Creating the Customer-for-Life Company

Joe Welu is the Founder and CEO of Total Expert, the fintech software leader that launched the first purpose-built customer engagement platform for modern financial institutions. Since 2012, Joe has led Total Expert’s vision, culture, and growth to more than 200 employees today. The company powers intelligent automation, sale productivity, and customer engagement for more than 200 financial institutions—from leading community banks and credit unions to 15 of the top 25 U.S. banks and lenders. Total Expert’s growth has skyrocketed since its inception, being named the #1 CRM platform by STRATMOR Group and earning top spots on the Inc. 5000 and HousingWire Tech100.

John Emerick is a veteran technology CFO focused on growth, operating efficiencies, and profitability at high-performing software companies. John joined Total Expert in 2022, bringing over 30 years of experience to his role as Chief Financial Officer. He leans on extensive leadership experience in financial operations and risk management to achieve business objectives and drive financial success. Prior to Total Expert, John served as the CFO for two leading SaaS companies: Code42 and CyberGrants. He also held the CFO role at International Decision Systems and NorthStar Capital Markets. John specializes in strategic analysis while maintaining a focus on sustainable growth.

Tony Barbone brings over 25 years of enterprise software experience to his role as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) with a proven track record of leading high-performing sales teams and designing winning go-to-market strategies. As CRO, Tony leads Total Expert’s strategy and execution across sales, services, and support while building on the company’s growth in financial services and expanding into new markets. Tony previously served as the first CRO at Talkdesk and Senior VP of Talkdesk Global Sales, generating record results and increasing their global footprint. Prior to Talkdesk, Tony spent several decades in go-to-market leadership roles with SAP.

Andrew leads our Customer Success and services teams with a deep commitment to operational excellence, empathy, and a belief that extraordinary customer experiences are built at the intersection of strategy and service. With 15 years of experience in SaaS, he brings a track record of scaling organizations through both acquisition and organic growth – from $20M to $350M in revenue – while never losing sight of the people at the heart of the journey. Before joining Total Expert, Andrew served as SVP of Support and Payments at Bonterra, where he helped reimagine customer care by building high-impact global teams and driving a culture of clarity, care, and accountability.

With more than 25 years of experience in application software, Pete has a proven track record of leading organizations through growth and transformation. He successfully built high-performing teams and launched products that meet customer needs and drive revenue growth. He previously led the corporate strategy at Bonterra after a flourishing 10-year employment at IBM, which concluded with him managing a complex global product portfolio. Pete’s role as Chief Product Officer (CPO) at Total Expert is supported by his diverse background across numerous organizational functions. In addition to his CPO experience, Pete has held leadership roles across numerous functions including sales, marketing, support, implementation, partnerships, M&A, corporate strategy and quality assurance.

With 20 years of experience in mortgage technology, Dan Catinella is a seasoned technology executive focused on driving digital transformation through all channels of lending. In an ever-changing digital landscape, Dan keeps a constant pulse on the next innovation that could change the way business is conducted. As Chief Lending Officer for Total Expert, Catinella identifies and develops high-impact innovation strategies that align with the company’s business goals and growth priorities. He works with Total Expert’s customers to dig into the problems they’re looking to solve and aligns Total Expert’s innovation strategy with their business goals.

Heide Antholz is the Senior Vice President Professional Services where she leads Total Expert’s Professional Services organization, which includes Professional Services, Education Services, Content Marketing Services and Customer Support. In this role she leads the teams responsible for empowering all customers to achieve success with Total Expert through unparalleled customer experience ensuring they realize the full value of their Total Expert solution. Heide brings 20 years of software and services experience. She joined the Total Expert team in 2017 building the professional services organization that led some of the first implementations. Prior to joining Total Expert, Heide spent over 15 years in various leadership roles in high growth organizations providing software services, technology solutions and helping companies transform their operational processes.

Lauren brings over 20 years of experience leading engineering teams in high-growth SaaS environments, with a focus on platform modernization, scalability and cross-functional collaboration. She joined Total Expert from Seismic, where she helped lead a globally distributed organization and integration of acquisitions including Lessonly, Grapevine6 and SAVO. During this period of change she successfully led a challenging platform transformation, improved delivery practices, facilitated the adoption of AI in engineering workflows and product strategies and significantly improved the eNPS of her organization. Earlier in her career, Lauren led Product and Engineering at SAVO and RayAllen after starting her career as a software engineer at financial technology companies Finvi (formerly Ontario Systems) and TD Ameritrade.

As Vice President of Marketing at Total Expert, Donnie brings more than 11 years of experience working with B2BSaaS and high-growth companies, along with 25 years of creative leadership. Known for his clear and strategic communications planning, he has played a key role in establishing a cohesive brand presence for the company. Donnie approaches marketing with a growth mindset, focusing on simplifying complex concepts and aligning efforts across teams to drive revenue and strengthen brand recognition. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration and innovation, fostering an environment where creative ideas can flourish. In 2025, Donnie was named a Marketing Leader by HousingWire, acknowledging his contributions to the evolving marketing landscape in the lending and housing industries.

Allison Stevens is the Vice President of People Operations at Total Expert and has been with the company since its founding in 2016. As one of the three original team members – alongside Founder and CEO Joe Welu and Principal Software Engineer Andrew Kondrup - Allison has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s culture and growth. Over her nine-year tenure, Allison has built and scaled the People Operations department from the ground up, implementing the systems and processes that power Total Expert’s recruitment, onboarding, payroll and retention programs. Her leadership has enabled the company to grow from just 15 employees to more than 200 team members. Under her help and direction, Total Expert has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies by both the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Inc. 5000, as well as a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune. Before joining Total Expert, Allison began her career in public accounting before transitioning to human resources, where she honed her expertise at Accenture.

With over fifteen years of experience supporting C-suite leaders, Laurel creates clarity, structure, and capacity for Total Expert’s CEO and Founder and the broader executive leadership team, allowing our leaders to focus on what matters most: growth, innovation, and culture. As Total Expert’s Director of Executive Operations, Laurel enables the executive and organizational planning and communication cadence supporting the company’s strategic charter. Additionally, she works to elevate the CEO and Founder’s presence and impact both internally and in the broader market. Her background spans diverse industries, from SaaS to financial services and consumer brands, where she has facilitated executive oversight and participation in everything from business planning, brand marketing, M&A, large-scale event orchestration, culture initiatives, and leadership team alignment. Laurel is an active member of the Chief of Staff Network.