About > Management Team

Experience is the difference.

The Cristek Difference is the quality and commitment of dedicated employees found throughout the organization. The three working shareholder partners of Cristek know what a privilege it is to serve and lead this fine group of people!

Founder & President

CRISTI CRISTICH founded CRISTEK INTERCONNECTS, INC. at the age of 23 with a fistful of credit cards, a loan from a friend and a purchase order from a gutsy purchasing agent at Litton Industries. Cristich began her career as a part-time receptionist for a Northern California electronics firm during the summer of high school graduation, intending to work while attending college. Instead of pursuing her education, she chose to support herself by transitioning to a full time position. When a large conglomerate purchased her employer in 1985, Cristich seized the opportunity to begin her own company on little more than the strength of her word.

Cristich' top priority is meeting her commitments to employees, customers, family and the community. A strong conviction that business leaders should contribute to society through both philanthropic efforts and the political process, has led to Cristi's involvement in many organizations over the years. She has most notably served as Statewide President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and has run for California State Assembly. Cristi's current philanthropic commitments are centered on the families of our brave U.S. Armed Forces.

Cristi resides in Orange, California with her husband, John Milazzo, and her three "wise guys" -- black Labradors Sonny, Rocco and Vito. Aside from her business, community and political interests, Cristich enjoys reading, travel and the shooting sports. She is a licensed private pilot and holds patent #5,743,754 issued 28 April 1998.

CFO & VP of Operations

Over 25 years of industry specific experience in accounting, finance and manufacturing operations makes Julie Barker a perfect fit for her role at Cristek! From the outset of her 15 year career at Stanford Applied Engineering (SAE) it was clear that, in addition to her accounting abilities, her interests and considerable talents would lead her to "making the numbers" rather than reporting them. In 1986, Julie became one of the three founding partners of J-Tech where her manufacturing expertise and financial acumen were critical in propelling that organization to over 100 employees and an eventual profitable sale to Con-e-sys in 2003.

In 2004, Cristich asked Julie to take on some critical "temporary assignments" at Cristek. In keeping with the tradition of her career, Julie's ability to produce consistently outstanding results led to her current operational role and equity position within the company. Aside from Julie's love of her family, she is passionate animal lover, devoted Angels and Chargers fan and world traveler.

VP of Sales & Marketing

John Pollock began his electronics career at Stanford Applied Engineering (SAE) in 1971 in an entry level position. The President of that organization quickly recognized John as the "go to guy" and tasked him with a wide range of key assignments - initially in sales and general administration and eventually in major account and product development. John was briefly tapped as Director of Marketing for the Elco Corporation in the early eighties but ultimately returned to support his initial boss at SAE as Vice President and General Manager of the SAE Connector Division in Santa Ana, CA. This division was eventually sold to Midland Ross and Pollock initially took on responsibility for the acquisition integration and then for the effort in the western side of the Pacific Rim. In 1986, Pollock become one of the three founding partners of J-Tech Corporation and its President. Under his leadership, the company prospered rapidly and was profitably sold to Con-e-sys in 2003.

In 2004, John agreed to assist Cristi in leading Cristek through a particularly challenging time in the company's growth. Once again, in large part due to his leadership, knowledge and skills, the organization prospered and, as a result, John was offered an equity position. In addition to being proud grandpa of Tessa Lee, Jack and Isabella (the twins), John loves football, travelling and dogs, and is the first expert in our organization on the latest technology available. John is a Marine Corps veteran and University of Santa Clara alumnus.