About us
Connect with Utility Experts, Leverage Technology
Validos is a women-owned business founded in 2018 with a business model designed to serve, advise, advocate and drive value through inventiveness, innovation, imagination, and insight. We chose the name “Validos” because a few hundred years ago in Spain, a “valido” was a trusted, valued, and believable confidante and advisor to the King. Today, many utilities and the providers that serve them have the vision to adapt, grow, and change their business, but require a “valido” to help them accomplish their goals.
Validos only works within the utility industry, and we are focused on leveraging our collective career experience and technology to assist utilities in finding, assessing, evaluating, contracting, implementing, and optimizing new and innovative technologies and services.
Validos by the Number
Our Mission
Our mission is to utilize the technologies we use in our everyday lives to connect companies and individuals and facilitate learning, communication, collaboration, and innovation. By utilizing technology appropriately, Validos believe we can be the underpinning engine to help expedite the achievement of some of the Water, Electric, and Gas industry’s future objectives and goals.
Our Vision
Our vision is to better serve all “rate payers” of the commodities we take for granted by streamlining processes, protecting utility investments, and finding the right solutions. With Validos.com utilities can solve problems faster with less resources.
Meet Our Team
Kim Schafer
Founding Partner/CEO
Kim Schafer is founding partner and CEO of Validos and has worked in IT and Management Consulting focused on the North American T&D Utilities Industry for nearly 25 years. She has a varied background of consulting with Utilities directly as well as working in executive positions across technology and service providers that serve the utility industry and specific to the customer and meter to cash processes, technologies and services. She is an industry advocate and advisor, always seeking “a better way to serve”. Professionally, she is most proud of staying true to her values and core beliefs and always brings those to work with her. Personally, she loves her 2 pit bull rescues, being physically, mentally and spiritually challenged and enjoying life in Fort Mill, SC with her significant other, John and her step kids Abby and Kayden. Kim holds a Bachelors degree in Finance and International Business from the Pennsylvania State University.
Andre van Honschooten
Andre vanHonschooten is a partner of Validos and officially joined in January of 2020. He has worked in IT and management consulting for 20 years focused primarily on delivering value-driven and cost-effective technology and services for Utilities around their Customer and Meter to Cash processes. Andre is an innovator and a brilliant solution architect. He is passionate about better serving the underserved and leaving a mark on the Industry he has called home for the bulk of his career. Professionally, he is motivated by making a difference to improve the industry. Personally, he strives to always strike the balance between work and home life with his lovely wife Melinda, 2 children Harriet and Graham, and 2 rescue dogs. Andre lives in Bellevue, WA but hails from South Africa. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MBA from the University of Washington, and completed the Harvard Business School Program for leadership development.
Shannon Glen
Shannon Glen is a partner of Validos and officially joined in January of 2020. She has worked in IT and management consulting for 10 years. Most of those years were spent working with Hosted/Managed/alternative deployment and service models. Her background is in project management, sales, and marketing. Her career began on enterprise application implementation projects providing project management, training, and testing support. Her career led her into sales and marketing to help companies connect with the right partners. She has led sales and marketing departments through a company sale and created efficiencies to reduce overall costs while increasing performance. She has spent most of her career learning, leading, and advising in the utility industry. Shannon lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband Scott and rescue dog Gypsy. She holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Connecticut.
