While Aeris Enterprises provides IT consulting services typical of larger consulting firms, we are not a large firm ourselves. Our relatively small company is based on a personal commitment to our client's success. We believe that the best way to accomplish this is through a closely integrated client and consultant team. Our roles vary by project and project phase, and depend on the resources already available to the client. As a client, you won't see a large group of Aeris new recruits, or a stack of resumes for people that will never appear onsite. The high-caliber service we provide forms the basis of our service model, and our corporate success to date.

Core Team

Terry Graham – President and CEO

Terry co-founded Aeris Enterprises, Inc. in 1998, with a goal of delivering high-caliber consulting services to clients. For the last 11 years, Aeris and the State of Nevada have teamed together, and successfully implemented a series of integrated web enabled applications that serve as the foundation of the Aempower Suite®. Prior to Aeris, Terry worked for nine years at American Management Systems, Inc. in a variety of project roles, providing implementation services for over 10 public sector clients, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Illinois Office of the Comptroller, and the State of Missouri. He finished out his work with AMS serving as an advanced technology subject matter expert, specializing in data warehousing and web enabled front-end applications. Terry graduated from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received a B.S. in Information and Decision Systems.

Joe Fix – Vice President

Joe formed Aeris Enterprises, Inc. in 1998 as a co-founder, and since then has worked with governments and private industry in delivering innovative technology solutions. Joe has been the primary onsite manager for the State of Nevada client for 11 years. He has managed successful implementations of their custom-developed budget preparation, project accounting system, and timekeeping applications, plus Nevada's Open Government website. In addition to his project implementation tasks, Joe works with the Nevada client to provide strategic IT direction. Prior to Aeris, Joe worked at American Management Systems, Inc. where he served as an onsite project consultant in a broad range of roles, from application programmer to technical specialist. His AMS project work concentrated in the area of web-based enterprise solutions, including data warehouse efforts for Illinois and Missouri, and online purchasing for Orange County, CA. Joe graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Japanese.

Chris Sargent – Vice President

Chris joined Aeris Enterprises, Inc. in 2001 to provide additional technical leadership to the company. Currently, he serves as the technical architect and lead developer for multiple components of the Aempower Suite®. His responsibilities include overall strategic technical direction, software quality control, and implementation support. Prior to Aeris, Chris was a Senior Principal at American Management Systems, Inc. Over his 10-year stay with AMS, he served as project manager and senior technologist, responsible for managing and supporting a variety of public sector projects in the Western US. His specific areas of expertise were technical architecture, software engineering, and technical project management. Chris graduated from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Computer Science.

Steve Schnelker – Director of Product Development

Steve joined Aeris Enterprises, Inc. in 2005 as a Director of Product Development. He came to the company with extensive experience in project management, technical architecture, and knowledge management for the web and e-commerce. Currently, Steve is a lead developer for multiple key projects for the State of Nevada including the statewide budget prep application, project accounting system, and the applicant tracking system. He is responsible for internal product development and support for production applications. He also ensures cross-platform compatibility and compliance with open software architecture standards. Prior to Aeris, Steve worked for Gateway, Inc. as a Director of eSupport and Technology. In this role, he was responsible for managing development and deployment of all systems for Gateway Customer Service and Support. Steve also worked for seven years at Accenture (Andersen Consulting), serving as a Technology Director for its 70-seat CRM Solution Center, as well as a Senior Manager supporting multiple client engagements. Steve graduated from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

Jeff McDonald – Director of Consulting Services

Jeff joined Aeris Enterprises, Inc. in 2005 as a Director of Consulting Services. Jeff brings over 20 years of progressive IT systems implementation experience at city, county, and statewide levels. He has significant analytical and management expertise in all phases of software implementation projects. For the last three years, Jeff has worked with the County of Orange, CA. responsible for providing quality assurance and risk management for a multi-million dollar ERP implementation. Prior to Aeris, Jeff worked for American Management Systems, Inc. In his 14 years with AMS, Jeff served in a variety of project roles, providing implementation services for over 13 high profile government clients, including the County of Orange, CA. and State of Nevada. Jeff graduated from California Polytechnic State University – Pomona with a B.S. in Business Administration.