Contact:
Karen Colson
karen@summa-tech.com
412.258.3294
Summa
Pittsburgh, PA (January 11, 2007) - Summa, a leading regional provider of IT consulting and software solutions that improve business performance, has named Audrey Dunning as its new CEO, succeeding founder Ed Engler.
Dunning is a veteran of two decades in IT consulting, software and solution sales, including experience with IBM and its Transarc subsidiary, Software AG and Xerox. She has been vice president of sales and marketing for Summa since 2001 and has been instrumental in driving Summa's regional expansion and formulating business partnerships with industry technology leaders.
Engler, who continues as chairman of Summa, will be focusing his efforts on Robinson, Engler & Dixon, his new venture firm, which has just been tapped to manage the newly created Pittsburgh Early Growth Partners (PEP) fund. The PEP fund is being seeded with $2 million by InnovationWorks, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development.
"I'm truly excited to succeed Ed at Summa. This is a great opportunity for all of us on the leadership team to build on the foundation that he created," Dunning said. "For 10 years, our staff has been focused on providing consulting and customized software solutions for companies ranging from regional businesses to Global 2000 firms. Our clients have rewarded us with the kind of growth that makes this transition a natural and logical step."
"My ability to focus on venture capital at this point in my career is possible because of Audrey's strong leadership, and that of the entire team," Engler said. "Building great new companies is something close to my heart. For me, it's not only been about building Summa, but also about investing what I've learned in other companies. With our new firm, I have two great partners and the support and confidence of InnovationWorks and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. By managing the PEP fund, we look forward to helping to grow vital new companies in the region."
Summa has been an acknowledged leader in the Western Pennsylvania technology community since its inception, and has been selected as one of the Tech 50 companies in the annual recognition program of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, and as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies selected each year by the Pittsburgh Business Times.
In addition to these honors, Summa has earned the respect of its clients and business partners with a decade of innovative solution development and superior service. Since its founding, Summa has helped dozens of companies improve their business processes and results through the modernization and customization of their software applications. Summa has emerged as a leader in helping companies implement "Service Oriented Architecture" or SOA. SOA is a growing trend throughout the IT industry designed to make software applications more flexible and adaptable to changing business needs.
As a respected provider of IT solutions, Summa has earned the designation as an IBM Premier Business Partner, a Select Level Partner for BEA Systems products and a Microsoft Certified Partner.
Summa's current and recent clients include well-known business leaders such as Fiserv, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, PNC Financial Services and Rockwell Automation.
Among Summa's current projects is a partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to redesign and modernize its Internet banking application, Banks4Banks. The goal of the modernization initiative is to better support FHLBank customers' business needs through a more agile, open-standards based system.
About Summa
Since 1996, Summa has been providing high-impact IT consulting services and customized, commercial-grade software development for companies ranging from regional businesses to Global 2000 firms. Summa specializes in helping companies evaluate and implement IT modernization strategies to better meet their business objectives. Whether a business needs a web accessible interface to a mission-critical application, to renovate legacy systems, or to connect existing applications, Summa can help. Summa is an IBM Premier Business Partner, a BEA Select Level Partner and a Microsoft Certified Partner. In addition to the corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Summa maintains a subsidiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil.