Kris Paronto—“Tanto” as he is affectionately known in security contracting circles—is a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. He also worked with the U.S. Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world.

Paronto was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists for over 13 hours. Paronto’s story is told in the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members, and in the 2016 major motion picture of the same name.

Born in Alamosa, Colorado, Paronto obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado and Master’s Degree from The University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served 4 years in the U.S. Army and an additional 4 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, reaching the rank of Sergeant then becoming a commissioned officer in 2003. He started contracting for Blackwater Security Consulting in 2003 and continued to deploy on various security contracts, to include the Global Response Staff until 2013. He is also the author of the 2017 motivational book The Ranger Way.

For more than 10 years, Paronto has been involved in security operations in hostile environments and his team’s involvement with the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. special mission in Benghazi, Libya was paramount in the saving of U.S. lives and assets. He is a proven leader, teammate and friend to those who have deployed with him, and a devout father to a loving wife and two remarkable children.

Blaine Raddon serves as The Channel Company’s Chief Executive Officer. Across his 30+ years of leadership experience in the IT channel, Blaine has held numerous executive positions: Vice President of NA Channels and Commercial Sales for Juniper; General Manager of North America for Acronis; Senior Vice President for Clear Center; Sr. Director of Channel Strategy and Partner Enablement for HPE; and 20 years at IBM, where he held several channel management roles, including Director of Distribution Sales. Blaine’s leadership experience also includes eight years of service in the United States Army.

For 25 years, Stephen Shapiro has presented his provocative strategies on innovation to audiences in 50 countries. During his 15-year tenure with the consulting firm Accenture, he led a 20,000-person innovation practice. He is the author of six books, including his latest: Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and Help Solve Difficult Business Problems. His Personality Poker® system has been used around the world to create high-performing innovation teams. In 2015 he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

Jade Surrette is the Chief Marketing Officer for The Channel Company where she sets our marketing strategy to drive brand amplification, demand for our full breadth of services across all segments, and increase value to our clients through innovative programs. Prior to her role as CMO, Jade served as Senior Vice President of Marketing Services, leading portfolio expansion and driving marketing strategy transformation for our clients to amplify their brand, accelerate opportunity for their business, and optimize investment for the greatest return. With over 20 years in the IT channel, Jade has led all aspects of marketing, services development, product management, operations and client management with extensive experience in driving strategic initiatives to increase sales and profitability, strengthen customer value, and garner high return.