Management Team

James T. Schneller, Jr.
As AVISTA's founder and its President and General Manager, Jim is actively involved in oversight of corporate partnerships and client engagements. An engineer by training, Schneller is a principled leader with uncompromising convictions on corporate integrity and technical excellence. Jim's attention to strategic customer relationships establishes a standard for service and responsiveness unmatched in the industry.

Tim Budden
Tim is Vice President of Engineering at AVISTA, with primary responsibility for leadership of development programs requiring safety-critical certification under such guidelines as DO-178B and FDA 510(k). His knowledge of embedded systems for fixed and rotary-wing aircraft is extensive, demonstrated in his project leadership for scores of embedded navigation, display, and control systems.

Thomas M. Bragg
As AVISTA's Vice President of Operations, Tom oversees AVISTA's finance, IT, contracts and security functions as well as managing the quality assurance, sales and marketing operations. A degreed Aerospace Engineer and MBA, Tom has nearly 20 years of engineering and management experience in the aerospace and hydraulic components industries.

Terri Chyko
Terri is the Human Resources Manager and is an integral part of AVISTA's executive staff. She is responsible for all phases of the human resources activities ranging from personnel administration to employee relations for both the Platteville and Roseville offices. Terri brings more than 10 years of experience in the field of human resources to AVISTA.

Mitch Iverson
As a Programs Manager, Mitch leads outsourced teams for mission-critical development projects under various certification guidelines including DO-178B. With nearly 20 years of experience, a MS in Project Management and formal certification as a Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute, Iverson is a recognized expert on project management and software development leadership.

Paul Hicks
Years of direct experience leading scores of outsourced DO-178B avionics engineering programs requiring commercial and military certification establish Paul's credentials as a Programs Manager for AVISTA. Hicks excels in the efficient management of large-scale, complex software development programs requiring strict adherence to safety-critical development standards and detailed understanding of avionics display, navigation, and communications technology.

Jim Paquette
Project management expertise and a proven ability to succeed in dynamic situations distinguish Jim as a Programs Manager. Jim has extensive experience in managing medical device verification projects leading to certification and a strong track record of helping AVISTA's customers certify their products on schedule and within budget.

Scott Derby
During his fifteen years of leading full life-cycle avionics software projects, Scott has worked closely with various avionics manufacturers, certification authorities and end users. In addition to his technical and leadership responsibilities, Scott has been heavily involved in the implementation of AVISTA's quality management system and continuous process improvement activities.

Iad Al-Dahleh
lad's software development and verification experience spans both avionics and medical electronics projects. During his tenure at AVISTA, Iad has led teams of up to 25 engineers, working with firmware, software and systems engineering. Formally certified as a Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute, Iad has expertise in completing software certification projects on time and on budget.

Linda Winger
Linda brings more than 20 years of experience in full-lifecycle software development, including project management and professional services delivery, to AVISTA. Most recently, she led large complex projects and software development teams as Worldwide Vice President of Professional Services for Esker, a software consulting company based in Europe. Winger holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in computer science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Neng Xiong
Neng has over nine years of experience in software quality assurance. As Quality Assurance Manager, Neng was instrumental in assisting the company in achieving ISO 9001:2000 certification in 2003, and he continues to maintain the compliance to the ISO quality standards by serving as the company's Management Representative.

John Christenson
John joined AVISTA as a software engineer before moving to his current business development role. With more than 20 years of experience in software engineering and customer-facing technical sales roles, John helps AVISTA's clients optimize their embedded software development programs. Prior to AVISTA, he spent more than ten years with Rockwell Automation, as well as working for Clear With Computers (now Firepond) and Lands' End.