Theresa Caragol Steps Down as Extreme Networks Channel Chief

Theresa Caragol has officially stepped down from her position as vice president of Worldwide Channels at Extreme Networks (EXTR), according to an announcement made this morning. She will be replaced by Bob Gault, the former vice president of Cisco’s (CSCO) Cloud and Managed Services Partner Organization.

Caragol will leave her position as channel chief as of Jan. 1, citing a desire to spend more time with family. She will assume a part-time role as vice president of strategic sales initiatives at Extreme until May to oversee the transition.

“My time has been Extreme been amazing— [I’ve] learned so much during my two years [as channel chief],” said Caragol, in an interview with The VAR Guy. “[We] built a global channel team when there wasn’t one in the company, built a two-tier distribution model, recruited new channel partners, and integrated two companies into one with our acquisition of Enterasys.”

Caragol was appointed channel chief at Extreme Networks in April 2012, and formerly held executive-level positions in companies including IBM, Nortel, Bay Networks and Ciena. During her tenure as channel chief she was responsible for developing a “partner-first” ecosystem, and focusing the company’s channel strategy on developing markets for education, health care, government and manufacturing verticals.

“Extreme has been terrific about my decision,” said Caragol. “We’ve built a good foundation, and I want to make sure it goes to the next level.”

In his new role, Gault will be responsible for building Extreme’s current channel partner program into a core element of the company’s growth and innovation strategy, according to the announcement. He will also be in charge of implementing new programs to help channel partners capture emerging profit pools and new revenue streams as Extreme looks to build its reputation as an “on-ramp to the cloud.”

“I am excited to join Extreme Networks. Our commitment to partner profitability and innovation will be second-to-none,” said Gault. “We will maintain a relentless focus on delivering wired and wireless networking, analytics and software solutions that will provide a world-class partner and customer experience.”