TL;DR
- CRN named four Expel team members to the 2026 Women of the Channel list, recognizing their contributions to the IT channel ecosystem
- Kaitlin Waite, Darcy Relihan, Lisa Desimine, and Stephanie Mertel each bring serious channel experience and a track record of building strong partner relationships
- Expel is a partner-first company, and these four are a big part of why that’s true in practice, not just on paper
Expel is a partner-first company. That means our partners aren’t an afterthought or a distribution channel—they’re how we show up for more customers, in more places, more effectively. And none of that works without people who genuinely know how to build relationships in the channel and do it consistently over years, not just quarters.
The CRN Women of the Channel list recognizes women across vendors, distributors, solution providers, and channel-focused organizations who are making a real difference in the IT ecosystem—leaders who are driving channel growth and helping their partners and customers succeed. This year, they recognized four members of Expel’s partner marketing team: Kaitlin Waite, Darcy Relihan, Lisa Desimine, and Stephanie Mertel.
Alex Glass, VP, Global Channel Sales & Alliances
“It’s a privilege to celebrate the remarkable achievements of these women who are driving meaningful change across the IT channel,” said Jennifer Follett, VP of U.S. Content and Executive Editor, CRN at The Channel Company. “Each honoree has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to bold, innovative strategies that fuel transformation, growth, and success for their organizations and the broader channel. We’re proud to recognize their impact and look forward to seeing how they continue to shape the future of our industry.”
Kaitlin Waite, Director, Global Field & Partner Marketing
Kaitlin has spent 15 years building things in the channel—programs, pipelines, relationships—and her instinct has always been to build for scale, not just the immediate problem in front of her. She’s the kind of leader who thinks about what the team needs to succeed two years from now while also making sure things work today. It shows in how she operates and in the people she’s developed around her. She was also named as a CRN Women of the Year Role Model.
Darcy Relihan, National Partner Marketing Manager
Darcy has eight years in the channel and a talent for identifying where things aren’t quite working and quietly fixing them. She doesn’t wait for someone to hand her a defined problem—she spots the gaps and gets to work. Kaitlin calls her the backbone of the partner marketing operation, and if you’ve watched her work, you understand why.
Lisa Desimine, Senior Field & Partner Marketing Manager
Lisa brings nine years of channel experience, including time managing large-scale partner programs before joining Expel. She has a feel for what actually keeps partner relationships healthy over time—consistent communication, shared context, showing up even when there’s nothing urgent to announce. The Channel Marketing Association recognized her on its Excellence List this year.
Stephanie Mertel, Senior Field & Partner Marketing Manager
Stephanie has more than 10 years in the channel and thinks in systems. She’s good at seeing where sales and partners are working in parallel instead of together, and figuring out how to connect those tracks so leads and relationships don’t fall through the seams. Lisa describes her as someone with great ideas, strong relationships, and real plans—which is exactly the combination that makes channel work actually work.
Curious about partner marketing at Expel? You can learn more about the Expel Partner Program here.
