Leadership

Ron Konezny

President and CEO

Ron Konezny joined our company December 2014, as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Digi, he was Vice President, Global Transportation and Logistics division of Trimble Navigation Limited, a global provider of navigation and range-finding equipment and related solutions. He had served in that role since September 2013. Prior to this position, he served from August 2011 to September 2013 as the General Manager of this division and as the Chief Executive Officer of PeopleNet, Inc., after PeopleNet was acquired by Trimble in 2011. Ron was a founder of PeopleNet where he held a variety of executive positions since 1996, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and, from September 2007 through PeopleNet’s acquisition by Trimble, Chief Executive Officer. PeopleNet is a leading provider of telematics solutions for the transportation industry.

Ron has extensive leadership experience in the wireless M2M and IoT industry transforming hardware, software and services into complete solutions that support customers’ end-to-end journey. He brings this breadth of corporate strategy, manufacturing, operation, technology, finance and business development knowledge and expertise to his role on the Digi Board of Directors.

Ron is a two-time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® winner. In 2009, as CEO of PeopleNet, Ron won the Technology category. In 2024, as President and CEO of Digi, Ron won the Entrepreneur of the Year Heartland award, representing the Midwest region.

Jamie Loch

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer

Jamie Loch is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer. He joined Digi in May 2019 with a history of helping businesses drive growth while building strong efficient teams focused on growth and customer value. Prior to Digi, Jamie was CFO for Nilfisk, Inc., a provider of industrial cleaning solutions, where he helped develop strategy and improve profitability while overseeing all finance activities and reporting. Previously, Jamie held a series of executive positions for more than 12 years with Honeywell, including vice president of sales and CFO for Honeywell Building Solutions America's division. Jamie is a CPA (inactive) and a graduate of Carleton College, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.

David Sampsell

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

David Sampsell joined our company in April 2011 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. In January 2014, David’s role expanded to include oversight of Corporate Development. Prior to joining us, David worked as corporate counsel at ADC Telecommunications, Inc. from December 1999 until March 2011. His most recent role at ADC was as Associate General Counsel overseeing corporate transactions and securities law compliance. Prior to joining ADC, David was an attorney in private practice from 1993 to 1999.

Steve Ericson*

Senior Vice President, General Manager, OEM Solutions

Steve Ericson joined Digi in 2000, holding multiple leadership positions including product management, global sales strategy and operations, and international sales. In October 2020, Steve became Senior Vice President, General Manager, OEM Solution. Steve is a skilled leader with deep experience in leading sales and product management teams. Before joining Digi International in 2000, Steve held product management and leadership roles at Honeywell for 12 years, overseeing creation and execution of product strategies and distribution through multiple channels worldwide. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

*Segment Leader

Brian Kirkendall

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Infrastructure Management

Brian Kirkendall joined Digi in 2019 as Senior Vice President of Product Management. In October 2020, he became General Manager, Infrastructure Management. Brian is a collaborative and innovative global product management and product development leader with expertise in corporate strategy, marketing and business transformation. Prior to joining Digi International in 2019, his roles included Vice President of Global Product Development and Technology at Nilfisk, and executive leadership in product management, product development and marketing for Polaris, Hoover, Little Tikes and Step2. He brings a customer focus and a dedication to people, process improvement and achieving results in sales and profits to his role at Digi. Brian has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has completed graduate courses at The University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business.

Patrick Quirk

Senior VP, General Manager, Opengear

Patrick Quirk is a business and technology executive who specializes in operations management, strategic partnerships, and technology leadership in data center, telecommunications, software, and semiconductor markets. Prior to joining Digi, he spent the past four years as CTO of Nautilus Data Technologies, leading their transformation from a data center operator to a technology provider. Quirk was the President of Avocent Corp, a subsidiary of Vertiv, the Vice President and General Manager for the IT Systems business, and the VP/GM of Converged Systems at Emerson Network Power. He has held numerous global leadership roles in startups and large multinational companies including LSI and Motorola in the networking and semiconductor markets.

Patrick has an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in engineering from UAH and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University. He lives in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife Danae. They have two sons, Aidan and Colin, and two grandsons. They enjoy snow and water skiing, attending Auburn football and baseball games, family beach trips, and, as a private pilot, Patrick stares longingly at the sky every time a Cirrus aircraft flies overhead.

Tony Puopolo*

Senior Vice President, General Manager, Digi Managed Solutions

Tony Puopolo joined Digi in April 2024, enriching the company with over twenty years of leadership experience in sales and product management within the cellular and managed solutions sectors. Before his current role at Digi, Tony was instrumental during the hyper-growth phase of Cradlepoint, where he successfully led various departments at different times, including strategic sales, global channel sales, and product management. Prior to that, during his tenure at Marvell Semiconductor, he was head of sales for their $400M ASIC and imaging businesses, significantly boosting their market share.

Tony is adept at transforming hardware-focused products into solutions with a strong emphasis on annual recurring revenue (ARR), consistently driving rapid business growth. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho, underscoring his deep technical expertise and strategic acumen.

*Segment Leader

Jim Freeland

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Jim Freeland joined Digi as Senior Vice President and CIO in February 2024. Prior to joining us he held various roles driving innovative new solutions with global impact over 18 years at Medtronic, the world’s leading medical device manufacturer. These included the development of their IT Audit practice, growing the Enterprise Mobility function around sales, marketing and service and repair, and leading many of the company’s efforts related to digital health for the past seven years. Prior to Medtronic, Jim held IT roles in the hospitality and travel business with Carlson Companies, and the healthcare sector with United Health Group. Jim holds a CISA and CISSP (both inactive), and both a BS in Accounting Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from St. Cloud State University.

Guy Yehiav

Senior Vice President, President of SmartSense by Digi

Guy Yehiav is a business and organizational leader and board director with more than two decades of experience scaling SaaS and IoT businesses, guiding companies through growth inflection points, strategic M&A, and regulated industry compliance while guiding organizations to massive growth. 

At SmartSense, Yehiav leads SmartSense by digi that integrate cellular IoT sensors, RTLS, and real-time analytics to transform how regulated businesses manage operations. He has overseen the acquisition and integration of Jolt, built a Board of Advisors to align product direction, strategy and customer advocacy, and expanded the solution portfolio to include RTLS, task workflows and printer label management. These efforts have streamlined operations, reduced manual steps, strengthened compliance, and improved quality across healthcare, pharma, food service, retail, and logistics — while more than doubling recurring revenue and operating margin for SmartSense by Digi.

Yehiav also has extensive board and advisory experience, including chairing the board at Profitect, serving on the Boards of Directors at Zebra and Digi International, and contributing to the League of Leaders Executive Council. He advises early-stage founders on fundraising, M&A and growth strategy, and is a limited partner in Stage 2 Capital, a SaaS venture fund.

Prior to SmartSense, Yehiav built and successfully exited two analytics and retail technology companies, Demantra (acquired by Oracle) and Profitect (acquired by Zebra Technologies), experiences that shaped his data-driven and people-centered leadership approach.

He is passionate about simplifying complexity, embedding governance practices, and leading with a people-first approach to create sustainable long-term results.

Brian McGonegal

Global Vice President, Human Resources

Brian McGonegal joined Digi in January of 2022 as the Global HR Director, Business Partners and was promoted to his current role in 2023. As Global Vice President of Human Resources, Brian oversees all aspects of the global HR organization, providing executive-level leadership and guidance in the areas of talent acquisition, business consultation, total rewards, compliance, and HR analytics. Additionally, he provides human resources strategic support, driving business results while leading a global team in North America, APAC and EMEA, and he is responsible for defining and driving the employee experience and culture at Digi.

Prior to Digi, Brian had a short stint at AHV International (start-up) as HR Leader for North America. Prior to AHV, Brian was a Director, Human Resources for Allianz Life supporting Operations and Distribution in a Senior HR Business Partner role. He has held numerous HR roles for mid-to-large organizations, including Restaurant Technologies, National Life Group, TD Ameritrade and Soar Consulting.

Brian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in human resource management from Georgia State University in Atlanta GA and a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) designation.

Terry Schneider

Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management

Terry Schneider joined Digi in 2016, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience to his role. As Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Terry oversees all aspects of Digi's global supply chain including strategic sourcing, manufacturing, quality, inventory management and fulfillment operations. He started at Digi as Vice President of Product Management, where he oversaw Digi's hardware and software product portfolio managing market research, new product development and product management.

Prior to joining Digi, Terry held several senior-level leadership positions at PeopleNet and the Transportation and Logistics Business Unit of Trimble, PeopleNet's parent company. He has also had past roles at Renaissance Learning, Emerson and Eastman Kodak/Imation, where he distinguished himself in all aspects of product development and management, supply operations, materials management, engineering, production planning and inventory management.

Terry holds a degree in Finance from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota.