Keynote,  Rick Lozano  

Rick Lozano helps people unlock potential and amplify their talent, and he does it all with his unique blend of energy, expertise, and a musician’s soul. 
After twenty years of experience in award-winning talent and leadership development programs, Rick founded his own business, Unlock & Amplify®, to help develop leaders, teams, and workplace cultures that resonate, engage, and unleash the power of their people. 
He brings his creative approach to audiences across the globe combining his skills as a world-class speaker and facilitator with his creative talents as a singer/songwriter and musician - and occasional game show host! 
He is the author of two books, Acoustic Leadership: Develop A Leadership Culture that Resonates, and Find Your Jam: Create Momentum, Unlock Potential, and Rock What’s Next. 

Joe Belfeuil

Joe's tenure with AnSer spans an impressive 21 years, during which he has risen to the role of Lead Programmer.  Since 2010, he has spearheaded innovative solutions, empowering agents and clients alike with long-term strategies that enhance efficiency and effectiveness. When he’s not obsessing about what new feature can be added to AnSer’s message templates he can usually be found enjoying a movie with his wife and cats.

Joe Allen

Joseph Allen is a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Answer 365, with experience spanning Operations, Programming, and Technical Services Management. His broad background gives him a well-rounded understanding of TAS technology and operational strategy.

A dedicated NAEO contributor, Joseph has taught at Summer Series, hosted webinars, served on multiple committees, and presented conference workshops on Amtelco solutions. Beyond the industry, he serves as Vice Chair of Halifax’s Grant Funding Committee and as an Administrative Justice of the Peace for Nova Scotia.

Joseph brings a strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and community impact values he carries into both his professional leadership and his service to NAEO.

Sharon Brainard

Sharon is a Training Manager at Always Answer and has been in the answering service industry for 16 years. She specializes in leadership development, quality assurance, and performance improvement with a strong focus on building scalable training systems that support both agents and leaders. She is known for translating complex  concepts into practical, actionable learning experiences through webinars, workshops, and data-driven coaching. She is currently working on completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Operational Management and is passionate about developing people, strengthening teams, and using education as a catalyst for long-term success.

Kevin Beale

Kevin is vice president for software, research and development at Amtelco

Edelina Zajac

Ede Zajac is an experienced human resources leader and serves as Director of Human Resources at Anserve. Known for her positive attitude and practical, real-world approach, she values thoughtful leadership, meaningful conversations, and balancing people-first decision-making with organizational integrity.

Jaimie Guidry

Jamie has worked in the answering service industry for 25 years. She joined the industry as a CSR then eventually leading a team of IS Programmers and working in Systems Engineering.  Jaimie joined Amtelco 4 years ago as the Contracted Services Team Lead.
Jaimie was a part of Amtelco’s Beta Team for many years and on NAEO’s Professional Development Committee (PDC) and a past board member. This is where she developed a passion for learning and implementing new features as well as teaching others how to use them.

Kelli Harrigan

After many years as an Amtelco customer in the TAS environment, Kelli Harrigan joined the Amtelco team as a Project Manager, specializing in the telephone answering service customers. Kelli is also the Project Manager for the Contracted Service group.  Her prior industry experience includes managing teams of 150+ on Amtelco's Infinity/IS platform and being a part of several conversions projects in her prior roles.  Kelli's passion and experience are what drive her goal to helping customers as they upgrade and look to better utilize their Amtelco system.

Dana Lloyd

Dana Lloyd is the C.E.O and Owner of AnswerPlus Inc., a 24/7, inbound call centre, specializing in urgent response communications.  

Prior to joining AnswerPlus Dana worked in Marketing at Unilever on the Good Humor Breyer brands, as well as in Advertising at Leo Burnett, where she worked on brands including Nintendo, Disney, and Procter & Gamble.  Passionate about family and sports, Dana spends much of her time supporting her three boys on the hockey rink, ski hills, and football fields.

Rob Van Buskirk

Rob is the Co-Founder and CEO of VanRein, where he is passionate about creating customer experiences that both secure data and genuinely wow the organizations he serves. He leads the company alongside his wife and co-founder, Dawn, working side-by-side to ensure their vision is consistently implemented and reflected throughout every stage of the client journey.

A bootstrapped and self-educated entrepreneur, Rob brings more than 20 years of experience in data security and compliance, with a background that includes IBM and multiple startups across the US and Europe. He leveraged that experience to build a company focused on elevating the customer experience in the data security space.

Matt Troha

Matt is Vice President at AnswerHero, leading operational strategy with a focus on service excellence, customer experience, and leveraging technology to deliver exceptional client support. He is passionate about fostering a professional culture built on trust, transparency, and teamwork, empowering employees to consistently do what’s right for customers.

Prior to joining AnswerHero, Matt worked in the professional services and healthcare operations sectors, gaining broad experience in managing complex organizations and driving team success.

Matt resides in Miami Florida with his wife and two young children and when time allows (which is far less frequent) planning his next trip to another destination around the world.

Jose Soler

In 2010, he co-founded AnswerHero, a company that helps small and medium-sized businesses manage customer communications through answering services and virtual receptionist solutions.

As CEO, he has led the company’s growth into a multi-location operation with teams, overseeing strategic planning, technology development, and operational performance.

When he’s not building technology-driven businesses, Jose enjoys spending time on Miami’s open waters with his partner and their two dogs, Chewie and Walker.

Rick Drumm

Rick Drumm is an executive advisor, author, and founder of Peak Growth Solutions. With decades of leadership experience spanning global manufacturing, the music industry, and advisory work with growth-focused organizations, Rick specializes in helping leaders reduce hidden performance drag, strengthen accountability, and build high-trust, high-execution teams. He is the author of Lock In to Unlock Your Productivity and Your Hidden P&L.  He helps his clients with practical micro-learning programs used to improve focus, communication, and leadership effectiveness — especially in remote and hybrid work environments.

Chris Bach

Chris Bach is an Intelligent Series Product Manager and Developer at Amtelco, where they've spent the last decade shaping how intelligent communication products evolve. With 14 years at the company under their belt, Chris brings together strategic product thinking and hands-on technical know-how to drive innovation and tackle real-world communication challenges. Chris works closely with the NAEO FDC to review feature requests submitted through the Amtelco Innovation Machine and discuss how to continuously improve the software to meet evolving customer needs.

Jessica Paul

Jessica Paul is the President of Apello in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has worked in the answering service industry for over 25 years, bringing deep operational and leadership experience to her role. Jessica has served on the NAEO Board of Directors and as Chair of the Future Development Committee (FDC) for the past two years. In collaboration with Amtelco and her co-chair, Stephanie Hyde, she piloted the Innovation Machine voting program to bring more member voices into the product‑development process. She works closely with both Amtelco and NAEO members to help guide development priorities and address the evolving needs and concerns of the NAEO community.

Ryan Nettesheim
  
Ryan is the Programming Manager at AnSer, where he’s worked for 12 years at the intersection of operations, automation, and data. He’s a key partner in AnSer’s AI development work and is known for turning complex workflows into reliable systems, often powered by strong SQL and a math-and-physics mindset.

Jazmin Rea

Jazmin is the Customer Service Manager at AnSer in Green Bay, WI where she focuses on service quality and customer experience. With more than 15 years of experience in the telecommunications industry with a focus on customer service, she has built a career centered on delivering exceptional customer experiences and strengthening customer relationships.

Over the past three years at AnSer, Jazmin has focused on team leadership and implementing quality-driven strategies that support high-performing customer service teams. At the NAEO 2026 Conference, she will share insights on building a customer-centric culture through quality, drawing on both frontline experience and leadership in the customer service industry.

Jenn Ferby

Jenn started with AnswerPlus in a part time capacity while she was at school earning her degree in Social Work. She soon became a Team Lead, Supervisor, Operations Manager Director of Operations and recently moved into Director of Sales, Marketing and Client Services and also overseeing the training and Quality team. She works with multiple teams across Canada and had over 22 years experience in the industry. She is a current member of the Cam-X board and has spoke at many NAEO, Cam-X and CoachU sessions over the years.

Katie Stark

Katie is the Operations Manager with AnSer based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She recently celebrated her 23rd year with the company, bringing extensive experience and deep organizational knowledge to her role. With AnSer operating 18 offices across 10 states, Katie spends much of her time overseeing hiring and scheduling, helping ensure each location is staffed effectively and set up for success.

Cait Keenan

Cait  is an accomplished operations leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning medical practice management, business consulting, human resources, telecommunications, and emergency services. With a unique blend of healthcare and Telephone Answering Service (TAS) expertise, Cait specializes in operational strategy, customer service excellence, and organizational growth.