About Eckerson Group
Our passion is increasing the value our clients receive from managing their data. We demonstrate this passion in many ways - by working directly with our consulting clients to solve their current problems, by sharing our best practices with our education and training clients, and by looking into the future at the upcoming best practices with the support of our research clients.
Eckerson Group is a research and consulting firm focused on serving the needs of business intelligence (BI) and analytic leaders in Fortune 2000 organizations worldwide. Our seasoned team of consultants, educators, and researchers each have more than 20 years of experience in the field. They are uniquely qualified to help business and technical leaders use data and technology to drive better insights and actions.
Eckerson Group’s three lines of business work together synergistically to provide complete support for BI and analytic leaders who want to succeed in with business intelligence, data governance, advanced analytics, data warehousing, performance management, and big data.
Our thought leaders publish practical, compelling content that keeps data analytics leaders abreast of the latest trends, techniques, and tools in the field.
Our consultants listen carefully, think deeply, and craft tailored solutions that translate business requirements into compelling strategies and solutions.
Our advisors provide one-on-one coaching and mentoring to data leaders and help software vendors develop go-to-market strategies.
As a complimentary service, Eckerson Group has pioneered a unique assessment tool to help BI and analytic leaders gauge the capabilities of their team to deliver business value. It assesses their readiness to apply specific technologies or methodologies. Assessments are delivered both online and in person.
Eckerson Group was founded by Wayne Eckerson, a long-time thought leader in the BI and analytics field who has a passion for helping business and technical teams drive positive change in their organizations by strengthening their leadership skills and data management effectiveness.
Our Content Team
Wayne Eckerson - President
Wayne Eckerson is an internationally recognized thought leader in business intelligence and analytics who thinks critically, writes clearly, and presents persuasively about complex topics. He is a best-selling author, sought-after consultant, and noted speaker.
Wayne has written two books: “The Secrets of Analytical Leaders: Insights from Information Insiders” (2012) and “Performance Dashboards: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Your Business” (2005/2010), as well as dozens of reports and hundreds of articles during his 25 years in the field.
In addition, Wayne has advised a range of companies about how to implement data and analytics programs, architectures, and infrastructure, including Walmart, New Balance, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Karl Storz, PetSmart, Carlsberg Group, and Brigham Young University.
Debra Peryea - VP of Sales and Operations
Debra brings over 13 years experience in client services and project management at several technology and consulting companies. She has proven leadership and organizational skills that ensure successful completion of projects while meeting client expectations. She prides herself on the ability to think creatively and to come up with “outside the box” ideas no matter the size or scope of the project.
Debra handles every opportunity as a partnership and deeply values her connections with the software community. She is dedicated to every project from start to finish and provides sponsors everything from ideas to updates. Debra’s mission is to help bring creative content projects to life with a valuable go-to-market strategy.
Kevin Petrie - VP of Research
Kevin's passion is to decipher what technology means to business leaders and practitioners. He has invested 25 years in technology, as an industry analyst, writer, instructor, product marketer, and services leader. A frequent public speaker and accomplished writer, Kevin has a decade of experience in data management and analytics. He launched, built and led a profitable data services team for EMC Pivotal in the Americas and EMEA, implementing data warehouse and data lake platforms for Fortune 2000 enterprises. More recently he ran field training at the data integration software provider Attunity, now part of Qlik.
Kevin has co-authored two books, Streaming Change Data Capture: A Foundation for Modern Data Architectures, OReilly 2018, and Apache Kafka Transaction Data Streaming for Dummies, Wiley 2019. He also serves as data management instructor at eLearningCurve. Kevin has a B.A. from Bowdoin College and MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. A bookworm and outdoor fitness nut, Kevin enjoys kayaking, mountain biking and skiing with his wife and three boys.
Sarah LaBelle - Project Manager
Sarah manages project-related workflows, schedules, and resources. She is an experienced copyeditor and project manager, having worked in both academic and fiction publishing, as well as in education research, prior to joining Eckerson Group. She holds degrees from Colgate University and the Syracuse University College of Law.
Joe Hilleary - Jr. Research Analyst
Joe Hilleary is a writer and a data enthusiast. He believes that we are living through a pivotal moment in the evolution of data technology and is dedicated to helping organizations find the best ways to leverage their information. With a background in both analytics and the liberal arts, he crafts clear, articulate narratives on technical topics that empower stakeholders to make informed decisions. He holds an B.A. from Bowdoin College and, when not researching the latest developments in the world of data, can be found exploring the woods and rocky coasts of Maine.
Dave Wells - Head Analyst and Education Director
Dave Wells is an advisory consultant, educator, and industry analyst dedicated to building meaningful connections throughout the path from data to business value. He works at the intersection of information management and business management, driving business impact through analytics, business intelligence, and active data management.
More than forty years of information systems experience combined with over ten years of business management give Dave a unique perspective about the connections among business, information, data, and technology. Knowledge sharing and skills building are Dave’s passions, carried out through consulting, speaking, teaching, and writing.
Sean Hewitt - Research Analyst
Sean has been a thought leader and successful practitioner of data governance and privacy for over a decade. Sean has worked with companies both public and private and spanning many industries; helping them understand the nuances of data governance and how to achieve success. Sean is a certified privacy professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and the founder of Succeed Data Governance Services.