction. Keith brings more than 25 years of development experience within embedded systems for telephony, communications protocols and real-time products. Prior to joining TapRoot, Keith was the lead software architect in the development of telephony, ISDN and other protocol products for Nortel. In addition, Keith also spent several years consulting for network operators and wireless handset manufacturers.