our culture

Jason Tompkins is a Senior Consultant who specializes in QA automation/manual. He says the best part of his job is “not only do I get to be hands on doing what I love every day, but I’m also gaining experience in different fields pertaining to my practice area. My knowledge is forever growing.” Jason says he loves that at RSI you’re given the tools to grow and become the best version of yourself professionally.

Outside of work, Jason enjoys going to the gym, gaming, fishing and cooking. He’s also a great singer and a total cinephile – he has a really deep knowledge of movies and can connect actors to each other through their various works.

When he thinks about what Black History Month means to him, Jason says that “it’s a way for the stories of unknown black women and men to get recognition for the major contributions that they’ve given to American history.” In the tech industry, Jason has found a career he loves and would encourage other African American people to consider it, too.  “Keep pursuing it! It’s a very rewarding field that’s forever growing and expanding.” Thanks, Jason, for making Sparq a great place to work!

Fun Fact: Jason organized a concert in high school that raised money for those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

Kathy Merten is a Senior Consultant in Sparq’s Baton Rouge Development Center who’s currently working as a business analyst for one of our multinational logistics clients. She’s been in technology for over 20 years, having started as a developer for JCPenney, before transitioning to becoming a business analyst. Kathy joined Sparq in 2021 and says that the best part of her job is working with “amazing, smart, motivated people who actually have the best of intentions. People actively try to lift each other up and strive to make RSI a better place to work.” She adds, “I absolutely love RSI’s motto of bringing your whole self to work. I love that RSI welcomes colleagues’ input into many aspects of day-to-day work and life.” Kathy is also the chairperson of Sparq’s Equity Inclusion & Diversity (EI&D) Council and started the disAbility Allies Colleague Resource Group to give a voice to disabled colleagues.

Outside of work, Kathy’s passion is rescuing and fostering kittens until they’re old enough and/or healthy enough to be adopted into their forever homes. “It’s an immensely rewarding experience and I encourage anyone to find a local shelter or rescue and volunteer in some way.” Kathy’s also a voracious reader and likes to cook, crochet and knit. Thanks, Kathy, for making Sparq a great place to work!

Fun Fact: At one point, Kathy had four of her own cats plus seven foster kittens of various ages in her two-bedroom townhouse. “My home was never so much fun!”

Glen Davis is a Senior Consultant who’s worked at Sparq since 2020. The best part of his job is collaborating with his talented teammates and “growing professionally through exposure to various tech and to colleagues with a broad range of skills.” He loves that RSI “treats colleagues like grown-ups, fostering mutual respect and camaraderie.”

When he’s not working, Glen is quite the photographer! He also enjoys writing, watching old movies and science fiction. He has an eclectic taste in music “which I explore every day” and he’s also run several marathons. Thanks, Glen, for making Sparq a great place to work!

Fun Fact: One dark night, Glen scared the daylights out of his adult kids and friends by jumping out at them while wearing his gorilla suit as they were venturing back from the woods after exploring a “haunted” trailer.  (Glen says “It’s surprising how often a gorilla suit comes in handy when you have one.”)

Kimberli Bray is the Talent Acquisition Operations Manager at Sparq and manages all the scheduling for RSI’s interview process. She chose to work here because of the mission. “I’m passionate about bringing more opportunities where they may not otherwise have existed. I’m proud to play a small role in showing how awesome our diverse culture is.” Kimberli says the best part of her job is being part of the talent acquisition team. “Our director Cherilyn has provided the most inclusive environment for us to share thoughts and ideas. There’s a sense of support here that you just don’t experience everywhere.” Outside of work, Kimberli loves to discover new restaurants in Atlanta (date night with her husband is her favorite!)

As we celebrate Black History Month, for Kimberli, it’s a time of reflection and pride. “There’s always something new to learn about the contributions Black Americans have made to this country. There’s also something special about acknowledging the rich history Black Americans have and continuing to educate the nation about our culture.” Kimberli looks up to Morgan DeBaun, a black woman who created a platform and conference called AfroTech. “She’s an inspiration and a great example of what it looks like when we create our own spaces and advocate for our culture.”

Fun Fact: Kimberli worked as a theme park performer for many years! “I played various roles throughout that time including Tweety Bird, Bugs Bunny and even a country music singer. But my favorite role was playing Zambora of the jungle during Halloween. This was an optical illusion that transformed me from girl to gorilla. It was so cool and slightly terrifying to the audience.”

John Suminski recently joined Sparq as a Delivery Executive and has been working in technology for 25 years. Specializing in large, complex transformation initiatives, John’s position will have him helping clients achieve desired business outcomes, while getting the best from RSI. Before joining the company, John’s most recent role was at Infosys McCamish, where he was responsible for the delivery of the company’s largest life insurance policy administration conversion.

Out of all the colleagues at RSI, John has one of the more unique paths to working here. He’s actually a former client, having previously served as the Chief Product Officer/Chief Information Officer at Public Partnerships (PPL). “I had a very positive experience as a client of RSI. Specifically, I was impressed with the maturity and discipline of RSI’s delivery capabilities and of course the results that were achieved.” After leaving PPL, John stayed in touch with a couple of RSI’s executive leaders, which led to a conversation about joining the company. “RSI is a very successful organization with a tremendous amount of upside ahead of it and I wanted to be a part of contributing to the future growth of the company.”

Now that he’s here, John loves RSI’s culture and how “the company truly values its colleagues and treats all clients like partners. I was also attracted to working for an organization with very talented people and exceptional executive leadership.” He says the best part of his job is “the collaborative nature and being able to work with colleagues and clients to achieve business outcomes.”

When he’s not working, John loves to travel with his wife, Hayley, seeking new adventures and experiences throughout the world.

Diana Gbalah is a Senior Business Analyst who’s worked in technology for 11 years. She chose to join Sparq because of shared values. “The culture supports collaboration, teamwork, learning and development.” Diana says the best part of her job is the people. “I have the most amazing teammates and my clients rock!”

When she’s not working, Diana loves crafting, interior decorating and designing/sewing outfits. She also loves playing games, traveling (her goal is to travel to three new countries this year) and singing (she loves karaoke and sings in the church choir). Last year, Diana moved to a new state where she knew absolutely nobody but ended up meeting her now fiancé.

For Diana, Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past, present and future. “The past represents the struggles & sacrifices of our ancestors. For the present, it is a time to celebrate the freedom that we experience today, the wins/achievements of the black race, as well as the diversity and beauty of the black culture. For the future, it is a time to strategize on how we can do better and advance ourselves.” To any African American people considering a career in tech, Diana says, “Be hardworking, open to learning new things, do not be timid/intimidated, and know that your opinion and voice matters and you’re just as valuable as everyone else in the company.”

Fun Fact: Diana has lived in three countries!

Leander Jones is the Senior Benefits and Compensation Manager at Sparq and has been with the company for a year and a half. He joined the company because he was looking for an opportunity to spread his wings and says the best part of his job is that there’s “leadership that believes in its people.”

When he’s not working, Leander loves playing video games (he runs a Madden football franchise league) and binging foreign shows on Netflix. Leander is also a musician. He plays the piano, organ, saxophone and drums and he was also the director of Furman’s Gospel Ensemble for five years!

During Black History Month, Leander finds “it’s a great opportunity to highlight otherwise overlooked contributors to our society. Many of these individuals paved the way for BIPOC individuals but their contributions have helped to push society forward.” Leander looks up to Herbie Hancock, as he “was critical in the evolution of music technology and the development of new ways to intertwine musical capabilities and sounds through new tech formats.” Thanks, Leander, for making Sparq a great place to work!

Fun Fact: Leander walked onto the football team at Furman University and earned an athletic scholarship.

Anna Greene-Hicks is a Consultant at Sparq and she’s also the co-chair of the Women and Friends Colleague Resource Group (CRG), whose primary goal is to create a stronger sense of belonging among women at Sparq and to attract and retain more women on the team. What does she love most about working at Sparq? It’s the people. “Everyone wants to help, everyone’s kind, everyone celebrates others and their differences.”

Outside of work, Anna loves to read, crochet and volunteer at animal shelters. She fosters, socializes, rehabilitates and adopts out rescue dogs (she’s fostering her 193^rd foster dog right now!)

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, for Anna, it’s a time to hear the stories about women’s sacrifices and vision and to focus on her gratitude for the privilege they brought her. “It’s also a reminder to keep making these stories so we can keep making things better for others.” For women interested in pursuing a career in tech, Anna says, “You belong here. Jump in. the great thing about this field is that there are so many ways to ‘be in tech.’”

Fun Fact: When Anna was very young, her Dad bought a TRS-80 Computer and told Anna and her brothers they needed to learn computers as they would be important later. “Admittedly, we mostly wrote programs designed to insult each other, but when I got to high school, and took the ONLY computer course offered, I already knew how to program.”