Chuck LaForte, CEO/Founder
Chuck started his M365 and Azure consulting practice over ten years ago with a focus on creating order and structure out of unstructured data. Chuck consulted throughout the Pacific Northwest and nationally and noticed a common occurrence: inefficient systems for organizing unstructured information and often a team’s inability to implement much needed changes. Chuck earned his M.S. in Human Centered Design and Engineering from the University of Washington. Chuck and his team pride themselves on being resourceful, professional, and practical in their engagements.
In his spare time Chuck frequents the many nearby parks with his wife and young son. He continues to play ultimate frisbee (and recruit new employees) at local pickup games and tournaments. Prior to COVID (and fatherhood) Chuck was an avid traveler and has visited over 25 countries.
Jason Dobruck
Jason has a passion for designing and constructing business solutions. His focus is on automation, user interface, and data management. Jason received his B.A. in Art History from California State University Fullerton. Although not traditionally a degree associated with business transformation and technology, the abstract thinking, analysis, and variable perspectives intrinsic to the practice has proved invaluable. These skills allow him to better identify problem areas and provide unique solutions to fulfill client needs. Having been born and raised in LA, Jason takes full advantage of LA’s many beaches by playing ultimate frisbee on the sand as often as possible and exploring new and undiscovered food gems.
Karissa Dedmon
Karissa joined Forte Design in 2021. During her time at the company, she has grown proficient in Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI and all things SharePoint. Karissa earned her B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Sonoma State University. Besides teaching calculus and grading papers for her professors Karissa was the hula choreographer for the University’s Filipino Association and captained both the Women’s and Men’s Ultimate Frisbee club teams. Recently Karissa has taken to disc golf and helped create and build a new disc golf course in Los Angeles. She plays professionally and is supported by her sponsors Innova Discs, Helix Disc Golf, and Annhyzer Hyzer Club.
Zac Young
Zac first fell into an Excel spreadsheet at the age of 16 and never found his way out. Starting his career in political consulting where he helped manage outreach data and analytics for campaigns and advocacy groups around the world, Zac is excited to use his communications skills to make even the most complex data solutions legible to anyone who can benefit from them. Zac holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and is an avid amateur chef, magician and, yes, ultimate frisbee player.
Liam Rowley
(I swear I asked Liam to send me a bio. Until I get it, I’ll write one.)
Graduate of Oregon State University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Fun fact: My university’s team competed internationally against the world’s best fully autonomous Formula Student race cars. Our vehicle was university’s first ever designed driverless system. I designed the autonomous pneumatic braking system. OK, this guy is pretty smart, very solid with Power BI, and knows how to make things look nice. On to the important stuff… Liam discovered disc golf in high school. In college he lived a hybrid existence bouncing between disc golf and ultimate Frisbee, so it only made sense that he would fulfill his destiny to be part of a company that encourages both of his passions.
Colleen Parker
Colleen brings a wealth of experience in technology consulting, most recently specializing in Microsoft 365. Her expertise lies in building dynamic solutions using the Microsoft Power Platform and SharePoint Online, transforming internal business processes for organizations. She recently helped develop and deploy an intranet for a workforce exceeding 6,500, demonstrating her ability to develop solutions at a large scale. She is committed to teaching people how to use technology to solve business problems. She is a proud “bama” of 3 grandbabies, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and labrador, where she shares a love of things that grow.