The Oasis Team

Dan Balow

Publisher

He came to Oasis Audio in Fall 2006 after 14 years with Tyndale House Publishers, one of the largest Christian book and Bible publishers in the world. At Tyndale Dan held the positions in marketing, sales and international rights and licensing.

Dan is member of the board for both the Christy Awards and Oasis International and chairman of the board for the Global Publishers Alliance, an international effort with the purpose of enabling publishers of Christian books and Bibles to become financially self-sufficient.

Dan is a 1978 graduate of Wheaton College (IL) with a degree in Communications. He and his wife Carol make their home in Wheaton, Illinois. They have four children, the youngest still in high school.

Tammy Faxel

Director of Sales and New Business Development

Publishing industry veteran Tammy Faxel joined Oasis in early 2008 and is responsible for developing new business and sales relationships outside of traditional channels as well as developing and managing the library market sales channel. Faxel also manages Oasis' operational procedures as well as key accounts and distributors.

For more than 13 years Faxel has served in multiple executive-level positions throughout the publishing industry, most recently as the director of new business development for IBS-STL Global, where she spearheaded the development of a retail-oriented product line. Prior to her role with IBS, Faxel was vice president of business development for Books to Inspire where she created a business infrastructure, managed corporate and hospital accounts, and coordinated more than 600 marketing events.

Faxel also has a long history at Tyndale House Publishers, working her way up from administrative support to national director of special sales, acquisitions director, and national sales director for display marketing. While at Tyndale, Faxel was instrumental in the acquisition of the New York Times bestseller, Let's Roll.

Tammy lives with her family in Chicago's western suburbs.

Hope Grant

Licensing Director

Hope Grant has been with Oasis Audio since 2007 and is responsible for acquiring audio titles and handling all details surrounding the acquisition - from contract signings to royalty payments.

Before joining Oasis, Hope spent eight years conducting qualitative and quantitative market research for Christianity Today International, worked for three years as a freelance market researcher for several companies, and spent more than ten years in finance, conducting research and fulfilling compliance requirements.

Hope is a graduate of Grace College and the Wheaton Graduate School. She serves her community as a Friend of the Wheaton Public Library and as president of her homeowners association. In her free time, she enjoys regularly hosting dinner parties.

Hope has two adult children, a son in Pittsburgh and a married daughter in England, and lives in Wheaton.

Leslie Krueger

Production Coordinator

After graduating from Wheaton College with a degree in psychology, Leslie Krueger joined the Oasis Audio team in January 2008. Leslie oversees the entire production process for an audio title, including finding and scheduling narrators, scheduling recording studios, and approving all artwork related to the product. She says there is nothing more satisfying than setting up everyone's schedules to produce a great listening product.

Leslie hails from Valparaiso, IN just southeast of Chicago, but now lives in Lombard with her husband, Adam, whom she married in August of 2008. She loves going to the movies, eating great food, talking with her family, and the occasional shopping spree. And she's always rooting for the Cubbies and Daaaa Bears!

Jordan Smith

Sales & Marketing Coordinator

As Oasis' newest employee, Jordan Smith's responsibilities include working with vendors to ensure they have accurate and up-to-date product information, working on the catalog, and updating the Web site to reflect what is happening at Oasis.

Prior to joining Oasis as the sales and marketing coordinator, he worked in the banking industry as a teller and customer service representative. Jordan is a graduate of Wheaton College, where he received a bachelor of arts in communications, media studies.

In his free time, Jordan enjoys juggling and tennis and is an avid fan of celebrating half-birthdays. He lives in Wheaton.

Toni Summers

Inside Sales & Customer Service

Toni Summers, whose background includes 13 years at a major retailer in merchandising, joined the Oasis team in 2008, serving in inside sales and customer service.

Toni and her husband live in the western suburbs of Chicago where she enjoys a variety of activities from interior decorating and scrap booking to swimming and spending time with family. She has also served on multiple boards at her children's school and is actively involved in fundraising efforts for her church.