About Our Team

Keith Thode

President, CEO

Keith is the lead founder at AdvanceNet. After a career in consulting and executive roles with firms such as Accenture, i2 Technologies and Infor, he shifted his focus, primarily applying his skills to address social sector challenges.

He is an accomplished social entrepreneur, having been a founding force in The Aidmatrix Foundation, and for over a decade led the daily operations as its Chief Operating Officer/Chief Technology Officer before spinning off some of the latest innovations as the basis for AdvanceNet Labs.

Keith also contributed to the launch of several other organizations and today contributes to the advancement of other social sector and commercial concerns including: Social Venture Partners Dallas, 121 Community Church, Finney Media and several real estate consortia.Keith holds a Masters in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University.

Keith is a recognized leader in his community having won the “Social Enterprise Award” in Dallas’ 2018 Community Impact Awards. He won Dallas Entrepreneur Connect Pitch Tank 2014 and in the past has been recognized by the Dallas Business Journal in their list of “Top 30 CFO’s” for his financial stewardship work with socially-minded organizations in the region.  Nationally he led teams receiving recognition such as “Disaster Partner of the Year” from Microsoft and “Technology Partner of the Year” from Feeding America.  He also is a member of Sherburne High School “Wall of Fame” for distinguished Alumni.

Amanda Thode

Director, Program Delivery

Amanda leads the daily technology and program delivery efforts at AdvanceNet. She comes to the organization with over 20 years of experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors.

She worked for Accenture for 14 years in their Technology R&D organization, Accenture Technology Labs. She implemented pioneering document management systems and then was the program manager for the $7 million Labs R&D budget.

She then worked for Young Life, an international Christian youth ministry, for nine years doing financial development and operations for their ministry in Europe. She helped raise a $2 million regional budget and implemented and managed their donor management system.

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University and serves in board capacities in several community.

Daniel David

Manager, Technology and Operations

Daniel is the “multi-hat” guy for AdvanceNet. He works as a project manager, a technology product manager, the accounting and finance director, and assists with operations and business management.

As a product manager, Daniel works with the software development team and AdvanceNet clients to oversee the design, development, and release of software solutions to ensure quality throughout the process. As a project manager, he keeps the ‘ships’ sailing on schedule and within budget as we advance the initiatives of our company and partners.

With his operations management hat on, Daniel fulfills accounting responsibilities, oversees the operational infrastructure, creates financial dashboards, supports investor relations, and assists the CEO and CFO with overall business management.

Daniel has experience working as a Senior Program Manager for a humanitarian software organization for over eight years where he managed non-profit clients and supply chain programs. In between that role and starting with AdvanceNet, Daniel spent two years as a high school Bible teacher for a private school in Arlington.

Daniel holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Sophek Tounn

Lead Solution Architect

Sophek is the Lead Solution Architect for AdvanceNet’s custom social sector solutions.  Sophek leads onshore and offshore teams in their development of innovative social technologies on both web and smartphone app platforms.

After a career in the corporate technology sector, Sophek has spent the last 18 years developing technology for the social sector. Prior to AdvanceNet, he served at The Aidmatrix Foundation as a lead architect overseeing many of the organization’s key technology initiatives, particularly in the fundraising and engagement sectors.  For example, Sophek was the lead architect behind the first “Virtual Food Drives” – one of the earliest online giving solutions including being the first online giving solution in the US for the UN World Food Program.

Mr. Tounn has over twenty years of web technology experience, including HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash, ColdFusion. .Net (vb.net and C#), php, and SQL, Vue.Js, Jquery, Angular 2 (MySQL, MSSQL, ORACLE, ACCESS). He also has design experience in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and Firework. He started his career at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell) as part of a core team that started one of the first distance learning courses via the Internet. Later, Mr. Tounn moved to Texas and worked for i2 Technologies on their visual engagement.

Marie Cheshier

Manager, Education & Empowerment Technologies

At AdvanceNet, Marie manages the Empowerment Marketplace and oversees the training-centric tasks led by the organization. She has a background in Instructional Design and Program Management and her early career involved creating and managing a maintenance training program at a large semiconductor company in Colorado. Marie has developed custom training across multiple disciplines and industries using a variety of tools including Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Camtasia, and Lectora. Using her strong skills in Training Development and Management she has been able to help clients be uniquely set up for success within the Empowerment Marketplace using the Cornerstone OnDemand learning management solution.

Marie holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Colorado State University.

Marika Coleman

Technology Program Management Support Specialist