MASERGY NAMES PARKER AS ITS NEW CEO
James Parker has been named chief executive officer of Masergy, a Plano-based software-defined networking services company.
James Parker
Parker succeeds Chris MacFarland, who will assume the role of executive chairman and chief technology officer at Masergy.
“James is a seasoned executive in the technology sector, and his proven ability to execute on vision and strategy combined with his passion for superior customer experience make him the perfect choice as Masergy’s next CEO,” MacFarland said in a release. “Our shared vision is for Masergy to become a $1 billion+ revenue company by significantly outpacing the competition with rapid product innovation and the industry’s best customer service.”
Parker brings more than two decades of leadership experience to his new position, with previous roles at Microsoft, CenturyLink and Tata Communications.
“Masergy’s agile and secure solutions uniquely empower global enterprises to realize their digital ambitions,” Parker said.
Founded in 2000, Masergy provides hybrid networking, managed security, and cloud communications.
TANYEL NAMED TO LEAD SABRE’S AIRLINE SOLUTIONS
Cem Tanyel
Cem Tanyel has been named executive vice president and president of Airline Solutions at Southlake-based Sabre Corp., which was effective Sept. 10.
He will report to Travel Solutions President Dave Shirk.
Tanyel has 25 years of experience as a technology leader, and most recently served as executive vice president and general manager of professional services at Kony, a provider of mobile application development and digital solutions serving the financial services, health care, and travel industries.
TECH WILDCATTERS ACCELERATOR ADDS TWO TO ITS STAFF
Vanessa Camones
Rachel Chang
Tech Wildcatters, a Dallas-based accelerator, announced that it added two new people to its staff—Vanessa Camones and Rachel Chang.
Camones will become venture principal and will be based in Silicon Valley, where she has been a longtime marketing and communications executive, Tech Wildcatters said.
Chang will work from its Dallas headquarters, where she will be a venture associate. Chang previously was director of events and programs at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and lead organizer of Dallas Startup Week, Tech Wildcatters said.
SULLIVAN NAMED TO LEAD JPS FOUNDATION
JPS Health Network has appointed Kristin Sullivan as the new executive director of the JPS Foundation, the Tarrant County public health-care system’s philanthropic arm.
Kristin Sullivan
She will lead the team that is charged with securing gifts, goods, and grants to advance excellence in the system and to help improve the health of families it serves. She will begin the new role on Sept. 17, JPS said in a release.
Most recently, Sullivan served as the founding executive director of Read Fort Worth, the privately funded collective effort found in 2016 by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner, and business, civic, and philanthropic leaders. The organization was aimed at achieving 100 percent of third-graders reading on grade level by 2025.
Sullivan also held senior communication positions at the University of Texas at Arlington and was an assistant managing editor and longtime reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
BLACKBURN NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT TECHFW
Hayden Blackburn
Hayden Blackburn has been named the new executive director of Fort Worth-based tech incubator TechFW, effective Sept. 15.
He will take over for Darlene Boudreaux, who had served as executive director since August 2006, and who will remain with the program as a coach for TechFW life sciences clients.
“I have been impressed with Hayden’s knowledge, work ethic and temperament. His ability to listen, understand and lead are qualities that are beneficial for TechFW, its clients and its partners,” Boudreaux said in a statement.
Blackburn joined TechFW in December 2016 as assistant director and had been engaged across TechFW’s entire slate of programs, with an emphasis on ThinkLab, Cowtown Angels, EpICMavs at the University of Texas at Arlington, TechNest, and M-Crew.
RUNNER AGENCY TAPS KEEHLER FOR EXEC ROLE
John Keehler
John Keehler has been named partner and director of strategy and insights at Dallas-based RUNNER Agency, where he will work to elevate the agency’s performance in media management and digital strategy.
Most recently, Keehler was group head of digital strategy at Dallas-based The Richards Group.
“Our clients are facing some of the most interesting and exciting challenges in marketing today – building a modern go-to-market strategy that uses data to shape an end-to-end customer experience to drive more revenue and loyalty,” Keehler said in a release.
RUNNER Agency is a strategic digital marketing agency co-founded in 2004 by the husband-and-wife team of Lacy and Reagan Judd.
STOIA NAMED EVP AT THE WETRICH GROUP
Michael S. Stoia has been appointed executive vice president of the Southlake-based health-care management firm The Wetrich Group LLC.
He will play a major role in the firm’s key commercial consulting engagements including its marketing, sales, and operations service offerings, the firm said in a release. Stoia brings 30 years of health-care industry experience to his new role.
BARGER JOINS SMITHGROUP TO LEAD GLOBAL HEALTH PRACTICE
Wayne Barger
Architect Wayne Barger has joined SmithGroup in its Dallas office to lead the firm’s global health practice.
Barger will head the firm’s health studio that provides planning and design services across a variety of facility types, including academic medicine, acute and ambulatory care, behavioral health, oncology, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, senior living, translational health sciences, and women’s and children’s health, SmithGroup said in a release. Previously, Barger was senior vice president at CallisonRTKL in its health-care practice group.
Updated Sept. 15, 2018, 9:10 a.m.: Chris MacFarland’s name was misspelled in an earlier post.
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