Meet the People Behind the Data: The Graphable Team

At Graphable, we talk a lot about data — how to structure it, how to engineer it, how to turn it into decisions that actually move a business forward. But behind every implementation, every strategy session, and every late-stage pipeline fix is a group of people who chose this work not because it was the obvious path, but because something about data genuinely lit them up.

We thought it was time you got to know us.

John Walsh — Chief Executive Officer

John Walsh doesn’t do things halfway. Over a career spanning four continents, nine years living in Europe and Asia, and leadership roles as CEO, COO, CTO, and board advisor, John has built and scaled technology companies in some of the most demanding environments imaginable — $2B+ P&L responsibility, $15B+ in closed sales, and $600M+ in profitability improvements across industries from aerospace and defense to banking, healthcare, and retail.

He came to Graphable following United Services, Inc.’s acquisition in late 2025, with a clear mandate: take a firm with deep technical expertise and a strong reputation and build it into something bigger. What sets him apart is that his leadership credentials are matched by genuine technical depth — he understands AI, machine learning, and data infrastructure not just as a buyer or board member, but as someone who has been in the weeds of technology transformation at the enterprise level.

Away from Graphable, John serves on the Board and Executive Committees of the American Red Cross and iDisability — because, as he puts it, there’s a massive amount of untapped talent in the world and most organizations don’t realize how much they’re leaving on the table. He’s also a member of the Forbes Technology Council and the National Association of Corporate Directors.

What drew him to data work was never the technology — it was the decision-making. He observed early in his career that most organizations don’t struggle because they lack data; they struggle because they lack clarity. That insight ultimately led him to Graphable, where the work is about the context behind the data — which is where better decisions actually come from. His consulting philosophy is direct: “Consulting should create momentum, not dependency.” What excites him most is the moment a team shifts from “we have a lot of data” to “we actually understand what’s happening.” From noise to clarity.

Andrea Johnson — Vice President of Analytics & Decision Intelligence

Andrea’s path to data was anything but straight — and that’s exactly what makes her good at it.

She graduated with a marketing degree and landed a job as a buyer at a manufacturing company. By most measures it was a solid start. By her own measure, she was miserable — except for the days she was buried in spreadsheets trying to build a better forecasting model. Those were the good days. What’s remarkable is that the signal was always there: when Andrea looks back at the independent business plan she wrote in college, it was already about empowering people with their data to make better decisions. She just didn’t have the language for it yet.

She took an analytics certificate course — six months on paper, eight months in reality — and leveraged a connection through her father, a data architect, to land a role at Domo. Then she packed up and moved across the country from New Hampshire to Utah to take it, helping build Domo’s associate solutions consulting program from the ground up before finding her way to Graphable as VP of Analytics & Decision Intelligence.

Outside of work, Andrea is an artist in the broadest sense — she paints, crochets, and takes on whatever DIY project strikes her fancy. Her greatest joy is her miniature dachshund Loki, a formerly indoor dog she is now introducing to the world one adventure at a time. Follow his journey at @loki.mischievous_adventures.

On consulting, Andrea is clear: “Consultants shouldn’t pretend to be omnipotent. We don’t know your data better than you do — consulting is meant to be a dialogue.” What gets her most excited isn’t the technology, it’s the client. “There is nothing better than having a client who wants to jump in and learn with you. They leave understanding that they are capable — and we’re here if they stumble and need help again.”

Michael Porter — Vice President of Information Engineering Services & Solutions

Michael Porter grew up professionally in the oil fields of West Texas, writing Python scripts in environments where the stakes were real and the margin for error was slim. Entirely self-taught, he brings a practicality to engineering work that no formal program can replicate.

His turning point came when he discovered graph databases. Working with Neo4j changed how he thought about data modeling entirely: “A graph lets you model the world closer to how it actually works — things connected to other things, with relationships that carry meaning.” Today he holds a Neo4j Professional Certification and leads Graphable’s engineering practice, building the scalable graph-powered data foundations that the firm’s analytics work sits on top of.

His consulting philosophy is one of the most honest you’ll hear: “You have to earn the right to give advice. A lot of consultants show up with a hammer and start identifying nails. I’d rather show up curious, ask uncomfortable questions, and then bring the technical depth to bear.” What lights him up is the moment a graph model snaps into focus — when the structure becomes clear and questions become answerable that weren’t before.

Based in the Texas Hill Country, Michael is a family man first — he has a son and a daughter who keep him busy. He loves building things with his hands, travels when he can, and brings the same grounded, practical approach to his personal life that defines his engineering work.

Golven Leroy — Senior Data Scientist

Golven Leroy is, by any measure, one of the most technically gifted people working in graph data science today — and he might also be the most quietly humble about it.

Originally from France, Golven came to the United States to pursue his academic passion for graph theory — and never quite left. He joined Graphable after starting the Data Science department at his new alma mater.

His research credentials speak for themselves. He recently co-authored a peer-reviewed paper titled “The degree/Steiner k-diameter problem for trees,” published in the 19th edition of Involve, a respected journal of mathematics, which he described as “one of the most exciting and fun opportunities of my career so far.” He noted, with characteristic wit, that he has researched trees of the graph kind and “has yet to research the nature kind.” You can read the article here.

Before data science, Golven was building open source medical engineering projects — an eye-tracker-based mouse and keyboard for people with limited mobility, and a mechanical exoskeleton for his mother. Both ran into distribution challenges, but the experience shaped something lasting: he realized that interconnected data work would give him more leverage to benefit people at scale. It’s why he gravitates toward projects in healthcare, education, and anything with a direct community impact.

What drew him to data work is simple: “You essentially get to solve puzzles for a living.” He believes consulting should be done with curiosity — “if you listen well, there are plenty of opportunities to overdeliver, even in small ways” — and is most energized by problems that have a clear goal but no clear path.

Sam Chalvet — Senior Consultant

If tenure is any measure of trust, Sam Chalvet has earned it several times over. He joined Graphable in 2018 — nearly from the beginning — and has been part of the firm’s growth through every chapter since.

Sam came up on the analytics side, building BI solutions and working directly with clients to turn data into insight. Over time he transitioned into engineering, and today occupies a rare position on the team: splitting his time between both practices and serving as the bridge between them. He currently fills a core software engineering role, bringing the same client-facing instincts he developed on the analytics side to the technical infrastructure work that makes those analytics possible. When Graphable evaluates new technical candidates, Sam is typically the one assessing whether they have what it takes — a quiet signal about the standards the team holds itself to.

What drew Sam to data work is characteristically direct: detail-oriented work that involves pattern finding and pipelines. “What’s not to love,” he says — and after nearly eight years of it, clearly nothing. His consulting philosophy matches that same grounded clarity: meet the client where they are, understand their current difficulties, and help them understand where they want to go. What gets him excited about a project? New problems to solve.

Outside of work Sam is a man of many hands-on pursuits — woodworking, cooking, gardening, and the occasional cigar. There’s a theme on this team of people who build things when they step away from the screen, and Sam fits it perfectly.

Dave Perrett — Director of Sales

Dave Perrett came to Graphable by way of a Master’s degree, a realization about the future of technology, and more than a decade of sales experience across SaaS, data security, financial services, and healthcare.

His interest in data isn’t incidental to his role — it’s foundational. While completing his graduate degree, he recognized that big data would define the next era of business, and that organizations that figured out how to structure and use it would have a decisive advantage. What genuinely excites him about a new engagement is the graph data angle — the opportunity to take structured and unstructured data and surface the relationships within it that weren’t visible before. That’s not a talking point for Dave. It’s the part of the work he finds most compelling.

His philosophy is grounded in a straightforward idea: building strong, strategic relationships with clients and colleagues is the key to success. Outside of work, he powers down completely — trading the tech stack for hiking trails in the mountains with his wife and their dog.

One Team, One Operating Model

What comes through when you spend time with this group is that the technical depth and the human qualities aren’t separate things — they’re the same thing. John leads with the same conviction he brings to the boardroom, whether he’s building momentum at Graphable or serving on a nonprofit committee. Michael builds graph architectures with the same hands-on instincts he brings to building things at home. Andrea approaches client relationships with the same collaborative spirit she brings to a DIY project. Golven pursues a graph theory problem with the same curiosity he brings to a community tutoring session. Sam bridges analytics and engineering the way he’s always worked — steadily, thoroughly, and with an eye on what the client actually needs right now. Dave builds relationships the way he builds anything that lasts — carefully, and with genuine interest in the other person.

That’s the team you’d be working with. We think that matters as much as the credentials.

If you’re ready to start a conversation about your data challenges, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us for a free consultation, or explore our case studies to see what we’ve built together with clients like yours.

Graphable is a data and analytics consulting firm specializing in graph technology, advanced analytics, and generative AI. Headquartered in Boston, MA, we help enterprises turn complex, connected data into confident decisions.