OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2025--
Mitel, a global leader in business communications, announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has recognized six leaders from the company’s sales, channel, and marketing teams on the prestigious Women of the Channel list for 2025.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250512450095/en/
This annual CRN list celebrates women from vendors, distributors, solution providers and other channel-focused organizations who make a positive difference in the IT ecosystem. The CRN 2025 Women of the Channel honorees are innovative and strategic leaders committed to advancing channel excellence and supporting the success of their partners and customers.
“I’m thrilled to celebrate these outstanding leaders and acknowledge the consistent high bar they set to support and empower Mitel’s partner community,” said David Petts, Chief Sales Officer at Mitel. “They demonstrate excellence through their work with the channel and commitment to ensuring every customer gets the modern communication solutions they need for today’s demands and tomorrow’s possibilities. Their dedication and support for the channel are crucial to the success of both Mitel and our partners.”
Misty Hanvey, Senior Manager, Global Partner Program – With over 20 years of global channel experience, Misty has demonstrated success across various areas of the channel with a focus on the development and management of channel programs, tools, and partner experience. Over the past 12 months, Misty has been focused on improving the partner experience, specifically for Mitel’s net new partners in their onboarding journey.
Fiona Hills, Director, Global Partner Program – Fiona leads key elements of Mitel’s Global Partner Program. With more than two decades of channel experience, she has built a proven track record in various program development and management activities. In 2024, Fiona drove engagement with our various partner program dashboard experiences, particularly those associated with Mitel’s various Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) initiatives.
Meloni Lemoine, Head of Global Channel Communications – In her current role, Meloni advocates for partners' interests and collaborates with multiple teams to develop robust communications programs, messaging, and production schedules. Following Mitel’s acquisition of Unify last year, Meloni brought together a team to create a cohesive strategy for channel communications and engagement that serves all stakeholders.
Sara Wilde, Senior Channel Marketing Manager – Sara leads and delivers the marketing strategy for Mitel’s distribution partners and supports strategic partner marketing efforts. Last year, she helped create and implement an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) program designed to generate high-quality enterprise leads for our Account Managers. The program has proven successful, driving millions of dollars in opportunities.
Sarah Watson, Named Account Manager, Vertical Solutions – With a passion for enabling organizations through technology, Sarah has spent over 30 years working with channel partners on customer solutions and support. Over the past few years, she has played an essential role in delivering Mitel's go-to-market strategy for the financial industry, while aiding national and regional partners in securing significant wins.
Ashley Williams, Head of Hospitality - Americas – Ashley is responsible for Mitel’s go-to-market strategy for hospitality solutions and directly supports over two dozen hospitality-specialized partners. With over a decade of hospitality experience at Mitel, she has built long-trusted relationships with market influencers, analysts, consultants, and ownership groups, including major flags like Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton.
“It’s an honor to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these women, who are leaders and change-makers in the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP, U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. “Each woman spotlighted on this list has shown exceptional dedication to building creative strategies that propel transformation, growth, and success for their organizations and the entire IT channel. We are pleased to spotlight their important contributions and look forward to their future success.”
The 2025 Women of the Channel will be featured in the June issue of CRN Magazine, with online coverage beginning May 12 at www.CRN.com/WOTC.
About Mitel
Mitel is a global leader in business communications, providing businesses with advanced communication, collaboration, and contact center solutions. With more than 70 million users across over 100 countries, Mitel empowers organizations to connect, communicate, and collaborate seamlessly, with the flexibility and choice they need to thrive, both now and for the future. Through proven experience and innovative solutions, Mitel delivers communications without compromise. For more information, go to www.mitel.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X @Mitel.
About The Channel Company
The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world's top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.
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© 2025. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
The annual CRN Women of the Channel list celebrates women from vendors, distributors, solution providers, and other channel-focused organizations who positively impact the IT ecosystem.
DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — Closing arguments began Friday in the second murder trial of Karen Read, who is charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in a case that has generated more than three years of heated debate.
Read, 45, is accused of striking John O’Keefe with her car outside a suburban Boston house party and leaving him to die in the snow in January 2022. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene.
Read's lawyers say O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside a home in Canton in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read.
Read's second trial followed similar contours to the first, which ended in a mistrial last year.
Judge Beverly Cannone, who also oversaw the first trial, said the case will likely go to the jury shortly after closing arguments. Cannone said she wants the jury to get in several hours of deliberations Friday if possible.
Read has never been jailed for O'Keefe's killing.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson opened by repeating three times: “There was no collision.” He told the jury that Read is an innocent woman victimized by a police cover up in which law enforcement officers sought to protect their own and obscure the real killer.
He also reminded the jury Read is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and a moral certainty.
“Courage is what this moment demands, not just to listen to stare directly at injustice and say not here not now not on our watch," Jackson said. "That is what you are being asked to do — stare down injustice.”
Jackson suggested Brian Higgins, a federal agent, was agitated at a bar after Read didn’t respond to his text, and coaxed O’Keefe over to the Canton house party. Higgins had exchanged romantic text messages with Read and sent her a text message that said “um well” after seeing her with O'Keefe. He also gestured at O'Keefe while looking agitated, Jackson said.
“What happened inside that house, that basement or that garage? What evidence was there for investigators to look into? What did they ignore?” Jackson asked, noting the “obvious dog bites” on O’Keefe’s arm and the head injury from his falling backward onto a hard surface.
Jackson also referenced the medical examiners testimony in making the argument that O’Keefe wasn’t hit by the SUV. She testified that she couldn't determine the manner of death to a reasonable degree of medical certainty.
Read did not testify at her first murder trial or this one.
Read waved to supporters as she arrived at court. About 100 supporters of Read, many of them wearing pink, were behind a barricade across from the courthouse.
William Read, the father of Karen Read, walked toward court and waved to her supporters across the courthouse.
He said: “I’m one of the many fathers. The fact you folks are here in support of Karen tells me your father’s played a big role in our life. HIs legacy lives on.”
Some Read supporters were waving U.S. flags. Others were carrying signs.
One sign said, “Protect Truth, Not Power.”
Makena Smirles, 12, of Auburn, Maine, about 155 miles (249.4 kilometers) north of Dedham, came with her mom to support Read. She held a sign that said, “School may be out, but I’m here still learning about corruption.”
“I’m here because Karen Read could be any one of us and the system is corrupt, and that’s why we should be fighting for her,” Smirles said.
Amanda Rooney, of Agawam, about 90 miles (144.8 kilometers) southwest of Dedham, said she got up early to drive to the courthouse and support Read.
“I didn’t watch the first case, but it really caught me, and I wanted to see for myself, and all the evidence,” she said. “I am an avid supporter of Karen Read.”
Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack contributed to this story in Concord, New Hampshire.
Makena Smirles, 12, of Auburn, ME, center, stands with fellow Karen Read, supporters , outside the Dedham, Mass. courthouse, on the day of closing arguments of Read's trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Defense attorney Alan Jackson speaks to jurors during closing arguments in the murder trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) /// [EXTERNAL]
Defendant Karen Read, right, speaks to her defense team, including Alan Jackson, second from left, before closing arguments during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) /// [EXTERNAL]
Autopsy photo of the injured arm of deceased Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe during the Karen Read retrial, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Alan Jackson speaks as Karen Read listens during her retrial, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannone talks with defense attorney Robert Alessi during the Karen Read trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - An autopsy photo of deceased Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe is displayed during the Karen Read retrial, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Karen Read attends her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)
Superior court judge Beverly Cannone listens to testimony during the Karen Read retrial in Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Still images from an ARCCA reconstruction test show the shattering of an SUV taillight during the Karen Read retrial in Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Supporters of Karen Read gather prior to the day's session outside Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A supporter of Karen Read holds a sign prior to the day's session outside Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Karen Read talks with her defense team after they rested their case during her retrial in Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
An image of a crash-test dummy is displayed as expert Daniel Wolfe testifies during the retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Expert Daniel Wolfe returns to the stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan cross-examines expert Daniel Wolfe when he returns to the stand during the Karen Read retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Dedham, MA June 9 Karen Read listens to the testimony of expert Daniel Wolfe, when he returns to the stand in her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Images of a taillight assemby from a 2021 Lexus SUV are projected on a screen for jurors to view during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, June 6, 2025.(Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions accident reconstruction specialist Dr. Daniel Wolfe while holding a 2021 Lexus SUV taillight assembly during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, June 6, 2025.(Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read listens as accident reconstruction specialist Dr. Daniel Wolfe testifies during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Kare Read, right talks with her parents William and Janet Read during a break in the court proceedings at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannone listens to testimony by witness Brian Loughran a Canton DPW snow plow driver during Karen Read's murder retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Blogger Aiden Kearney, right, and Canton community cable reporter Andria Galvin talk during a court sidebar while witness snowplow driver Brian Loughran speaks on the stand at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Canton DPW snowplow driver Brian Loughran on the witness stand during the Karen Read retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read sits with her defense team during her retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday June 3, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
During testimony by forensic pathologist Dr. Marie Russell, a chart of canine dental anatomy, is projected by the defense, during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 2, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
A photograph of John O'Keefe's right arm is republished during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Forensic pathologist Dr. Marie Russell testifies about the type of injuries to the back of someone's arm during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 2, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read watches the testimony of Boston Police officer Kelly Dever during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Hank Brennan questions expert witness Matthew DiSogra, an accident reconstruction analyst, during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions Boston Police officer Kelly Dever during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Jonathan Diamandis, a longtime friend of Michael Proctor, testifies for the defense during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Boston Police officer Kelly Dever, formerly with Canton Police, testifies during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read sits with her defense team, from left, Robert Alessi, Elizabeth Little, Alan Jackson, and David Yannetti during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
William Read kisses his daughter, Karen Read, before the start of her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense attorneys Alan Jackson, left, and David Yannetti, right, confer before the start of Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defense attorney Alan Jackson asks Judge Beverly Cannone to dismiss charges against defendant Karen Read during Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Accident reconstruction analyst Matthew DiSogra testifies during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read speaks with her attorney Alan Jackson during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Defendant Karen Read during her retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, Pool)
Images of an accident reconstruction test by Dr. Judson Welcher which shows impact via paint transfer from an SUV similar to Karen Read's to a human subject during the Karen Read retrial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday May 28, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Hank Brennan questions Dr. Judson Welcher on the witness stand during the Karen Read retrial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday May 28, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Dr. Judson Welcher, an accident reconstruction expert, speaks on the witness stand during the Karen Read retrial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday May 28, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Read lawyer Robert Alessi cross examines accident reconstruction expert Dr. Judson Welcher during the Karen Read retrial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday May 28, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)