Contractor Spotlight: Melita Cammack

Customer service has always been my passion, even when I didn’t realize it. Every position that I have acquired throughout my career has encompassed some form of customer service. Even now, I am a Customer Service Associate at Magellan. My name is Melita Cammack and this is my story.
 
When I was sixteen, my first job was a crew member at McDonald’s. I
was extremely excited about what I thought was going to be a fun-filled cashier position. Sadly, my contribution was mopping the lobby every hour. Needless to say, my career there lasted one weekend.
 
Growth and experience altered my mindset. Having to interact with people of different backgrounds changed my outlook on how I approach situations and perceive others. I believe genuine compassion is a key asset in the customer service field and in everyday life.
 
Outside of caring for customers and their needs, I have four beautiful children and a granddaughter so my instinct is to care. I always want others to feel loved and appreciated. That is just who I am, and I know that is what makes me great at what I have contributed my life to doing.
 
It’s just who I am.

Contractor Spotlight: Gary Townsend

This quarter’s Contractor Spotlight goes to Gary Townsend!
 
Gary is an IT Project Manager at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in their Network Division (Server Farm). He now has over 3 years of experience in IT project management because of this role with Astyra and is a proud member of our Astyra family!
 
Gary has spent much of his career working in the U.S. defense industry on products and projects to protect and enhance the capabilities of the warfighter. In addition, his career includes many years as a business owner, a direct employee, and a consultant/contractor, giving him a unique perspective on the needs and concerns of both employers and employees.
 
During his childhood, Gary’s father worked for Westinghouse and had the opportunity to relocate the family to Colorado and California before returning to their hometown of Baltimore. After graduating high school, Gary studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland College Park (Go Terps!). He started his career in the field but soon caught the software bug and decided to transition into computer software development, first as a software developer and later as a senior software project manager.
 
Gary met his wife of 38 years while living and working in the Hunt Valley Maryland area. They moved to the York Pennsylvania shortly after getting married and have been there since. They have one daughter who is married and recently gave birth to her own daughter.

Contractor Spotlight: Michael Hilson

Michael Hilson smiles in his headshot.
Michael R. Hilson was born in Fairmont, WV where he lived up until 1991 when he joined the US Army as a Software Analyst. He was stationed in Kansas in 1993, completed his enlistment in 1995 and became a resident of Kansas City.
 
After working for Sprint for eight years, being an IT Consultant for the state for 10 years and working as an Assistant Network Administrator for four years, Michael relocated back to West Virginia to look after his mother.
 
He loves his family dearly; he has a 29-year-old son and a nine-year-old granddaughter who he enjoys being on FaceTime with.
 
In his free time, Michael can be found doing anything related to cars since he is the ultimate gearhead!

Contractor Spotlight: Raymond Wiley

Hi everyone, my name is Raymond Wiley but you can call me ‘Ray’.

I recently had a birthday, team libra all day. I am a certified clinical pharmacy technician and have been one since 2008. I currently work for Astyra as a contracted clinical pharmacy tech at Magellan. I graduated with an associate degree in Health Science from Stratford University located in Glen Allen, Va. When I am not hard at work, I enjoy quality time with family and friends. I always enjoy checking out new restaurants with good vibes, energy and food. I also love to travel when I can, “no place is too far for me.” I have enjoyed working in my role as a pharmacy technician and am very much excited for what adventures God has planned for me in the future. 

As always God bless, stay humble and keep the faith.

Contractor Spotlight: John Legere

Hello everyone, my name is John Legere and I live on the South side with my wife and son.  I won’t tell you my age but let me just say that I’ve recently discovered the joys of the AARP discount!  I’ve worked for Astyra for the past 18 months, all of them as a contractor at Dominion Energy in downtown Richmond where I am a member of the Data Analytics team, designing and developing Oracle and Hadoop data integration processes via ETL code and also getting a chance to dabble in the latest Business Intelligence and Data Science tools and technologies.

I am originally from “up North”, born in New York, raised in New Jersey and I’ve called all of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island home at one time or another in my career.  You can probably hear the accent changes as I type!  I relocated to Richmond in 2014 to be closer to the rest of my family, all of whom had previously moved to the area for work opportunities and/or retirement.  It was actually my brother’s network connection with an Astyra recruiter, our esteemed colleague Carmen Zimmitt, and her storied persistence and insistence that she could find me the perfect job, which led me to my current position.

Anywhere I’ve found myself in my career I have always been “The Data Guy” on the team, having worked as both a contractor and an employee in many places across many industries in my 30 year professional career.  In my spare time I enjoy reading science fiction novels, bowling and running fantasy sports leagues, the latter being where my longstanding nickname “The Commish” was born.  I also love helping coach my son’s Little League and travel baseball teams and serving as a taste tester for all the various culinary creations my wife, the budding chef and baker, can come up with. That last job’s a tough one I know, but somebody’s got to do it!

From the fast-paced hustle and bustle of Wall Street to the slower pace of writing business reports for the local hometown insurance broker I’ve always enjoyed working with data, the places it can take us and the things that it can tell us.  It’s been a fascinating ride thus far and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working for Astyra and working with all the great folks I’ve met along the way.  As that pop song from the 80s goes “the future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades”!

Contractor Spotlight: Linette Jones

Linette Jones

Our Contractor of the Quarter is Linette Jones!

Linette currently works as the lead implementor for the Oracle Advance Collections Module for the City of Richmond. Some of her responsibilities include project planning, configuration set up and troubleshooting.

She is proud of her ability to translate accounting user requirements to translatable software configurations that meet the accounting user’s needs.

Outside of work, Linette loves going to sporting events and spending time with her two sons.

Her youngest son will be starting his first year of high school in the Fall and she is looking forward to seeing him further evolve into an “awesome young man.”

Linette says her sons are the fuel to her motivation to work hard and accomplish her goals.

Contractor Spotlight: Alan Scholz

Alan Scholz
Alan Scholz is our January 2019 contractor of the quarter!

As a Home Loans iConcierge, Mr. Scholz has served about 1,400 associates in the past two years.
 
“Though my team and I were repeatedly recognized by Capital One’s management, our most prized awards remain the smiles and looks of relief extended to us,” he said.

 Mr. Scholz is a happily married father of three adult children with a total of seven grandchildren! He spends most of his free time with family and friends and at church. His favorite hobby is attempting to convince his wife to let him buy a “new to me (cheap) sports car,” but it’s safe to say he hasn’t been very successful.

Contractor Spotlight: Hollace Jones

Hollace Jones is our contractor of the quarter!
 
Holly has been with Astyra since 2014 and now works as an Associate Transmission Equipment Asset Analyst. This position involves helping manage asset information and policies, analyzing documentation and resolving issues in department processes.

Contractor Spotlight: Chrie Mumma

Chrie Mumma is our contractor of the quarter!
 
She has been with Astyra for 12 years and works as a 3rd shift Network Engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
 
Chrie was born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania and still lives there today.
 
She has always been interested in computers and even ran a Bulletin Board System (BBS) for several years. Her favorite part of her job is getting to know and work with kind and extremely talented people. She is proud to say that her son wants to follow in her footsteps and join the computer science field.
 
She hopes this year she will be able to spend some of her free time camping.

Contractor Spotlight: Geneva Everett

Geneva Everett
Geneva Everett joined Astyra in November 2013. She started as a Customer Service Associate with Magellan Health.
 
Through her wealth of knowledge, outstanding customer service and experience over the years, she has recently been promoted to Outpatient Support Specialist.
 
Originally from a small town called Preston, Maryland, Geneva moved to Richmond after high school. She is a proud mother of four great children and grandmother to a wonderful grandson.
 
Geneva is continuing her education, in the field of Human Resources. When she is not working or studying, Geneva enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends, or watching a good mystery/drama movie. She also loves sports and her favorite football team is the Philadelphia Eagles.

Contractor Spotlight: Mercedes Moore

Mercedes and husband
Mercedes Moore joined Astyra in May 2017. She started as a Call Center Representative with Capital One and in less than a month, was promoted to Accounting Clerk III.
 
Originally from Macedon, New York (outside of Rochester), Mercedes recently moved to Virginia from Charleston, South Carolina with her husband. During her time in South Carolina, she worked on perfecting her book, “What It Took” (published under Mercedes Guy), and self-published the revised edition in September. Just this spring, “What It Took” received a 4-star review on Red City Review.
When she is not writing, she is either working or studying. Outside of work she takes online classes through Southern New Hampshire University, working towards a BA in Creative Writing.
 

She says her journey in Virginia thus far has been a great one; with a big help from Astyra. 

 
She is looking forward to what’s next.

Contractor Spotlight: Aaron Puritz

Aaron and his lovely wife, Kathryn
Aaron and his son, Zach

Aaron’s 25 year career as a Digital Creative and Strategy lead has led him all over the country. From New Jersey to San Francisco, to Portland Oregon, and finally to Richmond, Virginia, he has experienced nearly every perspective of interactive development. Before joining Astyra in 2015, Aaron worked for 8 years as the in-house interactive creative director at CarMax, helping to grow their dynamic team and develop their current online and in-store digital strategy.

Aaron currently works for the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Office of the Governor. His role is to maintain consistent communication for the Governor, all 12 secretariats of the executive branch, the communication team, the First Lady and the executive mansion. He enjoys the variety of work, the extreme pace, and(most of all) the integrity and commitment of his clients.

At home, Aaron enjoys spending time with his family, traveling in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and fixing all things: from websites to toasters.

 

Contractor Spotlight: Tasha Branch

Tasha Branch
Tasha Branch joined the Astrya team in 2014, lending her knowledge and previous work experience as Staff Analyst with Myers Stauffer.
 
Richmond, Virginia has always been home for her. She completed her undergrad in Business Management at Strayer University.
 
In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with various non-profit organizations.
 
Tasha likes to remind herself to live her life with this thought:
“Without a desire it’s an unachievable goal.”

Contractor Spotlight: Jonathan Goodridge

Jon Goodridge is a Senior Telecommunication Engineer at Capital One.
Jonathan Goodridge grew up in New England, went to Northeastern University and has worked at BBN, DEC, Aspect & others. 
 
For the past three years he has been with Astyra, working at Capital One. He currently works on testing and implementing call center software at Capital One.  
 
Most of his career has involved call centers or related technologies. Jon says he enjoys being a bridge between the customer and engineering, as many times they speak different languages. 
 
He has received many recognition awards throughout his career and said that he is happy to add this one to his collection! 
 
Jon moved to Richmond in 2008 for a 6-month contract with AT&T at Altria and has been here ever since. 
 
He met his wife in Richmond. They love to spend time visiting wineries, traveling and seeing all the sites here in Virginia. Both Jon and his wife love to cook and entertain. They have a Shepard/Husky mix, named Babylon. Jon says Babylon was the only one in their house who was thrilled with the most recent snowstorm to hit Richmond!

Contractor Spotlight: Raymond Waters

Raymond Waters has been an Astyra contractor since 2012, and currently works as a LAN Administrator for Dominion Power.

Mr. Waters attended ECPI and has a degree in Network Security.

He is from Glen Allen, where he lives with his wife and two children. His son is 6 and his daughter is 2.

In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and just relaxing.