Jeff Eastman
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff is a co-founder of Alchemy and brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial and management experience to Alchemy. Prior to becoming CEO of Alchemy, Jeff was CEO of Alchemy Studios, a nationally recognized leader in the development of multimedia educational and training products for academic, commercial and government clients. His experience also includes managing operations and leading the organizations in start-up ventures for software development, real estate development projects, and retail ventures. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Texas.
Rick Hoffman
Chief Operating Officer
Rick joined Alchemy in 2011 and brings more than 30 years of experience in management, product dev. and operations at some of the industry's leading tech. organizations. His most recent role was VP of the Payment Solutions Group at ACS, a Xerox company. Here Rick led the tech. services organization responsible for delivery and support of the electronic payment solutions in the Government Solutions Group. Prior to that, Rick was Pres. and CEO of ClearCube and VDIworks, pioneers in the PC Desktop Blade and Virtualization market. Hoffman also spent 5 years at Dell in a number of strategic roles, including Director and GM of the Linux Systems Group and 15 years at IBM in the RS/6000 division in various middle management positions. Rick received his BS in Electrical Engineering and his MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Archie Barrett
Chief Technology Officer
As a founder of Alchemy’s predecessor Avatar Technology, Archie served as both CTO and CEO. He has managed multiple engineering teams responsible for the design and development of various software and network solutions. He led the development of Avatar (formerly named Course InSite), a recognized industry-leading management system for professional development in the K-12 market. Archie holds two undergraduate degrees and a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas.
Ryan Schooler
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan joined Alchemy in 2009 after serving as Chief Financial Officer at Austin Capital Management, a hedge fund of funds. He previously held senior finance roles at Level 3 Communications and served as Chief Financial Officer at Jardine Foods, Inc. Earlier in his career, he held audit and advisory roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and BDO Seidman. Ryan earned a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Steve Merrill
VP of Sales and Marketing
Steve & his wife Drenda reside in Cedar Park, TX, with their two teenagers. As the VP of Sales & Marketing, Steve Merrill is responsible for managing revenue generation through the company's domestic and international sales teams, consulting on channel partnerships, and leading the company through its sales growth objectives. He also manages the marketing organization and efforts to position Alchemy in core markets. Along with his zeal for the art and science of the sales process, Merrill brings a wealth of real-world experience both as a Director of Sales of the Sales Executive Council (part of CEB) in Arlington, VA as well as a National Services Sales Manager at Dell, and as a Sr. Manager with the former Business Consulting Practice of Arthur Andersen. Merrill is a graduate of New Mexico State University and has an MBA at the University of Texas, Austin. He also has attended Harvard’s Negotiation Program and continuing education at University of Michigan and DePaul University in topics of Sales Management.
Robin Donelson
Vice President Of Engineering
Robin joined Alchemy in 2008 and brings over 26 years experience in the areas of software development, quality assurance, customer support, and product development. Robin worked for IBM for 16 years, before assuming multiple engineering management roles at Dell, Inc. He most recently served as Director of Technology Services at ClearCube, and as Functional Manager of Quality Assurance for Polycom’s Video Division. Robin is a two-time graduate of the University of Texas with Bachelor’s degrees in Education and Computer Science.
Erin Silver
VP of Customer Operations
As an early member of the Alchemy team, Erin has at one time or another managed Alchemy’s marketing, customer support, operations training activities. As Product Manager, Erin serves on Alchemy’s executive team and is responsible for ensuring that Alchemy’s products continue to evolve to meet customer needs. Previously, Erin worked for over 10 years at Sachem, Inc., an Austin-based manufacturer of specialty chemicals. She holds a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Texas.
Thomas Murphy, Ph.D.,
Manager, General Partner
Tom Murphy brings more than 30 years experience in operations, management, and research positions in both civilian and government organizations. Tom was the founding CEO of Alchemy Systems, LP. Tom’s background includes serving as President/CEO of a multidimensional software corporation. a biotechnology company , and a corporation specializing in manufacturing, licensing, and contract work of patented large-diameter pipeline cleaning systems. Tom’s military experience includes serving as Commanding Officer of three different U.S. Navy SEAL units. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, and earned an M.A. in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma.
James T. Hoover
Manager, General Partner
Jim and his wife, Jan reside in Austin, Texas. He is the principal owner of IDM Partners, a private investment company which has provided seed stage capital to proven entrepreneurs in a variety of industries since 1987. He has served on multiple corporate and charitable Boards. From 1997 through 2009 Jim served as Chairman of KBI Biopharma, Inc. a private drug development and contract manufacturing organization headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. Jim is a co-founder and General Partner of Alchemy Systems. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1972. Jim was educated at the School of International Service, American University and received his MBA from the University of Texas.
“For the past few weeks I have found myself in contact with several members of the Alchemy Support team. They have been more than helpful and add personality to their customer service, which you don’t get very often. When assessing any company’s product and quality I always look to the customer service as a major indicator and your team has more than surpassed my expectations in a customer support team.”
Laura Bristow
Training Coordinator
