Our Team
Amad Ebrahimi
Founder/CEO
Amad is the Founder and CEO at Merchant Maverick. He began his career in 2002 as an eBay Power Seller before moving on to several roles as an Internet Marketing Manager and SEO. Throughout his career, he has acquired many skills, including SEO/SEM, analytics, HTML/CSS, conversion rate optimization, and writing, which he has applied to founding and growing Merchant Maverick.
Julie Titterington
Content Director
Julie has been overseeing Merchant Maverick’s small business content since 2013. A former writer and editor in the small business space, she researched and tested project management software and POS solutions for many years. Currently, she manages a team of writers, editors, strategists, and social media specialists to publish unique content for business owners in need of vital software and services. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, and numerous other publications. A published author and essayist, Julie graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Writing and Literature from George Fox University. She resides in Canby, Oregon.
Markus Mazen
Partnerships Director
Markus is the Partnerships Director at Merchant Maverick, overseeing partnerships and monetization since 2018. With 11 years of sales and entrepreneurship experience spanning various industries across two continents, he brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Computing from the University of East London and a Finance Certificate from UCLA. Embracing the digital nomad lifestyle, he works remotely while traveling the world, driven by a passion for connecting with diverse cultures and forging meaningful relationships.
Shelbi Wescott
Managing Editor
Shelbi Wescott began working for Merchant Maverick in 2019 after 17 years as a journalism educator and publications advisor, where she has extensive knowledge of newsroom systems and editorial workflows. She has overseen multiple print and online publications and mentored hundreds of emerging writers. Shelbi is also an award-winning journalist, published author, and former small business owner with a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Erica Seppala
Editor & Senior Staff Writer: Accounting, QuickBooks, Payroll, Business Funding, POS
Erica began writing on small business topics in 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and focuses on loans, accounting, and POS. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll. She has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a graduate of Limestone University and resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
Chelsea Krause
Lead Staff Writer: Accounting, QuickBooks, Payroll, Business Finance
Chelsea Krause is a writer who specializes in accounting, payroll, and small business loans. She has been with Merchant Maverick helping small business owners manage their finances since 2016. She is a QuickBooks Certified User and former eCommerce store owner. Her accounting expertise has been quoted in Forbes and her work appears in Startup Nation, Small Business Bonfire, and Women on Business. Chelsea graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English & Creative Writing from George Fox University and studied abroad at the University of Oxford as well. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho.
Matt Sherman
Lead Staff Writer: POS, Accounting, Payroll
Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
Shannon Vissers
Senior Staff Writer: Small Business Lending, POS
Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
Jason Vissers
Senior Staff Writer: Payments, Small Business Lending
Jason has been writing about small business software platforms, services, and financing since 2015. Jason’s expertise has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Time/NextAdvisor, Home Business Magazine, CreditCards.com, GoBankingRates, TheLadders.com, and other publications. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State University and currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Chris Motola
Senior Staff Writer: Business Payments, Crytocurrency, Business Funding
Chris has been writing about small business topics since 2003. In 2015, he joined Merchant Maverick, where he writes about business financing, payment processing, and demographic trends in entrepreneurship. Chris has been featured in Fox Business, ABC News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, Newsweek, BizJournals, and other publications. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego, and a Masters of Science in Interactive Media from the University of Central Florida. He currently resides in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
Frank Kehl
Senior Staff Writer: Payments
Frank has been writing about payment processing and business services since 2015. He is a retired Air Force officer and a former practicing attorney. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctorate degree from the Ventura College of Law, and currently resides in Paso Robles, California.
Kate Hoots
Senior Staff Writer: Business Banking, Insurance, eCommerce
Kate started writing on business topics in 1996, working for groundbreaking B2B newsletters Communication Briefings and The Competitive Advantage. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2020 and is an expert in business banking, insurance, and eCommerce. She has been featured on NBC TODAY, Yahoo News, GoBankingRates, Scripps News Syndicate, and CBS Radio. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature from Lewis & Clark College and lives in Canby, Oregon.
Davina Ward
Senior Staff Writer: Payroll, Accounting
Davina joined Merchant Maverick in 2022, covering small business payroll and accounting. She began writing for small businesses in 2018 and has since gained expertise in the SaaS industry. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in English Literature from SUNY Geneseo in 2018. She currently resides in New York.
Nicolette Kier
Senior Staff Writer: POS, eCommerce
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Kymberlin Bush
Staff Writer: Payroll & Business Insurance
Kymberlin started contributing to Merchant Maverick as a freelancer in 2022 and joined the team as the full-time small business health insurance expert in 2023. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University in 2020 and continues to reside in Portland, Oregon.
Rose Holman
Operations Director
Rose was an expert analyst and writer in payments and ecommerce at Merchant Maverick for three years before transitioning into an operational role in 2019. She currently serves as our Operations Director, specializing in process improvement. Her expertise in the ubiquitous OKR goals framework has been featured by Lattice and she is certified in OKR Foundations by Microsoft's Viva Goals (formerly Ally.io). She holds a Master's degree in Teaching from Western Oregon University and resides in Portland, OR.
Shelli Woodward
Finance Director
Shelli is the Finance Director of Merchant Maverick and has provided expert advice and guidance on all financial matters for the company since 2020. She has over 20 years of finance and accounting management experience covering a broad range of industries. Her prior role in public accounting focused on providing advice to small and medium-sized businesses. She holds a Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University and is an Enrolled Agent.
Kendall Dalton
Social Media Strategist
Kendall is Merchant Maverick’s Social Media Strategist. She has been with the company since 2019. Her expertise in video marketing has accumulated almost half a million views on YouTube and her engaging content has been featured on YouTube’s official blog. She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Communications and currently lives in Albany, Oregon.
Charlotte Kackley
Human Resources Director
A human resources professional with more than a decade of experience, Charlotte joined Merchant Maverick in 2020. As HR Director, she serves as a trusted resource for the team, implementing strategies for benefits, compliance, and recruiting and managing all things related to personnel. Charlotte is a SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) whose expertise has been cited by SHRM, HR Magazine, Inc, and Lattice. She resides in Los Angeles, California.
Alina Gunn
SEO Manager
Alina joined Merchant Maverick as an SEO Manager in 2023. An Oregon State University graduate with experience in both agency and industry environments, Alina has spent the last eight years honing her digital marketing skills by helping large brands build strong organic presence and optimize user experience.
Weston Happ
Senior Web Developer
Weston is the Senior Web Developer at Merchant Maverick, has developed custom WordPress sites since 2004, and has been a Maverick since 2018. He has over 20 years of programming experience and has built software and websites in industries ranging from education to hospitality and across fields from art to finance. He graduated magna cum laude from Muhlenberg College with a degree in Computer Science. Primarily coding in PHP, Javascript, HTML, and CSS, Weston’s technology insights have been featured in New York Magazine, TechTarget, Lifewire, and BuiltIn, and he currently lives in Washington, DC.
