DI People: Masterplan, MediaKind, Neurolens, and More Make Executive Moves

Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people for leadership positions.

Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are the people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Former city councilman joins Masterplan

Lee M. Kleinman

Outgoing Dallas City Councilman Lee M. Kleinman has been named a new senior advisor for Masterplan, a provider of land use, zoning, and permitting.

In his new role, Kleinman will offer companywide leadership and client support. He has vast business and civic expertise from working for fifteen years at City Hall—as former chairman of Dallas’ Legislative Committee, he has experience lobbying and working directly with the Texas Legislature in Austin and the U.S. Legislature in Washington D.C. Prior to that, he was a principal entrepreneur for high-growth and startup companies in the cellular and software industries.

“Lee is an economic development professional that will greatly contribute to the success of our clients and the continuous growth of Masterplan,” Masterplan CEO Dallas Cothrum said in a statement. “His knowledge of city operations will continue to set Masterplan apart as a leader in land use and municipal support.”

MediaKind names a new CEO

Allen Broome

Frisco-based MediaKind, a leader in media technology and services, has appointed Allen Broome as its chief executive officer.

Broome previously led MediaKind’s Research and Development team for the past two years as chief technology officer, helping to advance the industrialization of broadcast-quality OTT streaming while reshaping its portfolio to enable full-service solutions. Prior to joining Mediakind, he held technology roles in the media industry for more than two decades, most recently as VP of Cloud Engineering at Comcast Cable.

“I am excited to lead the amazing MediaKind team into this next chapter and to continue to drive our innovation leadership in the media industry,” MediaKind CEO Allen Broome said in a statement. “Our goal is to give our customers the freedom to stream live without limits.”

Neurolens gets a new CEO

Pierre Bertrand

The Board of Directors at Coppell-based Neurolens, the first and only prescription lenses that go beyond visual acuity, has named Pierre Bertrand as its chief executive officer, effective immediately. Current CEO and Founder Davis Corley will transition to the role of executive chairman of the Board.

Bertrand is an experienced senior executive with deep expertise in the eye care space and more than two decades in marketing and strategy. In his new role, he will help Neurolens boost its growth trajectory as it expands into new markets and market segments. He will also be responsible for the development and execution of the company’s overall strategic plan, managing all teams and operations.

“Pierre is a proven, experienced, high-caliber leader whose impact on our results and team in the past two years are unmistakable,” Corley said in a statement. “We are at a critical moment in the history of our company, Pierre’s visionary mindset and ability to spark the passion of our world class team will enable us to execute our ambitious organizational growth strategies and take advantage of the massive opportunities ahead.”

GivingDNA makes leadership hires

Dawn Galasso

Dallas-based GivingDNA, Pursuant’s donor engagement platform, has added Dawn Galasso and Jackie S. Graziano to its team as VP of Technology Sales and VP of Marketing and Communication, respectively.

Both Galasso and Graziano will be tasked with driving growth and continuing to support GivingDNA in serving the market as an innovator in donor intelligence, segmentation, and audience engagement.

Galasso has nearly a decade in the nonprofit technology space, having previously worked in sales and management with a focus on SaaS companies dedicated to serving nonprofits.

Jackie Graziano

Graziano has more than twenty years of experience as a marketing leader, previously leading brand exposure and activating sales growth for a diverse group of companies and clients.

“As we continue to build the GivingDNA platform ecosystem, we are thrilled to have two seasoned professionals join the team to lead growth strategies,” Rebecca Gregory Segovia, EVP of GivingDNA at Pursuant, said in a statement. “Their combined leadership and forward-thinking strategies will strengthen our position and propel us forward. It is forecast that 2021 and 2022 total giving is expected to be higher than 40-year historic averages.”

Hospice Source announces a new CEO

Carrollton-based Hospice Source, a national provider of home medical equipment to the hospice market, has appointed Jeff Mongonia as its new chief executive officer.

Mongonia has more than 30 years of experience in the post-acute healthcare space, previously holding leadership roles in the home medical equipment and respiratory care industries. Most recently, he was the chief operating officer of the Hospice and Palliative Care business unit at Compassus.

Before that, he spent 16 years at American HomePatient in senior operational leadership roles and ten years at Lincare as a multi-unit operations leader.

Simmons Bank promotes a Texas Metro Division president

Marty Nay

DFW-based Simmons Bank has promoted commercial banking veteran Marty Nay to executive vice president and president of the Texas Metro Division.

Nay has more than 25 years of banking and commercial real estate experience, and has, for the past five years, Nay served as Simmons’ Kansas City market president. He will now assume responsibilities of operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, where he will oversee business development and client relationships for a division with around $2.8 billion in total loans and $1.6 billion in total deposits.

“Marty brings an extensive banking background coupled with a passion for helping clients meet their financial needs while delivering the highest level of customer service,” Chad Rawls, executive vice president and chief metro banking officer at Simmons, said in a statement. “His work in taking the bank’s Kansas City operations to the next level speaks for itself. The metroplex is a flourishing area that presents ample opportunities, not only for the bank’s growth, but for our client’s financial success.”

Kimberly-Clark adds to its Board of Directors

Deirdre Mahlan

Dallas-based personal care company Kimberly-Clark Corporation has elected Deirdre Mahlanand Jaime Ramirez to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Both will serve on the Audit Committee.

Mahlan has extensive experience in senior finance and general management roles. Most recently, she had a nearly 20-year career at Diageo plc, serving as chief financial officer and rising to president of Diageo North America.

Jaime Ramirez

Ramirez is the current executive vice president and president of Global Tools and Storage for Stanley Black & Decker. Throughout his three decades with the company, he held various roles of global responsibility, including chief operating officer of the Tools & Storage business.

“Adding Deirdre and Jaime to our board will bring valuable perspective as we execute our long-term growth strategy,” Mike Hsu, chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark, said in a statement. “Deirdre has deep finance and CPG experience, having led the North American unit for one of the world’s largest beverage companies, and Jaime brings valuable international perspective from his leadership roles overseeing growth in emerging markets.”

Doug Cunningham

Additionally, Kimberly-Clark promoted Doug Cunningham, managing director of Australia and New Zealand, to president of the EMEA consumer business.

In his new role, Cunningham will oversee one of the company’s most dynamic and diverse regions, serving consumers in 120 countries. He joined Kimberly-Clark in 2019 from Johnson & Johnson.

“Since joining Kimberly-Clark, Doug has delivered strong consumer-inspired innovation to grow our leading brands and gained market share across our categories,” Hsu said. “He has also strengthened our customer relationships and built and developed an excellent leadership team. He is a great fit to lead our EMEA business.”

Salesmanship Club of Dallas elects its 102nd president

Robert Smith

The Salesmanship Club of Dallas, a nonprofit service organization dedicated to changing the odds for children through educational and therapeutic programs, has appointed Robert Smith as its 102nd president, succeeding Mike McKinley.

Smith has been a member of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas since 1997. During that time, he has served as tournament chairman of the AT&T Byron Nelson, chairman of the Board of Directors of Salesmanship Club Charitable Golf of Dallas, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Momentous Institute. He is also a member at the law firm of Frost Brown Todd LLC with more than 25 years of corporate counsel and business transactional experience.

Smith will serve a one-year term alongside six members elected to leadership positions:

• First vice president: Edward W. Moore, Frost Brown Todd LLC
• Second vice president: Timothy Marron Jr., BCW Food Products, Inc.
• Secretary: James Yoder, Velocis
• Treasurer: Joseph Merritt, Merritt Capital Partners, Ltd.
• Momentous Institute Board Chair: Scott A. Wood, True North Advisors, LLC
• Salesmanship Club Charitable Golf of Dallas Board Chair: John L. Jenkins, 42 Real Estate, LLC

Improving gets a new Board member

Kathy Henely

Dallas-based Improving, a technology consulting, custom software solutions, and training firm, has added Kathy Henely as the first independent member of its Board of Directors.

For around two decades, Henely has been a key member of Perficient’s senior leadership team, mostly as its chief operations officer. During that time, she assisted Perficient in rapidly scaling its business through organic and acquisition growth. At Improving, Henely will serve in an active capacity, providing strategic insight to the Board and directly to CEO Curtis Hite.

“Kathy’s deep experience in operating and scaling a global IT services business is an invaluable asset to our team,” Hite said in a statement. “Furthermore, her ability to consider the intricacies of company culture combined with business priority is perfectly aligned with our focus within the Conscious Capitalism movement.”

Vinli gets an EVP of Sales

Kevin Moore

Dallas-based Vinli, a pioneer in the automotive connectivity space, has added connected vehicle expert Kevin Moore to its team as the new EVP of Sales.

Moore has more than two decades of experience using technology to drive results in a variety of categories. Most recently, he led Verizon Telematics, where he focused on global efforts with OEM truck and automotive manufacturers. During that time, he created meaningful partnerships with large multinational international companies and led a team with a target of $1B in recurring revenue.

“Kevin Moore is a pioneer in the connected vehicle industry,” Vinli CEO Mark Haidar said in a statement. “It goes without saying that not many people in the industry can bring scalable fleet services and technology to large automakers around the world. We are excited to work with him to bring our technology and services to millions of cars on the road today.”

Independent Bank Group appoints a COO

Michael B. Hobbs

McKinney-based Independent Bank Group, the parent company of Independent Bank, has named Michael B. Hobbs as its president and chief operating officer, effective Oct. 1. David R. Brooks will remain chairman and CEO, but will no longer serve as president.

Hobbs previously served as the bank’s executive vice president and chief banking officer. He has more than 25 years of experience in the banking and investment banking sectors, with past roles including president and director of Guaranty Bank & Trust, which was acquired by Independent Bank Group in 2019. He was also formerly on the Boards of the Colorado Bankers Association, Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation.

“These changes reflect the careful thought of our Board of Directors regarding the future leadership of our company,” Brooks said in a statement. “Michael is a talented and experienced bank executive who has re-energized the organic growth of our company. Under his leadership we have developed a new retail strategy, enhanced our middle market lending team, and strengthened our operating platforms.”

SpotSee names an EMEA/APAC sales director

Greg Treanor

Dallas-based SpotSee, a provider of temperature, shock, tilt, and vibration monitoring through connected technologies, has added Greg Treanor to its team as the new sales director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Treanor will be tasked with implementing the SpotSee strategy to expand into high opportunity segments, including life sciences, automotive, and power generation. His responsibilities will involve recruiting and training new distributors and resellers for SpotSee’s complete product line, along with pursuing new business opportunities and sales objectives. He has more than 15 years of experience in technology-based business development and product management.

“Treanor’s breadth of experience not only in similar markets but in similar roles makes him a great fit for this opportunity and for the SpotSee team,” Tony Fonk, president and CEO of SpotSee, said in a statement. “We are confident that his skillset aligns with our goal to continue the global expansion of our business.”

Cooksey Communications makes a promotion

Mary Kate Jeffries

Dallas-based strategic communications firm Cooksey Communications has promoted Mary Kate Jeffries to vice president and account manager.

Jeffries initially joined Cooksey last year as an account manager, bringing with her more than two decades of PR and journalism experience. In her new role, she will provide day-to-day leadership and strategy for public sector and private sector clientts in the financial services, commercial real estate, and construction industries.

“Mary Kate has quickly proven herself as a valuable leader on our team, providing strategic guidance and proactive, day-to-day management of key agency relationships,” Colby Walton, president of Cooksey Communications, said in a statement. “This promotion is a well-deserved recognition of her many meaningful agency contributions and her outstanding service to clients across several highly specialized sectors.”

VERTESS gets a managing director

David Purinton

Fort Worth-based VERTESS, a healthcare mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, has added to its team as a managing director.

Purinton is an experienced leader in drug and alcohol recovery services and financial consulting. He previously spent a decade as both a client of and consultant to Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment providers, then went on to co-found Spero Recovery, a provider of low-cost drug and alcohol recovery services. He was also the company’s CFO. At VERTESS, he will offer M+A and consulting services to the Behavioral Health and SUD markets.

“David’s well-balanced background in both M+A and finance, as well as founding and operating a successful treatment facility is a tremendous asset to our team,” Brad Smith, VERTESS managing director and partner, said in a statement. “I believe David’s empathetic and common-sense approach to helping other business owners will be a game changer for us.”