Leadership Team

Arianna is a seasoned sales leader and Vice President of Sales based in the Boston, Massachusetts area. A 14-year sales veteran, she brings deep enterprise selling experience, including more than five years within the Salesforce ecosystem, where she developed expertise in consultative, value-driven solution selling and complex stakeholder alignment.

Arianna began her professional journey as a ballet dancer and teacher—an experience that instilled the discipline, resilience, and performance mindset that continue to define her leadership style. She pairs that foundation with a strategic, data-driven approach to revenue growth, building high-performing teams and cultivating long-term customer relationships rooted in trust and measurable outcomes.

Outside of her professional life, Arianna enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and relaxing at the beach at her home in Scituate.

Steve has over 25 years of experience in various enterprise applications-focused roles, working on and leading global rollouts of Salesforce-centric enterprise application stacks with multiple Fortune 500 companies. He has vast experience in large-scale, highly complex implementations of Salesforce, focused on technical architecture, integration, and complex business process design across the core Salesforce platform. Steve leads strategic initiatives and drives innovation in the Apps Salesforce line of business. He has a proven track record of delivering exceptional results for clients across multiple industries, with expertise in discrete manufacturing and high-tech software ISVs.

Prior to joining Apps Associates, Steve was the CEO and founder of Forcivity, a boutique, Salesforce-focused Systems Integrator, which was acquired by Apps Associates in 2022. Forcivity is the most recent of several successful exits Steve has been at the helm of. Prior to Steve’s entrepreneurial journey, he served as the Director of Enterprise Architecture for Dell.

Steve is a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect as well as a member of the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame. He has developed the content for and taught several architecture-focused classes for Salesforce as a Certified Master Instructor.

Steve served on the Executive Board of Directors as the Treasurer for the Crispin’s House Coalition for Youth and was a volunteer for their Juvenile Court Diversion program for 17 years. Steve also served on the board of the New Hampshire Technology Alliance. He currently serves as a board member for St. Mary’s Bank based in Manchester, NH. Steve splits his time between Meredith, NH, and Washington, D.C. with his wife MaryAnn. Together, they have 3 children and 1 grandson. Steve is a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Ivan is a seasoned executive in the consulting industry with over 20 years of experience, including more than a decade of leadership in guiding Salesforce system integrators through periods of high growth. Currently, he heads the global project delivery and managed services team at Astralis, where he partners with clients to drive impactful Salesforce digital transformations.

A strong advocate for cultivating a dynamic team culture, his commitment to fostering engagement and collaboration ensures that his team thrives in an innovative environment.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Ivan enjoys exploring the globe with his wife, Marna, and their two sons, Andrew and Carter, with a particular passion for international travel.

Zach has been embedded in the Salesforce ecosystem since 2016, bringing nearly a decade of platform and go-to-market experience. He spent six years at Salesforce as an Account Executive, where he partnered with customers to drive digital transformation across sales and revenue operations. He later transitioned into the consulting space, applying that frontline sales perspective to strategic alliance leadership.

At Astralis, Zach leads the firm’s global partnership with Salesforce, owning alliance strategy, executive alignment, and joint go-to-market execution. He also sets the direction for corporate and partner marketing, ensuring messaging, campaigns, and field engagement are tightly aligned to growth objectives and pipeline impact.

Outside of work, Zach prioritizes time with family and friends. He travels (especially to Italy whenever possible), attends live concerts, explores new breweries, and remains a loyal fan of the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

John Christy has over 25 years experience in application development with 15 years exclusively on the Salesforce platform. John operates as an Enterprise Architect overseeing the Solution Design of Salesforce projects and integration with ERP systems.

He is a Salesforce Certified Application Architect and CPQ Specialist with extensive expertise in Revenue, Service, and B2B Commerce clouds. John has lead clients in enterprise wide projects for the Healthcare and Life Science, Technology, Manufacturing, and Education industries. As a Practice Director of Cloud Solutions, John prescribes best practice solutions to complex process and integration challenges that achieve scalable and efficient results.

Shannon Crawford has 15+ years background working in Project Management and Client Delivery Management models with a focus on implementing hybrid Agile/Waterfall methodologies working with technical and business leaders and teams.  Shannon has experience in B2B and B2C engagements at both the project and program level across numerous industries including Hi-tech, Manufacturing, Marketing and Events, and Health and Non-Profit Management.

Shannon leads a team of project managers in the Salesforce PMO to deliver projects successfully and outline processes modeling best practices in the ever-evolving Salesforce partner ecosystem.

She resides in Texas in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and has an active appreciation for family, music, filmmaking, and nature hikes.

Hugo Estrada is an accomplished technology leader specializing in Salesforce, with a proven track record of managing enterprise-level projects for global organizations. He holds 14 Salesforce certifications, including Application and System Architect. Hugo brings deep expertise in leading and scaling highly skilled teams and serves as the head of a technical group composed of Architects, Developers, and Solution Engineers. Throughout his career, he has successfully delivered dozens of complex, multi-platform projects involving technologies such as Salesforce, MuleSoft, Oracle, and SAP.

With experience across industries like Life Sciences, Telecommunications, Financial Services, Distribution, and Manufacturing, Hugo has developed strong proficiency in setting governance frameworks, optimizing business processes, and establishing Centers of Excellence. His expertise extends to developing strategic roadmaps tailored to customer needs, driving change management initiatives, and ensuring positive ROI from software implementations. Outside of work, Hugo enjoys spending time with his family, exploring finance and traveling.

With over 22 years of experience in the IT industry, Vijay Pedamallu leads the Salesforce India Global Delivery Center.  His role involves not only technical acumen but also strategic leadership in driving successful Salesforce implementations and support. He is passionate about empowering his teams through mentorship and skill development, fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Vijay is dedicated to optimizing global delivery processes, adopting modern technologies, and delivering high-quality solutions that aid customer’s ease of doing business. His mission is to drive digital transformation and build long-term partnerships that contribute to the sustained growth of organizations.

Vijay’s career spans extensive work in Oracle ERP, where he specialized in managing complex enterprise systems for global clients. This background has given him a deep understanding of large-scale IT implementations and customer needs.

Based in Hyderabad, Vijay cherishes family time with his wife and two children, and is an avid yoga practitioner. He also runs a yoga and meditation center in collaboration with a non-profit wellness organization, reflecting his commitment to social responsibility.

Timothy is an experienced Salesforce consultant and leader, currently serving as an Industry Practice Lead at Apps Associates, with extensive experience in the manufacturing vertical.  He holds multiple Salesforce certifications and has a deep background in implementing and managing Salesforce solutions across various industries. With over two decades of experience in engineering, IoT, service management, and enterprise architecture, Timothy excels in driving technical innovation, overseeing global projects, and delivering tailored solutions that enhance client operations and growth.

Outside of work, Timothy enjoys various home improvement projects, and sports like baseball, basketball, and bowling.  Above all else he cherishes spending time with his family.

Jeff is a Sr. Practice Manager and Business Analyst with the Salesforce Practice.  He came to Apps Associates via the Forcivity acquisition in March 2022.  Prior to joining Forcivity, Jeff spent over 20 years in services delivery and operations roles within the high-tech industry.

In his role at Apps, he is leading a Salesforce Practice team and developing Best-in-Class Business Analyst and Quality Assurance functions.  His favorite part of the job is providing opportunities and support to the team and seeing them enjoy their success.

Jeff’s drive for continual development and adventure led him to the path of consulting.  In his words, there’s no better place to accelerate your knowledge and skills while working with a diverse group of customers.

Deb is committed to balancing the needs of business leaders and front line associates impacted by process and technology changes. She embraces change, cares about the people side of a Salesforce implementation, and is positively enthusiastic about making learning engaging and practical.

A bridge builder connecting technical and non-technical personnel and concepts. This 25+ year professional has 15 years Salesforce experience as an end user, system administrator, sales operations manager, trainer, and success manager.

Top 5 Strengths (Center for Sales Strategy): Relationship, Arranger, Purpose, Positivity, Influence

Deb is a Floridian who would rather be bundled up than on a beach; she is a wife, mom, scrapbooker, party planner, and a Disney Annual Passholder.