ABOUT US

The PGT Team

Julie Pearl

CEO & FOUNDER
Harvard University, MPA Econ/Statistics
University of California, Juris Doctor
Stanford University, BA Econ/IR

Leader & Technologist

Co-founded in 1995 Pearl Law Group, internationally awarded
for innovation, global business immigration and pro bono service

  • One of 5 U.S. “Preeminent Practitioners of Immigration Law”
    (Chambers Guide to Leading Lawyers, US)
  • Ranked 10+ years in “Nation’s Top 20 Immigration Lawyers”
    (HR Executive Magazine)
  • Largest woman-owned law firm in Northern California, with offices in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EU

“Legal Technology Entrepreneur”(Bloomberg, Forbes)

  • Built Tracker Corp (sold 2020 to Mitratech) – now the world’s largest immigration technology company.
  • Innovated four immigration web-based products, used by thousands of employers to comply with visa, labor and travel rules worldwide for over 20 years.

Sherri Staples

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGER
University of San Francisco, MA Intl. Education
Yale University, BA Russian

Knowledge and Content

15 years immersed in the comprehensive immigration and compliance requirements worldwide

  • Experience at a Big Four consulting company, where she managed immigration cases for cross border projects in Europe

  • Implemented Permiso travel tool at Big Four company

  • Worked at the world’s largest immigration law firm as a knowledge manager, designed earliest visa assessment system

Sherri has led curation at PGT, managing our dozens of highly reputable legal experts worldwide, and is engaged to keep our systems updated daily with legal changes that impact business travelers.

Ali Ramezanzadeh

CHIEF CUSTOMER OFFICER & COUNSEL
Santa Clara University, Juris Doctor
Sciences Po,
(Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris), Intl. Diploma EU politics
University of California, BA Politics/Intl. Studies

Legal & Customer Experience

8+ years of experience in guiding legal compliance, at both the world’s largest immigration law firm and the largest immigration technology company

  • Advised Fortune 500 companies and emerging companies on immigration and employment eligibility

  • Led employment compliance division at the world’s largest immigration law firm 

  • As Director of Immigration Legal Technology at Tracker Corp (acquired by Mitratech), advised employers and lawyers alike in technology configurations and innovations for compliance purposes.

At PGT, he promotes the expansion and full use of the Hub and Permiso products, listens to customer needs, and designs enhancements to the core products, leveraging his legal background to collaborate with the engineering team.

Brock Haugen

TECHNICAL LEAD
Walla Walla College,
B.S. Math, Minor: Computer Science

Software Development

Over 10 years experience in software development

  • Has served as CTO and Sr. Engineer for a range of companies (Coinbase, Tripgrid, Imbrex)

  • Built software to manage travel data for Fortune 100 companies (including integrations to Concur, Amex, CWT, etc), which included all the related security questionnaires, testing, multi-tenancy, etc (time at Tripgrid)Manages and codes in multiple languages, including JavaScript, Python, Node, Ruby, PHP, SQL, Bash

  • Worked specifically on “platform engineering” teams for both Coinbase and Daily Harvest (last couple years-ish) to support security and reliability initiatives

  • Time at imbrex was working with blockchain tech to decentralize the real estate market (i.e. built out several version of an “Escrow Contract”)