DI People: McKesson, Bell, Take Command Health, and More Make Moves

Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations.

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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Take Command Health hires a new business development director

Kyle Estep

Take Command Health (TCH), which calls itself a benefits market disruptor, is bringing Kyle Estep onto the team, who specializes in developing partnerships and growth in venture-backed startups and has extensive health insurance knowledge and market insights, according to a statement.

“Focusing on developing partnerships within the employee benefits and broader healthcare space, Kyle will help us further our mission of accelerating the adoption of the health insurance reimbursement model of benefits,” Jack Hooper, CEO of TCH, said in a statement.

Estep formerly led the growth of Oscar Health, a tech-enabled health insurance company. While in this role, Oscar Health grew its coverage from 40,000 people in the New York metro area to 400,000 with more than $2 billion in revenue across 15 states. Estep also previously worked as a strategy and operations consultant for Deloitte, where he focused on health insurance clients.

McKesson appoints Lyn Fitzgerald to VP of Sales

Lyn Fitzgerald

Lyn Fitzgerald, an industry veteran with 13 years at National Comprehensive Cancer Network, will join McKesson’s market-leading oncology data business, McKesson Data, Evidence & Insights. She will serve as vice president of sales.

She’s a proven leader, Irving-headquartered McKesson says, as she played “a pivotal role in a strategic partnership between McKesson, The US Oncology Network, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.” In her new role, Fitzgerald will be tasked with building collaborations with various other life sciences companies. Her goal is to advance innovation, improve outcomes, and deliver quality oncology patient care.

With her more than 25 years in healthcare, Fitzgerald joins McKesson with a vast knowledge of oncology. She spent more than 13 years at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Bell gets a new lead for its innovation division

Jason Hurst

Jason Hurst has been appointed the new VP of Bell’s Innovation division, replacing Scott Drennan, who went to Hyundai.

As reported by Vertical, Hurst will head eVTOL projects like the Bell Nexus air taxi and Autonomous Pod Transport cargo drone. His goal will be to eventually evolve them into commercial products.

“I think the key to that is having a good problem statement of what it is we want to attack,” he told eVTOL.com. “We always want to leave room for the organic ideas, things that people come up with that weren’t part of a traditional acquisition or customer requirement. … But the other side of it is to make sure that there’s a business opportunity that the activities that we work on apply to.”

Hurst has been with Bell since 2002.

C-Hear adds to its advisory team

Michael Nguyen

Dallas-based C-Hear is continuing its momentum. The tech company announced that Dr. Michael V. Nguyen, a renowned educational psychologist, is joining the advisory team to consult employees and management.

Dr. Nguyen has experience in cross-cultural leadership, organizational development, and global partnerships. He’s the founder and chief catalyst officer of Inclusive Insights and on the faculty of the Department of Applied Psychology at the University of Southern California.

“Adding a brilliant mind like Dr. Nguyen is a feather in our cap,” C-Hear Founder and CEO Adena Harmon said in a statement. “We’re delighted he is on board to, among other things, help bring insight to the needs of the public.”

C-Hear was created for visually impaired Americans—it provides a small digital footprint file that contains both image and sound to help people “hear” images online.

North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. gets new board members

Tim Jordan

Local community bank North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. (NDBT) has elected Mary Pat Higgins and Tim Jordan to its board of directors.

Higgins is currently the president and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and sits on the boards of VisitDallas and Ursuline Academy of Dallas.

Jordan is JLL’s senior managing director capital market office head, and is a member of The Real Estate Council and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas.

Mary Pat Higgins

NDBT Chairman and CEO Mike Shipman said in a press release both Higgins and Jordan will bring a strong sense of community, strategic insight, and deep knowledge to the bank.

He said their “understanding of and alignment with of our mission, culture and business focus will complement their investment of the tremendous talent and skill sets they both possess.”

Staci Tave joins Ware Malcomb’s Dallas office

Staci Tave

International design firm Ware Malcomb has appointed Staci Tave to studio manager of interior architecture and design in its Dallas office.

Tave brings more than two decades of an experience to the team. She is an accomplished interior designer who has worked on large-scale interior spaces, space utilization, and end-user focused design.

“Staci’s extensive experience in corporate interiors and commercial real estate will help strengthen Ware Malcomb’s growing presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and further expand our reach in the market,” Christopher Mavros, regional director of Ware Malcomb, said in a statement.

Ware Malcomb has been in the Texas market since 2013.

WelCel appoints Tony Andrews to COO

Tony Andrews

Fort Worth-based Welcel has added Tony Andrews to its team as chief operating officer, as reported by the Fort Worth Business Press.

Welcel says its the state’s only 100 percent physician formulated hemp CBD oil product line. Andrews joins the company from Stream Energy, where he was chief mobility officer. He brings more than two decades in executive operations leadership to the company.

“CBD is the next frontier in the market of innovative product development and holistic wellness,” Andrews said in the article. “I am proud to join a team with a mission to provide the highest standard in product offering and customer experience.”

Fort Worth’s development services department gets a new lead

D.J. Harrell

D.J. Harrell is the new leader of the City of Fort Worth’s Development Services Department, which focuses on sustainable land and building development.

Harrell has worked with the city since 2010, as reported by Patch. Most recently, he was the assistant director of the department, and earlier this year was named interim director.

“D.J. has demonstrated success in streamlining development processes, leading change and motivating teams. He uses data-driven business analysis, strategic planning and powerful partnerships to deliver the needed customer-facing services that benefit Fort Worth’s development community and residents,” City Manager David Cooke said in the article. “We will be relying on D.J.’s knowledge and experience as we move forward and continue to implement best practices for sustainable development.”

VertexOne expands its executive leadership

Todd Crandall

Industry veteran Todd Crandall is joining the board of directors for VertexOne, a Richardson-based provider of utility customer experience solutions.

Crandall has around 30 years of experience in numerous industries, according to a VertexOne blog post. Prior to joining the VertexOne board, he was head of SAP’s North American Services business, where he reported to the executive board.

“VertexOne differs from competitors with its specific focus on perfecting the experience consumers have with their utility providers,” Crandall said. “Optimizing this customer experience is a focus worth having and adds huge value for both the consumer and the utility.”

VertexOne serves end customers for more than 30 electric, gas, and water clients across North America.