DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CompTIA, the IT Industry Trade Association, today announced the election of new leaders and the addition of new members to the CompTIA Vendor Advisory Council.

The council is an invitation-only group of executives from many of the industry's top companies. The group provides CompTIA with strategic, near-term insight on issues and trends affecting the IT industry. It serves as a think-tank, presenting ideas and initiatives to the association's staff with the intent of improving and growing business for the industry as a whole.

Michael Swailes, director, worldwide services partner organization, Cisco, a global leader in IT, was elected a co-chair of the CompTIA Vendor Advisory Council. He joins Frank Raimondi, worldwide channel alliance manager for Intel, a world leader in computing innovation, as council co-chairs.

Selected as the council's new vice chair is Laurie Evans, senior director, solution providers, VMware, a global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure.

Joining the CompTIA Vendor Advisory Council as new members are George Psiharis, vice president, business development, Clio, a provider of web-based practice management tools for the legal profession; and Steve Pataky, vice president, worldwide channels and alliances, FireEye, a leader in next generation threat protection.

"We're pleased to welcome these industry leaders to our vendor Advisory Council," said Annette Taber, vice president, channel strategies, CompTIA. "They join the council at a time when vendors and their channel partners are facing many challenges – new business models, evolving channel relationships and customers who are savvier about technology than ever before. The council's mandate is to help CompTIA identify the content, programs and solutions that will help the channel overcome these obstacles."

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world's information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit CompTIA online and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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SOURCE CompTIA