About Us

Bruce Frydenlund
President and CEO

Bruce Frydenlund is the founder, President and CEO of Encounter Collaborative. Frydenlund's vision of the use of collaboration to enhance remote communications led him to develop significant enhancements to existing audio conferencing technologies and he was a pioneer in the web conferencing industry. Under his leadership, Envoy Icon developed an unparalleled Event Management business that was later sold to PlaceWare and eventually Microsoft. Encounter Collaborative continues to build upon Frydenlund's experience and vision for the collaboration industry to create an environment that places a premium on integrated conferencing services that are responsive to customer's needs and applications. He continues to be relied upon within the industry to provide direction for the integration of future technologies.

Jerry Knight
COO

Prior to joining Encounter Collaborative in February 2009, Knight was Chief Technical Officer for over a decade at AccessLine Communications, from its founding in 1998 through to IPO in 2007 (TNIX). Jerry Knight has driven continuous improvement and strived for excellence in telecommunications services during the thirty plus years of his career including Sprint, Infonet and AccessLine.

Ann Murphy
Vice President of Strategic Services

A 20-year veteran of the high technology and collaborative industries, Ann Murphy has managed operations, training and strategic sales for technology firms ranging from Tektronix and Sequent Computer Systems to InFocus Systems. Prior to joining Encounter, Murphy directed the Event Services Division of PlaceWare, Inc., where she grew division revenue by more than 800% within the first 8 months of her tenure.

Tim Oppel
Director of Product Marketing

As Director of Product Marketing, Tim Oppel is responsible for streamlining the delivery of Encounter's web and audio conferencing products to create greater efficiencies while also increasing customer satisfaction. Tim began his career in sales with companies such as Winco Foods, Home Express and later with technology companies. Joining Visio Corporation in the role of Technical Sales, Oppel was able to combine his love of selling with technology . In 2000, Oppel joined Encounter Collaborative, initially in sales but moving quickly into a role in Customer Care and Technical Support. In 2003, he transitioned to product management.

Claire Leibee
Controller

As Encounter's Controller, Claire Leibee brings twenty-five years of experience and knowledge to the management team and is responsible for Encounter's accounting procedures, financial statements and Human Resources. She is also experienced in computer conversions and upgrades, including the planning, development, testing and implementing of new procedures and accounting controls. Prior to joining Encounter, Leibee was the Controller for an internationally known hotel chain and, previously, was the Revenue Audit Manager with Bally's Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Matt Morahan
Customer Operations Manager

Matt Morahan joined Encounter Collaborative in 2004 as a member of our Customer Care team. In addition to his work responsibilities, Matt is pursuing a Masters and PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Matt brings his knowledge of employee training and development, performance appraisal, and process improvement to Encounter to enhance the Customer Care department. Prior to working at Encounter, Matt held positions with a large international financial company and PlaceWare Web Conferencing providing service ranging from customer care for inbound customer calls to technical support.

Jim Fox
Director of Media Services

Jim Fox is responsible for leading a team of Event Managers to ensure the successful production of large-scale online events. Joining Placeware in 2000 as Media Services Supervisor, Jim lead a team of media specialists to define, execute and deliver custom media solutions while growing the media services department. With over 11 years retail management experience, Jim brings a combined knowledge of training, sales and production experience to Encounter. Jim holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

Yasutada Kashiwagi
Strategic Advisor for Japan

Yasutada Kashiwagi is currently introducing Internet technologies to Japan, including products and services relating to audio conferencing, web conferencing and video webcasting. Yas also serves as President of the Kashiwagi Museum, a center well known throughout Japan and the Pacific Rim.

Yas was formerly CEO of a Japanese company and a developer of special purpose computers, including NEXUS, one of the most successful image processing systems in Japan. Previous roles include: faculty member with the Tokyo Institute of Technology Graduate School and the Showa University Medical School; author of reports for NASA and several of Japan's best selling computer publications; director for a series of computer educational courses for the Japan Broadcast Association (NHK); chairman/member of several government committees; and frequent appearances on Japan television programs.

Yas began his career in the U.S. as a research analyst with Stanford Research Institute and a faculty member with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute before returning to Japan. Yas is a graduate of Stanford University with a Masters and Ph.D. in Engineering.