Vinny Olmstead
Meet the Team
Leadership
Vinny is a Co-Founder and Partner at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Vero Beach office and is a Board Member for Apollidon Learning, Bridgevine, Essess, and formerly Sundrop Mobile before its sale to Mercury Payment Systems.
Vinny has a unique blend of investing, operating, and strategy experience that spans more than 20 years professionally; and more than 30 years when factoring in his entrepreneurial roots, which began in his teens. Prior to Vocap, Vinny was CEO of Bridgevine, an advertising technology company focused on customer acquisition and recognized by the INC 500/5000 the past 6 years in a row. Vinny remains involved as an Executive Board member, and advisor to the incumbent CEO to continue Bridgevine’s ascent in advertising technology. Prior to Bridgevine, Vinny was VP of Corporate Development at 360networks, a fiber optic telecommunications company that went public in the spring of 2000. Prior to 360networks, Vinny spent 8 years as a consultant including 4 years as Partner at Mercer Consulting (a division of Marsh McLennan); and with KPMG Peat Marwick. Vinny spent two years at Coopers and Lybrand.
Vinny is also on the board of the Riverside Theatre, the Indian River Education Foundation, and is Florida Chapter Chair for Young Presidents Organization. Vinny has an MBA & MHS (Master of Health Science) from the University of Florida, and BS of Accounting from Flagler College. In his spare time, Vinny enjoys traveling to unique places with his wife and three children and playing tennis.
Mike loves the entrepreneurial process and has over 20 years of investing, technology and operations experience. He works with entrepreneurs in a variety of technology sectors, including field service, marketing technology, supply chain, productivity, B2B data, and health care IT. Mike currently serves in a Board or Board observer capacity with Blue Ridge Global, XOi Technologies, Hive, and Vertify. He has also Chaired, Co-Chaired and served on the board of Venture Atlanta, one of the nation’s top technology conferences.
Prior to joining Vocap, Mike served as the COO of Triton Digital’s Applications & Services Division. During his tenure at Triton, he led the integration of multiple acquisitions and built a 100+ person Product, Technology, and Client Services team that delivered SaaS loyalty marketing, contesting, research, and gamification solutions to an expanding international client base. Prior to Triton Digital, Mike co-founded Enticent, a leading SaaS provider of loyalty marketing and audience relationship management tools for media companies. Mike helped to lead the company through three rounds of venture financing and a successful exit with the sale to Triton Digital. In addition to these roles, Mike has served as a Partner with Summit Investors, an investment partnership focusing on private and public investment opportunities. He also held positions with Kurt Salmon Associates and Andersen Consulting, where he worked on management consulting projects related to strategy, operations, and technology implementation.
Mike holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and three children.
Wendy is a CFO, Partner at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Vero Beach office.
Prior to joining Vocap Wendy was the Director of Finance at Bridgevine, an advertising technology company focused on customer acquisition, where her role included several rounds of fundraising, extensive financial modeling and analysis, and as a founding employee was instrumental in the substantial growth of the company. Before joining Bridgevine Wendy was a Senior Accountant at Kimley Horn & Associates.
Wendy holds a BS from University of Miami’s School of Business with focus on Finance and Contract Law. In her spare time, Wendy enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two daughters, cycling and running.
Emery is a Vice President at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Atlanta office. His key areas of focus include SaaS and tech-enabled services within media and entertainment, the future of work and learning, and health and wellness, among others. In his work with entrepreneurs, he is passionate about accelerating the strength and growth of companies through strategic frameworks, business model innovation, financial and capital planning, and organizational health. Emery currently serves as a Board Director or Board Observer with Soundstripe, TimeDoc Health, Transitiv, Vydia, and XOi Technologies. He is also actively involved with Venture Atlanta, one of the nation's leading annual tech conferences.
Prior to joining Vocap, Emery spent several years with VRA Partners, an investment banking firm focused on providing mergers and acquisitions advisory services to middle-market companies, private equity firms and diversified corporations. While at VRA, Emery helped numerous technology and tech-enabled clients raise capital, acquire new businesses, and achieve successful exits. He also served in the Consumer Products division of Kurt Salmon Associates (now Accenture Strategy) in New York City, where he focused on supply chain management and product development.
Emery received a B.S. degree in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and International Business from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife.
Pat Welsh co-founded Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and focuses on investments in the information/business services industry. Previously, he spent eight years with Citicorp Venture Capital and was President at the time of his departure. Mr. Welsh graduated from Rutgers University in 1965 and received an M.B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1969.
Don joins Vocap as an Associate and splits time between the firm's Atlanta and Vero Beach office, where he is based.
Prior to joining Vocap, Don spent several years in Boston with 424 Capital, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on B2B Software and Tech-Enabled Services. While at 424, Don helped with strategic growth initiatives through mergers and acquisitions as well as portfolio company support across the board. Don also co-founded Boston Dog Butlers, a technology enabled pet care business serving the city of Boston. Under Don’s leadership, the business grew to 450+ clients and 15+ full time hires within a period of three years. He previously gained valuable experience as a Senior Sales Coordinator in the financial services division of John Hancock, where he worked interactively with key stakeholders, wealth advisors, and wholesalers.
Don received a B.S. degree in both Finance and Marketing with a concentration in Professional Sales from the Florida State University. When not working you can find him traveling, shooting over 100 on the golf course, and adventuring with various action sports.
Vinny is a Co-Founder and Partner at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Vero Beach office and is a Board Member for Apollidon Learning, Bridgevine, Essess, and formerly Sundrop Mobile before its sale to Mercury Payment Systems.
Vinny has a unique blend of investing, operating, and strategy experience that spans more than 20 years professionally; and more than 30 years when factoring in his entrepreneurial roots, which began in his teens. Prior to Vocap, Vinny was CEO of Bridgevine, an advertising technology company focused on customer acquisition and recognized by the INC 500/5000 the past 6 years in a row. Vinny remains involved as an Executive Board member, and advisor to the incumbent CEO to continue Bridgevine’s ascent in advertising technology. Prior to Bridgevine, Vinny was VP of Corporate Development at 360networks, a fiber optic telecommunications company that went public in the spring of 2000. Prior to 360networks, Vinny spent 8 years as a consultant including 4 years as Partner at Mercer Consulting (a division of Marsh McLennan); and with KPMG Peat Marwick. Vinny spent two years at Coopers and Lybrand.
Vinny is also on the board of the Riverside Theatre, the Indian River Education Foundation, and is Florida Chapter Chair for Young Presidents Organization. Vinny has an MBA & MHS (Master of Health Science) from the University of Florida, and BS of Accounting from Flagler College. In his spare time, Vinny enjoys traveling to unique places with his wife and three children and playing tennis.
Mike loves the entrepreneurial process and has over 20 years of investing, technology and operations experience, much of it working with growth stage companies. He works with entrepreneurs in a variety of sectors, including marketing technology, supply chain management software, health care IT, and education technology. Mike current serves in a Board or Board observer capacity with Blue Ridge Solutions, Synthio (formerly Social123), Routehappy, Firsthand, and Array Health. Prior to joining Vocap, Mike served as the COO of Triton Digital’s Applications & Services Division. During his tenure at Triton, he led the integration of multiple acquisitions and built a 100+ person Product, Technology, and Client Services team that delivered SaaS loyalty marketing, contesting, research, and gamification solutions to an expanding international client base. Prior to Triton Digital, Mike was a founder and COO of Enticent, a leading SaaS provider of loyalty marketing and audience relationship management tools for media companies. Mike helped to lead the company through three rounds of venture financing and a successful exit with the sale to Triton Digital. In addition to these roles, Mike has served as a Partner with Summit Investors, an investment partnership focusing on private and public investment opportunities. He also held positions with Kurt Salmon Associates and Andersen Consulting, where he worked on management consulting projects related to strategy, operations, and technology implementation.
Mike holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and three children. When he is not working with Vocap’s partner companies, you can find him on the weekends coaching or watching a lacrosse game or on the golf links chasing the occasional par.
Mike Becker
Wendy is a CFO, Partner at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Vero Beach office.
Prior to joining Vocap Wendy was the Director of Finance at Bridgevine, an advertising technology company focused on customer acquisition, where her role included several rounds of fundraising, extensive financial modeling and analysis, and as a founding employee was instrumental in the substantial growth of the company. Before joining Bridgevine Wendy was a Senior Accountant at Kimley Horn & Associates.
Wendy holds a BS from University of Miami’s School of Business with focus on Finance and Contract Law. In her spare time, Wendy enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two daughters, cycling and running.
Wendy Coya
Emery is a Vice President at Vocap Investment Partners based in the firm’s Atlanta office.
Prior to joining Vocap, Emery spent three years as an analyst and senior analyst with VRA Partners, an investment banking firm focused on providing mergers and acquisitions advisory services to middle-market companies, private equity firms and diversified corporations. While at VRA, Emery helped numerous clients in a variety of industries raise capital, acquire new businesses, and achieve successful exits. He previously gained valuable experience as a consultant intern in the Consumer Products division of Kurt Salmon Associates in New York City, where he focused on supply chain management and product development.
Emery received a B.S. degree in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and International Business from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Emery Waddell
Pat Welsh co-founded Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and focuses on investments in the information/business services industry. Previously, he spent eight years with Citicorp Venture Capital and was President at the time of his departure. Mr. Welsh graduated from Rutgers University in 1965 and received an M.B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1969.
Patrick J. Welsh
Advisors
Stacey Allaster is the Chief Executive, Professional Tennis, with the United States Tennis Association. In this role, Allaster is tasked with setting the strategic vision for the USTA’s pro tennis division – including oversight of the US Open, Emirates Airline US Open Series, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and more – and working closely with the USTA board of directors and the USTA pro tennis staff to ensure the continued viability of professional tennis in the United States.
Prior to her current role with USTA, Allaster served as Chairman & CEO of Women’s Tennis Association as well as VP Sales & Marketing of Tennis Canada. Allaster has been named One of Forbes’ “Most Powerful Women in Sports” and has been a featured speaker at espnW, WXN’s Top 100 Leadership Summit. Allaster was also recently appointed to the Devos Sport Business Management Program Board of Advisors.
Allaster holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Physical Education from the University of Western Ontario where she also received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.) and holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. The mother of two, Allaster and husband John Milkovich reside in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Mr. Avril retired from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. on December 31, 2012, where he had served as President, Hotel Group since September 2008. Mr. Avril was responsible for hotel operations worldwide for Starwood’s nine hotel brands, consisting of approximately 1,100 properties in more than 100 countries. Mr. Avril also oversaw Starwood’s global sales organization. Mr. Avril has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality and vacation ownership industry, serving as President and Managing Director of Operations for Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO), a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide from 2002 to 2008 (Mr. Avril also worked with the predecessor entity Vistana Resort from 1989 to 1998). There, he oversaw Sales & Marketing, Resort Operations, Finance, Legal Affairs, Homeowner Association Management, and Human Resources functions. Mr. Avril graduated in 1982 with honors from the University of Miami and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Avril serves on the Board of Directors of Aaron’s Inc (AAN) where he serves on the Audit and Compensation Committees. He also serves on the Board of API Technologies, Inc (ATNY) where he serves on the Audit, Compensation and Nominating/Governance Committees. In addition, he serves on the Boards of two privately held companies – Zentila, Inc and American Hotel Register.
Matt also enjoys playing competitive golf and qualified for the 2012 United States Senior Open Championship.
Matt and his wife Kathy, who live in Vero Beach, Florida, have 3 daughters and 2 grandsons.
Brian M. Barefoot has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, having served in senior executive roles with top brokerage and financial firms, including PaineWebber Group Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. His expertise includes Investment Banking, where he has been involved with leading public equity and debt transactions, Mergers & Acquisitions as well as private equity raise-ups. He also is experienced in managing equity and debt trading and risk management.
Mr. Barefoot has previously served as President of Babson College, President and Chief Executive Officer of NeoVision Hypersystems Inc., Executive Vice President and Director of Investment Banking of PaineWebber Group, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director at Merril Lynch & Co, and Founder and CEO of Frontier Sports Development Corp.
Currently, Mr. Barefoot serves as the Mayor of Indian River Shores, FL and is a respected advisor to many organizations. He is a Director, member of the Compensation Committee and Chair of the Audit Committee of Cynosure Inc.; Director and member of the Audit and Investment Committees, and Chair of the Finance & Business Operations Committee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Senior Advisor to Carl Marks Advisory Group in New York, NY; the Advisory Board of Lending Club in San Francisco, CA; the Advisory Board of Harmoney Corp. Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand; Vice Chair of the Indian River Medical Center Foundation in Vero Beach, FL; Director of BigBelly, Inc. in Newton, MA; Director of Array Health Solutions, Inc. in Seattle, WA; Trustee of Little Harbor MultiStrategy Composite Fund, Marblehead, MA; Board of Trustees of Burr and Burton Academy in Manchester, VT; and, Board of Trustees of Saint Edward’s School in Vero Beach, FL.
Mr. Barefoot received a B.S. from Babson College, earned an M.B.A. from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, and has attended a number of Harvard Business School Executive Education programs. In 1998, Mr. Barefoot received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the Ellis Island Honor Society for his contributions to the business and educational communities.
Mr. Randy Dobbs is a proven leader with more than 34 years of experience successfully operating and growing businesses.
Most recently, Mr. Dobbs was the President & CEO of Matrix Medical Network, a portfolio company of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) that provides medical healthcare providers with in-home assessments of their Medicare Advantage member population. Under Mr. Dobb’s leadership, the company grew its EBITDA more than six-fold before being acquired in 2014.
Prior to Matrix Medical, Mr. Dobbs served in many leadership roles including Senior Operations Executive with WCAS, CEO of United States Investigations Services Inc., President & CEO North America of Philips Medical Company, and President & CEO of GE Capital – Information Technology Solutions.
Mr. Dobbs currently serves on the board of AGNC – a publicly traded REIT listed on the NASDAQ, and Peak10, a privately held company owned by WCAS.
Mr. Dobbs earned his B.S. from Arkansas State University. In his spare time Mr. Dobbs enjoys reading, exercising, biking and golfing.
Mr. Golding is a Partner with GarMark Partners, a private investment manager focused on investing in private debt and structured equity securities of middle market companies. Prior to joining GarMark in 2016, Mr. Golding was a Managing Director and Investment Committee Member of Star Mountain Capital.
Mr. Golding is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of York Street Capital Partners, a private debt firm founded in 2002.
Mr. Golding served in a board capacity in companies such as Bare Escentuals, Panther Expedited Services and Miller Heiman. From 1996 until 2002, Mr. Golding was with The CIT Group as the Managing Director and Group Head of the Corporate Finance Group.
From 1994 until 1996, Mr. Golding served as the Managing Director and Group Head of Structured Finance at AT&T Capital Corporation. From 1992 until 1994, Mr. Golding served as a Vice President of Capital Markets at Salomon Brothers Inc.
From 1988 until 1992, Mr. Golding was a Senior Vice President in the Lease and Project Finance Group at AT&T Capital Corporation. Previously, Mr. Golding worked at Salomon Brothers Inc and Merrill Lynch Capital Markets after beginning his career at Irving Trust Company.
Mr. Golding received his B.A. from Trinity College.
Mr. Leitner is a Managing Partner of Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC and a member of its Management Committee. Prior to joining TCP in 2005, Mr. Leitner served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for WilTel Communications, and before that as President and Chief Executive Officer of GlobeNet Communications, leading the company through a successful turnaround and sale. Previously, he was Vice President of Corporate Development of 360networks and served as Senior Director of Corporate Development for Microsoft Corporation, managing corporate investments and acquisitions in the telecommunications, media, managed services, and business applications software sectors. Prior to Microsoft, he was a Vice President in the M&A group at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Leitner currently serves as a Director on the boards of Integra Telecom, Primacom and WIND Canada. Mr. Leitner is active in community events, and currently serves on the board of Team Primetime.
Mr. Leitner earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Cameron McCaskill is a serial entrepreneur with 23 years of experience in emerging companies. Cameron is an execution-oriented business development executive who has also run sales, marketing and operations. Cameron’s domain expertise includes the semiconductor, home networking, and internet software industries.
Mr. McCaskill has been a key leader in all types of financing activities and his experiences includes an IPO, four mergers, and many rounds of venture and angel financing. His most recent merger brought him to Qualcomm, where Mr. McCaskill runs business development for wireline service providers and new vertical market development for North America.
Prior to joining Qualcomm, Mr. McCaskill served in many roles; such as, Vice President of Business Development at Intellon, Tech Transfer Consultant to Fuentek LLC, and various management positions at Plurimus Corporation, Calendar Central, Inc., Interpath Communications and TriNet Services. Mr. McCaskill was also President/Co-founder of BioControl, Inc, which licensed and commercialized a University of Florida patent.
Mr. McCaskill earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering and his M.B.A. from the University of Florida, completing grad school in 1992. He mentors several entrepreneurs and regularly serves as a judge/mentor for the Florida Innovation Hub. In his spare time, Mr. McCaskill enjoys music, tennis, fishing and off-road biking.
Ray serves as the President of Oglethorpe Holdings, LLC, a private investment company. Previously, Mr. Oglethorpe served as President of America Online, where he led America Online’s major organizations responsible for software development, network operations, service, and infrastructure support. He built the resources and technical systems that would define AOL’s Member Services Organization, taking it from less than 400 employees to more than 8,000 international service consultants representing the “Voice of AOL” to members.
Prior to joining America Online in 1994, Mr. Oglethorpe served as the Chief Operating Officer of Redgate Communications Corporation, and he held executive positions in international sales, marketing, and product development at both Harris Corporation and IBM.
Mr. Oglethorpe has been a Director of ProPhotonix Limited since July 2000, and he has previously served on many additional Boards — Bridgevine Inc., Artifact Software Inc., The George Washington University, St. Edward’s School, Northern Virginia Technology Council, Johns Hopkins Heart Institute Advisory Council, and Ampro Corporation, to name a few.
Ray Oglethorpe served as an officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, where he received the Army Commendation Medal.
Mr. Ray Oglethorpe received his B.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arizona and his M.B.A. from George Washington University. Additionally, he completed executive programs at both the Wharton Business School and the Harvard Business School. Mr. Oglethorpe is very passionate about child education, and he enjoys golf and skiing in his past time.
Jason Patchen is the founder and former CEO of Visionary HealthWare, Inc., a division of CompuGroup USA. With more than twenty years of experience in managed care and related healthcare technology service, Jason possesses a unique and extensive depth of knowledge and experience with the HIT industry. Before creating Visionary HealthWare and the American Healthcare Holdings family, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Health Integrated, Inc. As one of the largest disease management companies in the United States, Health Integrated provides a variety of healthcare services for the chronically ill in the commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid markets. Jason was instrumental in growing that company from its early stage to a multimillion dollar enterprise.
Jason was recognized as a finalist in both the 22nd and 24th annual Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year® (2008 and 2010) award program. Considered one of the most prestigious business awards for entrepreneurs, Ernst & Young recognizes extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance, as well as his personal commitment to businesses and communities.
A winner of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “40 under 40” award for promise in business, Jason also has been recognized as one of the most influential people in healthcare by the Florida Medical Business Journal. Past experience includes co-founder and President of WebHealthy, Inc., an e-healthcare and provider management services company with revenues of $20,000,000, and Vice-President of Corporate Development at Heritage Southeast Medical Group, a startup company in the State of Florida, where he was instrumental in generating revenues of $70,000,000. As Executive Director of Better Health Plan, Buffalo, New York, at the young age of 25, Jason grew the organization from startup to $30,000,000, before transitioning via sale to a publicly traded company. Jason began his healthcare career as a Department of Health regulator for the State of New York.
Jason is a graduate of Potsdam University with a degree in Economics. He holds an MBA in Finance as well as an MBA in Human Resources from the Sage Graduate School of Russell Sage College in Troy, New York and is an affiliate of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Jason is married and lives in Crystal Beach, Florida with his wife Bonnie and their three children.
Bryan Rubin is currently a Director on the Corporate Development team at Google, and has over 20 years of experience across Corporate Development, Investment Banking and private equity.
Mr. Rubin began his career as a Financial Analyst for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He then went on to work in the Corporate Development groups for companies such as 360networks, Adelphia Communications and Motorola Mobility. Bryan also made and managed equity investments in growth stage companies at Constellation Growth Capital (part of Highbridge Principal Strategies).
Previously, Bryan held Board of Directors or Board Observer seats for OnePhone, Wasserman Media Group, Hibernia Networks, and MediaXstream.
Bryan graduated with a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Mr. Rubin enjoys ultra-distance trail running, and he is an avid Michigan and Cleveland sports fan.
Mr. Gregory S. Stanger, also known as Greg, has 20 years of experience with technology companies in Silicon Valley. Greg has been Chief Financial Officer of Duetto Research, Inc. since December 2014; he also serves as an Advisor at Vocap Investment Partners, LLC.
Prior to Duetto Research, Mr. Stanger served as the Chief Financial Officer of oDesk Corporation, an online employment platform operator, and had served since March 2012. Prior to oDesk, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Chegg, Inc., a textbook rental service, from March 2010 to October 2011. From June 2005 to June 2009, Mr. Stanger served as a venture partner at Technology Crossover Ventures, a private equity and venture capital firm, and was an executive in residence from December 2003 to June 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Stanger served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and director of Expedia, Inc., an online travel company, from February 2002 to December 2003 and as its Chief Financial Officer from October 1999 to December 2003. Before joining Expedia, he served as Senior Director, Corporate Development of Microsoft Corporation and held various positions within Microsoft’s finance and corporate development departments since 1991. He led a successful IPO and follow-on financing. He also managed five acquisitions and one joint venture, the sale of Microsoft’s majority interest in Expedia to USA Networks, and the subsequent sale of the remaining public shares to InterActiveCorp in a transaction. He worked in investment banking with PaineWebber from 1987 to 1989. Mr. Stanger was an Investment Banking Professional of UBS Wealth Management USA.
Greg serves as a Director of Infovell, Inc. He serves as a Board Member of Rocketship Education. He served as a Director of Bridgevine, Inc. since February 2008. He served as a Director of NexTag, Inc.; LiveMocha, Inc. and DeepDyve, Inc. Mr. Stanger served as a Director of Kayak Software Corporation since March 2011. He served on the Board of the Yosemite Conservancy since 2010 and Global Market Insite, Inc. since June 5, 2006. He served as an Independent Director of Drugstore.com Inc. from April 2003 to June 3, 2011. He served as a Director of Netflix Inc. from June 8, 2005 to July 1, 2010 and Expedia Inc. from February 2002 to December 2003.
Mr. Stanger holds an MBA in Finance from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in Economics from Williams College.
Russ Thomas is the Chief Executive Officer of Availity, a company that helps physician practices, hospitals and health plans run healthy businesses.
He leads Availity in its mission to empower health care professionals to make meaningful business improvements and build thriving organizations, by continuously extending the value of Availity’s health information network with tools, technology and insights.
Thomas is committed to Availity’s growth. He oversaw the 2010 acquisition of RealMed, an award-winning provider of physician revenue cycle management services. The combined enterprise now delivers health care business solutions to a growing network that connects more than 350,000 physicians and allied care providers, some 2,700 hospitals, and more than 575 technology partners with health plans nationwide.
Prior to his appointment as CEO in March 2012, Thomas had been the company’s president and Chief Operating Officer since 2008. He brings a strong background in health care technology and clinical information solutions to Availity. Formerly the CEO of Gold Standard, a drug information database and clinical knowledge solution, Thomas grew that company from a small start-up to a multi-sector leader in the health care market before selling the business to Reed Elsevier in 2006. He remained with Reed Elsevier as a senior executive in their clinical information business until 2008.
In addition to his current professional responsibilities, Thomas is active in industry and philanthropic organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for eHealth Initiative, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that seeks to drive improvements in the quality, safety and efficiency of health care through information technology. He is also active with United Way of Northeast Florida, where Availity has partnered with Ribault Middle School in the “Achievers for Life” dropout prevention program. Thomas was formerly a founding board member and past chairman of Hillsborough Kids, Inc., which provides oversight and resources for more than 4,000 disadvantaged children in Hillsborough County, Florida.
Thomas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Tech and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia. He lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Claudia and their two children. He is an avid cyclist