Meet the Team

President & Owner

Michael Pahl founded Winona IT with the tremendous support of friends and family in 2019. He grew up on the east coast before moving to Switzerland and attending the International School of Basel, where he first got introduced to IT and Business.

After moving back state side, Michael graduated with a BS in Information Systems and worked various IT jobs including System Administration, Help Desk manager, and IT Operations Engineer.

Michael is currently pursuing additional education and certification, and holds several current certifications including Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and Microsoft 365: Enterprise Administrator Expert.

Currently Michael lives in Winona Lake with his wife Stephanie, two daughters Olivia and Ava, and son Jackson. In his free time he is a conservationist and shooting sports enthusiast, hunter, fisherman, and enjoys anything outdoors. He is also a diehard Philadelphia sports fan, and fantasy sports enthusiast, often caught screaming at the TV in support of the Eagles, Flyers, Phillies, and 76ers.

Vice President of Operations

Brad Gutwein grew up in Mexico, then moved to Warsaw in 2005 to attend Grace College, earning his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. He has been in the technology field for 18 years in a variety of capacities as well as earning an MBA in 2020. Brad still lives in the Warsaw area, with his wife Corri and sons Ezekiel, Malachi, Isaiah and Joshua. He enjoys the outdoors, especially anything involving hiking or nature, and loves spending time with his family.

Legal Counsel

Steve has spent most of his life in Southern California, earning his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge. A few years later, he earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. He is admitted to practice in both California (currently inactive) and Indiana. He and his wife, Yvonne, moved to Indiana in 2004 where he then became General Counsel of Cedar Holdings, Inc. and Silveus Insurance Group, Inc. He also became General Counsel of Winona IT, LLC upon its creation.

Finance

Originally from Merrillville, Indiana, Melanie graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. She later moved to the Warsaw/Winona Lake area with her husband Steve and her four children. She spent the first 9 years of her career in banking. After taking 8 years off to stay home with her children, she returned to the workforce and has held many roles in the financial and accounting department of Cedar Holdings. She has held the position of Financial Analyst with Cedar Holdings for the past 5 years.

Director of Company Culture & Leadership Development

Loving mountains and outdoor adventure, Scott enjoys a good challenge. He brings over 25 years of leadership development, IT implementation and helping people grow both personally and professionally. He and his wife Julie, have four adult children. One of the most unique adventures Scott has experienced was underwater spear fishing with tribal people off the Great Barrier Reef in Papua New Guinea. He has a deep passion for people and seeing them reach their God-given potential.

Office Project Manager / Executive Assistant

Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Indiana Tech. Originally from Columbia City, IN, she moved to Warsaw in 2014. She joins Winona IT with over 10 years of experience in administration and customer service, along with supervisory experience. In her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time on the lake with her husband and two sons.

Senior System and Security Administrator 

Daniel earned his BS in Computer Information Systems from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2011, and has worked in IT for over 9 years. Daniel is joining the Winona IT team with the responsibility of managing network and server infrastructure, Microsoft 365 administration, and security. He is married with three kids and attends Grace Community Church in Goshen.

 Security Operations Manager

Elliot has a dual bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems and Criminal Justice. He is currently pursuing a master’s in applied Intelligence. He currently holds numerous certifications through CompTIA and Microsoft, as well as numerous other vendors. His expertise is in cybersecurity and has worked on numerous investigations involving some of the worlds most advanced cyber threats. He lives with his wife and two pets in southern Indiana.

System and Security Administrator

Jake Barros joins Winona IT with over 23 years at Grace College’s Office of Information Technology. His experience ranges from managing infrastructure, cybersecurity operations, and running a helpdesk team. A Hawaii native, he currently lives in Winona Lake with his wife and three kids.

System Administrator

Jeremy was born and raised in Warsaw but only recently returned to the area after spending a decade in Japan.  Through the military and follow-on work as a contractor, he joins Winona IT with 20 years of IT experience.  Jeremy and his wife have three sons and they enjoy spending time outdoors, serving in the church, and traveling.

Jr. System and Network Administrator

Daniel was born and raised in Warsaw, where he got his start in IT by interning at Warsaw Community Schools for several years. After graduating from Ball State University in 2019, he went on to work as an IT professional in both Warsaw and Indianapolis. He is happy to be a part of Winona IT and to help serve the local community.

IT Project Manager

Chris, a Warsaw native, graduated with his BS from Grace College, and then went on to receive his master’s degree from Ball State. Chris joined Winona IT back in 2018 and is now working as a project manager for the company. He holds two levels of certification as a Scrum Master and is working on his Google Project Management: Professional certificate. Outside of work, Chris enjoys spending time with his son, biking, grilling, going to Purdue and Cubs games, and playing guitar at his local church.

Product Manager

Michael is originally from northwest Ohio. He moved to northern Indiana to pursue higher education and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems in 2021. Michael brings 20+ years of experience in software development as both an engineer and leader, and he has worked in various industries including automotive manufacturing, software consulting, agriculture, and insurance.

Michael resides in Winona Lake, IN with his wife Mary Beth and two sons Simon and Benjamin. He enjoys spending time with family as well as reading, board games, live music, running, and mountain biking.

Project Manager

Steve, originally from St. Louis (MO), graduated from Purdue University with his doctorate in Nutrition. After a short time in academia, Steve and his family decided to move to the Warsaw area to be closer to his wife’s family. He joins Winona IT with over 10 years of project management experience over a wide range of project types. In his free time, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids serving in the church, exploring the outdoors, and going for walks/runs.

Jr. Security Analyst

Jason, an Indiana native, has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance as well as numerous certifications through CompTIA, Microsoft, and other vendors. He is a Coast Guard Veteran, having served 8 years in extremely dynamic and operationally diverse environments. Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending time with his family, playing games with friends, and pursuing educational opportunities.

Service Delivery Manager

Noah grew up near Cleveland Ohio before moving to Winona lake to attend College. Before graduating with his BA in Biblical Studies and his Masters of Divinity he gained experience working in service-focused industries. Noah has always had a passion for problem solving, computer technology, and providing high quality customer service.

Software Specialist

Born and raised in Winona Lake, IN, Krysta attended Grace College where she earned her B.S. in Elementary Education. She joins Winona IT with nearly 14 years of customer service experience from several different companies. A proud aunt of 3 extraordinary kids, she has also recently become a gym enthusiast.

Help Desk Technician

Jeremiah Butler grew up in Ohio but moved to attend College in Winona Lake. There he studied Information Systems and also worked at the Office of Information Technology. While with them he learned valuable skills for fixing and diagnosing computer issues. After graduating from College, he worked at Silveus Insurance Group as a Software Support Technician, before joining Winona It.

Help Desk Technician

Dustin Shireman joins Winona IT with a desire to help and serve others. He has extensive customer service experience gained from the hospitality industry. With a love for learning new things, and an interest in information technology, Dustin is constantly working towards better serving clients and team members. In his free time, Dustin enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

Help Desk Technician

Marcus joins Winona IT after graduating with a degree in Computer Information Systems. While new to the Warsaw area, he is excited to learn from the team and make strong connections with our partners in Warsaw and beyond.

Help Desk Technician

Eli was born and raised in Winona Lake, IN. Growing up in an avid biking family the outdoors were always important for him and his family. He attended Warsaw Community High School where he discovered an interest in IT, and then attended the LIFT program in upstate New York. Eli is excited to serve Winona IT’s clients and learn new things along the way.

Help Desk Technician

Originally from Ft Wayne Indiana, Corban joins Winona IT with two years of helpdesk experience, and four years of customer support experience. Corban discovered a passion for helping others at a young age and quickly became invested in the IT industry. While working in the industry, Corban completed his CompTIA A+, and Security+, and was also awarded Gold in Cyber Security at the Indiana Skills USA State Championship in 2023.

Help Desk Technician

Caleb joins Winona IT with several years of customer service experience, as well as his CompTIA A+ certification. Caleb graduated from Grace college with a BA in English, and enjoys playing board games with his family, reading, and writing.

Help Desk Technician

Dustin hails from Greencastle, IN. He and his wife Olivia have a daughter Amelia. He enjoys sports and was a football coach at Lakeview MS for four years. Dustin has earned degrees in Information Technology and Forensic Science.

Director of Software Engineering

Nate was born and raised in Northern Indiana and has a BS and MS in environmental science. He has over 20 years of software development experience, and is particularly skilled in software architecture, C#, APIs, SQL Server, WPF, React, and leading teams through the development process.

Sr Software Engineering Manager

A native of Fort Wayne, Rob received his finance degree from Indiana University and an MBA from DePaul University. He has a wide skill set, working for over 25 years in a combination of software, IT, and security. Rob has a passion for working with teams and individual to solve problems. Rob has three daughters and enjoys going to concerts with my wife, Amber, and the girls’ sporting or school events.

D365 CRM Engineer

Originally from Indianapolis, Peter now resides in Warsaw, IN and graduated with a BS in Information Systems and a Masters in Business Administration. Peter worked in a Business Analyst and Project Manager role for 2 years, and for the last 2 years has been doing development for WinonaIT in the PowerPlatform space. He is proficient in all Microsoft PowerPlatform components such as PowerAutomate, Dynamics365, PowerApps, and PowerBI; and is a certified PowerPlatform Functional Consultant.

Senior D365 CRM Engineer

Rusty joins Winona IT as a Senior D365 CRM Engineer, and has been working in the Microsoft Dynamics/365 space for 15 years. He has his Bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University, as well as several certifications including D365 Customer Service and Power Platform Solution Architect Expert. Outside of work, Rusty enjoys volunteering at his Church, time outdoors, deep-sea fishing, and restoring old machines.

M365 Engineer

A native to Winona Lake, Emily graduated with her BS in Biology. Emily has over 6 years of Data Analytics and Process Improvement experience. She is skilled in the Microsoft Suite of tools with a focus in Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Power Platform. She currently holds 4 Microsoft Certifications including Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate. Outside of work, Emily enjoys camping with her husband and three dogs and creating art.

Data Analyst

Local resident of Winona Lake, Eric graduated with a BS in Exercise Science and International Health and is certified in Data Science. He has been working with data for over 3 years and enjoys finding stories within the data. Eric is also Skilled in Python, Pandas, SQL, DAX, and Power BI Data Analyst. In his free time, Eric enjoys mountain biking, reading, board/video games, and building projects.

Data Analyst

Nathan has a degree in Computer Information Systems & 14 years of data analysis experience across various sectors: financial, telecommunications, pharmaceutical & insurance. His focus though is on Business Intelligence report development, specific to Power BI & DAX. When not in the office, Nathan enjoys music, mountain biking, fishing, reading, woodworking & metalworking and enjoys sharing these interests with his kids. Nathan also deeply loves the Lord, his bride & his 6 amazing children.

Database Architect

Chris graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and has over 20 years of experience in IT. He spent many years as a Database Administrator, Data Architect, and managed a Data Services team. He also filled roles as an Application and Web Developer. He has working knowledge on SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL as well as many other database platforms (on-prem and cloud). His ETL experience includes (but is not limited to) Informatica, Alteryx, SSIS, Azure Data Factory and other ETL solutions, while his reporting experience includes (but is not limited to) SQL Server Reporting Services, Power BI, Tableau and other technologies.

Sr. Software Engineer

Originally from Ohio, Mitch graduated Grace College with a dual major in Management of Information Systems and Accounting. He has over 8 years of professional experience in software development. Originally a developer, he is now in Product Management working with businesses and people to help turn their ideas into reality. One of Mitch’s greatest joys is when technology products create efficiencies and improve lives.

Product Manager

Peter is a lifelong resident of Northern Indiana. He graduated from Grace College in 2017 with a degree in Information Systems and spent five years as a UX focused Software Engineer before moving to the role of Product Manager. In his free time, he enjoys travel, photography, music, cooking, and biking.

Database Administrator

Software Engineering Manager

Josh joins Winona IT after spending the last 8 years in the Defense industry. Josh has spent most of his life in the Winona Lake area, and brings 20+ years of experience across the full software stack. Although he currently spends most of his time trying to keep up with his daughter, Josh enjoys video games, camping and travelling to concerts or sporting events around the country.

Software Engineering Manager

A native to Akron Ohio, Andrew graduated from the University of Akron with a BS in Computer Information Systems. Andrew joined the team with 7 years of Software Engineering experience. He is skilled in Software Architecture, Databases, Infrastructure Management and Maintenance, and Development Operations.

Software Engineering Manager

Aaron Graduated with his degree in Computer Science from IPFW in 2016 and began working with General Dynamics before joining Winona IT. Aaron, his wife, and daughters live in the Ft Wayne area where he enjoys spending time with his family, working on projects around the house, and some gaming on the Nintendo Switch.

Sr. Software Engineer

Born and raised in California, Brendan has been writing software since he was in high school and ran a business developing WordPress websites. He then got the opportunity to work as a full-time software engineer at Washington state. He currently holds MCSD, MCSA, MCP and MTA certificates for C#. Brendan joined Winona IT with three years of experience in software development, web hosting, and system administration of CentOS servers. After being at Winona IT for two years, Brendan has advanced to Software Team Lead and is currently leading a team of engineers to provide more automated and higher quality software for Winona IT clients.

Sr. Software Engineer

Sam has 15 years software development experience specializing in web and distributed systems. As an experienced software architect and technical lead, he is highly proficient in ASP.NET, Blazor, C# and several other technologies in the .NET stack. Outside of work Sam enjoys traveling with his family, playing games, and reading about science and history.

Sr. Software Engineer

Originally from Illinois, Bryan received his degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois before diving into software development. He joins Winona IT after working in the software development industry for nearly 25 years. When not in the office, Bryan enjoys video games, board games, cats, and biking.

Sr. Software Engineer

As serial-hobbyist with a perpetually curious nature, there’s nothing better than discovering a new solution. Jeremy brings this interest in problem solving and insights learned from a broad development background including mobile, modern web, and micro-services to every new development opportunity.

Sr. Software Engineer

Sr. Software Engineer

Ryan was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Lapel Indiana after graduating from Ball State in 2004. He joins the Winona IT team as a Software Engineer with over 14 years in the software development industry. Ryan and his wife stay busy taxiing their three boys around to sporting events.

Software Engineer

From Kendallville Indiana, Kamron graduated from Grace College with a BS in Information Systems and a Minor in Mathematics. Kam joined the team as an intern in 2020 for the Help-Desk team and then joined the Software team once he graduated in 2021. He is Skilled in C#, WPF, Web APIs, .Net frameworks, and has experience with Azure, and Azure DevOps.

Software Engineer

Software Engineer

Software Engineer

Gabrielle is originally from West Michigan and graduated with a BS in Mathematics and Actuarial Science in 2018. She has been working in software development for close to 5 years and enjoys the process of solving problems and building new software tools. In her spare time, she enjoys getting outside and hiking.

Jr. Software Engineer

Product Designer

Product Designer

Lifelong Warsaw resident, Connor received his degree from Purdue University in Computer Science with a minor in Visual Communication and Design. After 4 years of software development, he transitioned to a Product Design role to focus his skill set into the UX space. He is skilled in the use of Figma and Adobe software, as well as C#, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and ASP.Net. Currently, Connor holds a Microsoft Web App developer certification, and is working toward becoming a Google UX, and Nielson Norman Group Certified UX Designer.

Quality Assurance Engineer & Support Manager

Seth grew up in Northeast Ohio but has lived in Warsaw since graduating from Grace College in 2010. Seth has over 10 years of experience in Quality with a focus on software. He holds both the ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Software Quality Engineer certifications. Seth enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, picking heavy things up, and playing disc golf.

Software Engineer

Shannon has 18 years of experience in IT, 8 of those dedicated to programming. After transitioning from a government job to a full-time programming career, she initially began with Java but discovered a strong preference for C#/.NET, making the switch four years ago. She has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from Florida State. Outside of work Shannon enjoys playing with her VR headset, working out, and hanging with her pup Nemo. She is a huge FSU and 49ers fan so fall is her favorite time of the year.

IT Systems Analyst

Danielle has over 18 years professional IT experience, including over 12 years in Data Governance, Master Data Management, data modelling, and more. With extensive experience in the medical device world, she comes to us from Zimmer-Biomet where she worked on several ERP system projects. Originally from China, Danielle has worked positions in the UK, Canada, and has lived here in Warsaw for many years.

Jr. Software Engineer

Software Intern

Noah was born and raised in Arizona and is in the Warsaw area to attend Grace College and compete in Track and Field. He now serves as an intern for Winona IT while he is working on his Management of Information Systems degree and his Master of Business Administration degree.