Michael Self

Omvox is Michael Self’s third telecommunications venture, the first two having been acquired in 1997 and 2001, respectively.  Mr. Self’s telecom career began in 1985, starting as a software engineer for telephone voice response systems.  Most recently, Mr. Self has been credited with the creation and deployment of mass communications systems used by the US Department of Defense, state police agencies and the private sector.  At his former company, Mr. Self was the principal architect for unified communications and voice telecom services that were delivered by one of the nation’s largest cable television operators in their rollout of telephone service.  Mr. Self has numerous patents issued or pending in the fields of 9-1-1.

President

Richard Manulkin is the founder of Connect First and is primarily responsible for program and client management.  His vision and direction was key to bringing our system to reality. He brings to Intelegen over 17 years of extensive and diverse experience in the Telecom Client and Program Management fields, specializing in converting layperson customer needs into live solutions. Prior to founding Connect First, Mr. Manulkin was a member of the senior management team at Intelogistics Corporation where he was responsible, among other things, for the design, implementation and operation of several generations of Virtual Call Center support, including inbound, outbound and IVR.  He has been working with Virtual Call Center technologies as far back as the mid 1990s and is highly experienced in their operation and usage. 

Chief Technology Officer

Raymond Penn is responsible for the strategic vision in relation to enhancing our products and infrastructure while setting company priorities and implementing processes that will improve product development. Further responsibilities include overseeing our current technology team and platform. Mr. Penn’s background in communications began while serving in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician (ET1). While on board USS Blueridge, Flagship 7 th Fleet and at US VAVCOMTA Japan, Raymond was an esteemed recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal while responsible for US Navy communications in Japan. After his Honorable discharge in 1993, Mr. Penn continued his communications and technology developments as Director of Operations for First Call Communications. In 1998 he became Vice President of Operations as well as Vice President of Research and Development until 2005 when he saw the opportunity to be a critical part of Omvox’s highly experienced staff as CTO.

Greg Cogen is responsible for driving Omvox’s growth in the enhanced services market. Mr. Cogen has a background in the cable television and telecommunications arena from the sales, marketing and back-office perspectives.  Mr. Cogen brings over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry to the Company.  Prior to joining Omvox, he served as VP of Enhanced Communications for Prosodie Interactive an international technology services provider. He also served as VP and COO of Cybercloseout, Inc., which acquired his company, Long Distance America, Inc. (LDA) a reseller of switched, dedicated and integrated telecom services. Prior to that Mr. Cogen served as Vice President of Long Distance International Inc. (LDI), a facilities-based international telecommunications provider from prior to its inception in 1994 until 1999.  Mr. Cogen brings significant expertise in the area of start-up, back office, sales and marketing solutions to Omvox.

Mr. Felipe Tapia is Connect First's co-founder and VP of Technology. Mr. Tapia served as CTO of 1-800-GIFT CERTIFICATE from 1998 until 2003. During his tenure, he oversaw the growth of the company's technology infrastructure from a small start-up to a multi-million dollar enterprise. Shortly after, he became First Interactive's Director of Engineering where he continues to play an active role in the success and growth of the company. Over his more than fifteen year career, Mr. Tapia has had the privilege of working with companies such as Rockwell Switching Systems Division, Sitel, Bell South, British Airways, Citibank, Cingular, and many of the pre-cursors to today's largest wireless communication providers. Mr Tapia's field of expertise encompasses a wide array of disciplines including CTI, Telecom, E-Commerce, Fulfillment, Supply Chain, Call Centers, Business Intelligence, Data Management. Mr. Tapia holds an MBA, is an Oracle DBA, and is the recipient of several certifications in all areas of IT.