Needles Staff
Mary Ellen Bellusci
Vice President
Mary Ellen Bellusci joined Needles as Marketing Director in 2002. Mary Ellen graduated from the Honors College at Towson University with a degree in both Communications and English. A Maryland native, Mary Ellen worked in Marketing and Account Services for an international travel assistance company before joining the Needles team. She is happily married and resides in Baltimore with her husband and two young sons. Mary Ellen lends her Marketing expertise to volunteer organizations as well as a local group for moms. She also enjoys reading, traveling and spending time in her house of boys!
Scott Bogash
Senior Programmer
Scott Bogash is the Senior Programmer at Needles, and he has been with the company since 1989. He graduated from University of MD, Baltimore County with a degree in both Computer Science and Information Systems Management. Working as a programmer at Needles was Scott's first programming job out of college. He enjoys traveling, particularly "adventure vacations", such as Costa Rica and Belize. He is also a fan of BIG cats. Scott is married with two children.
Barbara Bull
Certified Needles Trainer
Barbara Bull joined the Needles training team to help clients manage and implement proper case management processes. Her previous job as Training Manager for an enterprise solution company uniquely qualifies her for training challenges. Barbara has lived in ten states, some more than once! She has daughters in Atlanta, Tampa, and Baltimore. Barbara graduated from Towson University with a B.S. degree in Education. She enjoys reading, flower arranging, swimming, and is a huge ACC and Big 12 fan- Go PSU! Barbara's recent travels include a family trip to Norway.
Randy Chase Yoder
Certified Needles Trainer
Randy Chase Yoder has been a Certified Needles Trainer for over a decade, providing onsite training to more than one hundred law firms in more than 30 states. Randy currently works as an In House Support Specialist- answering user questions, solving problems, product testing, and managing the Needles Wishlist. He is also an integral part of the Needles Development Team. Randy has previously worked for the Baltimore Mayor's office directing educational technology for the non-profit Adult Learning Centers across the city and also as an Educational Software Specialist.
Jennifer Dominguez
Bookkeeper
Jennifer Dominguez originally joined the Needles team as an Administrative Assistant in 2003. She has since become the Needles Bookeeper. Prior to joining the Needles team, Jennifer honed her Customer Service and Account Management skills by working for a local oil company. She is happily married and resides in Baltimore with her husband, son, and daughter. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys reading mystery novels, surfing the Internet, shopping, spending quality time with her family, and going to the beach. Her yearly travels have taken her to both San Diego, CA and the Dominican Republic. This proud mom agrees that "Nothing else will ever make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, as motherhood."
Jesse Giguere
Director of Support
Technical Specialist Jesse Giguere grew up in Massachusetts and South Carolina before moving to Maryland. Jesse has worked in Systems Support for a medical software company and for the Army Surgeon General prior to joining Needles. He has over seven years of software support experience, and he manages the Needles Customer Support Team. Jesse also claims to be a bigger fan of BIG cats than Scott is!
Bill Goodwin
Director of Conversions
Bill Goodwin joins the Needles team as a Conversion Specialist. Originally from Bluefield, West Virginia, Bill currently resides in Hampstead, Maryland with his wife of 32 years. He has two children and two grandchildren. When he is not converting data he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and playing golf. He combines his hobbies by having regular family golf outings in Myrtle Beach, SC and Rome, GA. Bill attended the Community College of the Air Force and was an Honor Graduate from NCO Leadership School. While in the service, he spent time in South/East Asia and Europe and even lived in Taiwan for 5 years. He comes to Needles with many years of experience in technical positions supporting the automotive industry.
Richard Harris
Programmer
Rick Harris has been with the Needles Family since 2001. In that time, he has completed many challenging programming assignments. Rick has a degree in Electronics Technology and has been programming for almost fifteen years. In his spare time, he does volunteer work for the Ed Block Courage Award Foundation. He likes to travel and considers himself an avid jazz fan. Rick resides in Baltimore with his wife.
Cathy Mackie
Documentation and Report Specialist
Cathy Mackie joins us as Documentation and Report Specialist. Cathy spent 14 years working for a Maryland-based law firm as their Network Administrator and then as the Systems Administrator in charge of all applications. If ever anyone was qualified to discuss the technical aspect of a law firm, it is Cathy! Married and mom to a daughter, two stepsons, and a Chinese Shar-pei puppy, Cathy resides in Frederick County, Maryland. When she isn ’t working, Cathy enjoys reading, gardening, crocheting, and crafts, though she admits that she doesn ’t have too much time for hobbies anymore. Cathy ’s unique law technology background makes her a perfect fit at the company!
Kristen Michaelides
Administrative Assistant
Kristen Michaelides joins the Needles team as an Administrative Assistant. With an Associates Degree in Arts and Science from the Community College of Baltimore County and 7 years of management experience, Kristen brings her human resource training and sparkling personality to the Needles team. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her young son, family and friends. She enjoys photography, vacationing, spending time outdoors, live music, movies & watching football (Go RAVENS!) When asked to share her life philosophy, Kristen said Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today!
Rus Mogilnay
Programmer
Rus Mogilnay lends his expertise to the Needles Programming Department. Rus brought with him extensive experience in programming from previous jobs with the Agency on Aging, The Defense Modeling and Simulation Office, and Department of Defense, just to name a few. He enjoys lots of outdoor activities, such as hiking, camping, fishing, and skiing, but he claims that being married with two children takes up most of his free time! His dream is the visit all seven wonders of the ancient world.
Desiree Page
Certified Needles Trainer
Desiree Page joins the Needles staff in our Training Support Department. A Maryland native originally from Prince George’s County, Desiree now resides with her husband and three children in Elkridge, MD. Desiree has an extensive background in the legal profession. She owned a court reporting company for thirteen years and has over seven years experience working in law firms. She has conducted her work from courtrooms to army bases. Desiree’s hobbies include traveling, soccer, basketball and reading. In her spare time, she helps coach youth sports teams. A fan of warm weather, Desiree has visited Bermuda, Bahamas, San Diego, Florida and Las Vegas, as well as Disney World and Disney Land. She is excited about her work at Needles and is looking forward to helping Needles clients optimize their user-friendly program.
Richard Paresky
National Sales Manager
Richard Paresky is the National Sales Manager at Needles. With over thirty years of Sales and Marketing experience, Rich is crucial to the success of Needles. He has been happily associated with the company for more than ten years. Prior to working for Needles, Rich worked with Burt Bank in the catalog and marketing business, where he had his first brush with computers and automation. He then moved to New York, where he held several Sales Management positions at well known men's designer clothing firms.
Richard spends much of his time working with legal groups, meeting with prospective clients and Needles firms around the country, and educating plaintiff attorneys on the benefits of case management in the law office.
Rich works closely with the marketing and programming staff at Needles to incorporate client and prospect "wishlist" items into new versions of the software.
Gwen Smoot
Certified Needles Trainer
Gwen Smoot joins the Needles family as a Training Support Specialist. A native of Fort Worth, TX., she graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Business Administration Administrative Management. Gwen has worked in the legal field since 1984 and explored the areas of Civil Litigation, Real Estate, Family, Oil & Gas, Mass Tort and Corporate Law. For 6 years she was even the Needles Manager for a Plaintiff - Asbestos law firm in Texas. Her hobbies include listening to jazz and gospel music, traveling, gourmet cooking, interior decorating, completing Sudoku puzzles, event planning and Skin Care consulting. She is also a Dallas Mavericks fan and, (even after the 2006 N.B.A. play-offs), her favorite quote is Go Mavs, STILL!!! Gwen has lived in the Southern California area, and her favorite travel destinations include Hawaii and Japan. Gwen has been happily married for more than 28 years to a retired Naval Chief Petty Officer. She also has one son who is a Culinary Arts graduate and professional chef.
Liz Teixeira
Director of Training
Liz Teixeira joined Needles in 1998 as a Certified Needles Trainer as well as a Phone Support Specialist. She became our Director of Training in 2009, assuming responsibility for our training curriculum, new client implementation and continued education for our training staff. Liz graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Marketing. She has put that degree to good use as Director of Marketing for a national signage company and as a Trainer for both Needles and a national Weight Loss organization. Liz resides in Delaware with her husband, son, and daughter.
Penny Vanderhorst
Quality Assurance Specialist
Penny Vanderhorst joins the Needles family as Quality Assurance Specialist. Originally from Georgetown, South Carolina, Penny now resides in Columbia, Maryland. She graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta with a BA in Economics and has spent the last 15 years as a Quality Assurance Specialist with a major national insurance company. Her past experience will serve her well as she implements quality assurance procedures at Needles. Penny has two young adult daughters, with whom she enjoys spending quality time. She also enjoys reading, watching old black and white movies, and taking long walks with her Jack Russell Terrier, Diamond. Penny lives by the quote, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Adrian Walters
Programmer
Adrian Walters joins the Needles family as a programmer. He brings with him more than 12 years of professional programming experience in the Healthcare Marketing and Fulfillment sector. Adrian studied Computer Science at Rutgers University. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching old films, watching NFL football, and traveling. His travels have taken him to many islands, and he lived in the US Virgin Islands for 4 years. Adrian is married and has two young children.
Michael Wilson
Software Architect
Michael Wilson joins the Needles family as a Software Architect. With more than 14 years of experience in developing Software and Web Applications, he will bring a much needed skill set to our organization. Michael is here to speak with clients about their case management needs, review our wishlist items, and blueprint upcoming versions of Needles for the programming staff to ensure that Needles continues to be on the cutting edge of case management technology. Originally from Orlando, Michael graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelors degree in Computer Information Systems. He has previously worked for Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen & Hamilton, SRA International and others. He has worked on a wide range of systems and applications. Michael spends most of my free time with his wife and family, going to church, golfing, exercising, and designing software. An avid sports fan, he roots for the local sports teams as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando Magic.
Joe Zanta
Regional Sales Manager
Joe Zanta joins the Needles team as our Regional Sales Manager. A Pennsylvania native, Joe received his Bachelors in Education from University of Scranton and his Master’s from Kaplan University. Joe taught children from grade K-12, before changing to a career focused on sales and technology. He has previous experience as an IT recruiter and in security and software sales. Joe currently resides in Fells Point in Baltimore City with his dog Rocky. When Joe isn’t at Needles he is an avid sports fan. He enjoys both watching and participating in football, baseball, hockey and cycling and has competed in multiple marathons and triathlons. He has traveled to England, Canada and Mexico, but mostly enjoys spending time with his family.