Our company directors have extensive experience in creating tools to successfully engage the market. Learn more about the people behind the software and education that we provide.

Directors

Company Directors

  • Ed Downs, CEO and Founder

    Ed has more than 20 years experience in trading and software development. Ed received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to founding Nirvana, Ed worked on design automation software for Tektronix. In addition to inventing the original concepts for OmniTrader and VisualTrader, Ed has published several books and trading seminars, including The 7 Chart Patterns that Consistently Make Money. Ed currently serves as President and CEO of Nirvana Systems, Inc. 

  • Steve Belknap, Chief Operating Officer

    Steve joined Nirvana Systems in 1999. Steve's business focus includes marketing, personnel, and financial. His trading experience exceeds 20 years and he is an expert in the area of Industry Group Rotation. Prior to joining Nirvana, Steve served for 10 years as General Manager at one of Austin's largest Country Clubs. Steve holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.

  • Denise Ramirez, Chief Financial Officer

    Denise joined Nirvana Systems in 1991. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rice University, and her areas of expertise include accounting, database management, IT systems and programming. In her career with Nirvana, Denise serves in the capacity of CFO and Director of Operations.

  • Hans van der Wal, Chief Technology Officer

    Hans worked as an automation software engineer prior to joining Nirvana in 1998. Hans holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Twente, Netherlands, and has extensive software development experience, specializing in Microsoft’s COM architecture and dot Net development. Hans has overseen the development and QA of all Nirvana’s core products in his role of Director of Development.

  • Jeff Drake, Director of Trading Technology

    Jeff joined the Nirvana team in 1998 and quickly rose to the role as Director of Education. He has created and presented numerous seminars, publications, and tutorials on trading with Nirvana software. Jeff currently leads a team of scientists in his role as Director of Trading Technology. Jeff and his team have developed several profitable Trading Strategies, modules and plug-ins including the highly successful NSP product line.