Our Team
To learn more about VBA’s leadership, click a photo.
Executive Team
"I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." – Steve Jobs
Michael Clayton
President & CEO
Joined VBA: 2013
Professional History
Mike joined VBA as the CEO and 12th employee in February 2013. Today, VBA has over 125 employees and continues to grow rapidly. Mike has day-to-day operational responsibilities for all aspects of the business, full profit and loss responsibility, and leads the overall strategic plan development and execution for VBA. Mike was elected to the VBA Board of Directors in 2020.
Prior to joining VBA, Mike was a partner in The Capital Executive Group (CEG), LLC. As part of CEG, Mike was the Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman for Woods Equipment Company with a broad set of responsibilities including ongoing post-acquisition operational integration, business development and strategic planning.
Previously, Mike held various positions in finance, distribution, marketing, business development, and general management, both domestically and abroad. His prior employers include well-regarded companies such as at Textron’s Jacobsen Division, Deere & Company (Germany), Case Corporation/CNH Global NV, and Ford Motor Company.
Mike earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and his MBA from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a graduate of Wharton’s Executive Management Program and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business Mergers and Acquisition Program.
Mike is a respected leader in the industry and currently serves on the VBA Board of Directors and the Board of Directors for the Health Care Administrators Association (HCAA).
Personal History
Mike is an avid marathon runner, having completed over 20 marathons to date including Chicago (14x), Boston (2x) and New York City. He is also passionate about cycling. Each summer, Mike bikes across the State of Iowa in an event known as RAGBRAI and a one-day event (235 miles) across Wisconsin called RAW. Mike has his eyes set on biking across the U.S.
Mike is active in multiple charity events and organizations, including fundraising for the American Red Cross, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Children’s Hospital, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through some of his marathon and biking events. Mike also enjoys spending time with his two great children, hunting, watching movies, woodworking, and cooking.
Rich Pierce
Chief Technology Officer
Joined VBA: 2001
Professional History
Rich began his career with the US Air Force in 1995 where he earned the Honor Graduate commendation during basic training, a recognition only awarded to 7 percent of graduates. After basic training, he was stationed in Biloxi, MS, where he received his initial training in software development and design at the Air Education Training Center (AETC).
Upon honorably exiting the Air Force in 1999, he took a role with GlyThor Consulting where he developed inventory tracking systems and websites for several clients. While at AWHN, Rich entered the healthcare space when he designed and developed a provider network application for the credentialing of physicians according to NCQA requirements.
In early 2001, Rich left AWHN for a software developer position at KeyLink Solutions, a third-party administrator and a sister company of what would eventually become VBA. He quickly advanced in the organization while continuing to grow the core functionality of the claims administration application. In 2009, Rich completed development of the next-generation software solution, VBASoftware, and became a partner and owner in VBA.
Over the next several years, he would be responsible for the development of a robust flex administration platform, process automation, offline remote perpetual adjudication and real-time claims payment, and VBA has experienced tremendous growth as a result of these efforts.
In 2013, a new leadership team was formed, and Rich was promoted to Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he has continued to oversee the growth of the core products while working with AWS on developing a new services platform that will continue VBA’s role as a technology leader in the healthcare space for years to come.
Personal History
Rich’s hobbies include watching NBA Basketball, playing hoops, video games and movies!
Mike Glantz
Chief Revenue Officer
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Mike joined VBA in 2021 as the Chief Revenue Officer. He is responsible for demonstrating the value proposition of VBA solutions in the market and achieving the company’s strategic growth objectives. He oversees the sales, marketing and account management functions.
With more than 20 years of experience in the benefits administration industry, Mike has served in leadership roles across operations, technology and sales. Prior to joining VBA, he fulfilled several executive leadership roles in 14 years at bswift (Aetna/CVS), most recently serving as their Chief Commercial Officer. He has also served as a Vice President in Aon Consulting’s Employee Benefits practice.
Mike has a proven track record of driving sustainable growth by delivering value to customers through software innovation and services.
Mike received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Personal History
In his personal time, Mike enjoys watching his sons play sports, including baseball, basketball, and football. He also loves playing golf. A native Chicagoan, Mike is a loyal fan of his Chicago sports teams. He likes watching sports on TV and bringing his sons to games.
Rachel Lanser
Chief Client Officer
Joined VBA: 2003
Professional History
After joining KeyLink Solutions in 2003 as a Customer Service Representative, Rachel worked in various roles within the TPA and was promoted to Operations Manager in 2007. The TPA business was sold in 2009 to focus solely on VBASoftware. At that time, Rachel worked closely with Rich Pierce to rearchitect VBASoftware as a cloud-based solution that focused heavily on configuration options rather than custom development requirements.
With her entrepreneurial spirit and refusal to fail, Rachel supported numerous client implementations and trained new team members as the organization grew. In 2020, she was promoted to Chief Client Officer, responsible for overseeing our Client Experience Team and ensuring our clients receive the highest level of service in both their onboarding and ongoing service needs. Rachel strives to build teams that share the same spirit and determination that she has exhibited throughout her career.
Rachel has a passion for solving problems. She can hear the details of a problem and immediately begin to form paths for resolution or best practices. She prides herself on her ability to connect with others authentically and with honest intent. As a seeker of continuous improvement, Rachel looks for opportunities to positively impact our clients and further develop the talented group of VBA employees whom she works with on a daily basis.
Personal History
Rachel adores her family and friends and spends as much time with them as possible outside of work. She seeks opportunities to pull everyone together whether it be for weekend breakfasts, holiday meals or a ride in the car to talk and sing along to whatever song fits the mood. When asked, she’ll tell you she is most proud of the life she has created with her husband Ryan and their children, Mason and Madison. Their life has been guided by faith and assurance that we are passengers on a ride we did not design, and we’re just blessed to live it.
Senior Leadership Team
Instead of asking ourselves, “Why is this happening TO me?” we should instead ask, “Why is this happening FOR me?”
Jessica Lockhart
Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Joined VBA: 2019
Professional History
Jessica joined VBA in March of 2019 as the Vice President of Enterprise Solutions. In 2020, she was promoted to Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing and was responsible for building VBA’s sales, sales operations, marketing, channel partnerships and account executive teams. Jessica currently leads the sales operations, channel partnerships, and marketing teams and is the product owner for VBA’s user engagement, customer support and business insight tools where she is responsible for the go-to-market strategy for these solutions.
Jessica has over 16 years of related healthcare experience, six of which have been within the healthcare information technology market selling and supporting SaaS enterprise solutions, including engagement platforms (portals) and healthcare analytics at leading healthcare technology companies. Jessica also spent eight years in brokerage services within the student health insurance market managing student health plans.
As a Director of Client Service at Arthur J. Gallagher Special Risk Service, Jessica was responsible for creating a client service department and overseeing the implementation of the client support process for the company. Early in her career, Jessica held various positions at the two largest health plans in New England, Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.
Jessica holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resource Management from Newbury College. She also holds an Information Technology Professional (ITP) designation from American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
Personal History
When not at work, Jessica enjoys kayaking, Bikram yoga and traveling abroad.
Shane Gruchow
Vice President of Client Experience
Joined VBA: 2022
Professional History
Shane joined VBA in August of 2022 as the Vice President of Client Experience. He is responsible for the entire Client Experience department, which provides project management, training and ongoing support for VBA’s clients and their vendors.
He has over 20 years of healthcare-related experience ranging from consumer-directed benefits to health insurance exchanges and Medicaid operations. Shane also has 14 years of project management experience leading teams and projects within the healthcare industry and government operations.
Prior to VBA Software, Shane spent eight years within the Data Integration department at HealthEquity, leading a variety of teams to success. In his most recent role as director, Shane oversaw teams of engineers implementing and supporting electronic data interchanges with clients and vendors for all the company products. He also spent 10 years with Xerox in several roles, chiefly managing client relations and leading operations for government clients.
Shane holds an MBA in Management and Strategy from Western Governors University and a BA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE).
Personal History
Shane enjoys spending time with his family, attending his children’s sporting events and working on home projects. In his quiet time, he is either exercising or online gaming.
Rob Lindbloom
Vice President of Integration Services
Joined VBA: 2017
Professional History
Rob graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and began his career as a Data Integrity Coordinator for Manpower Group where he began to develop his love and appreciation of data’s role in different companies. Rob moved on to DentaQuest, where he started as an Information Analyst. The fundamentals of data analysis he learned in this role still has an impact on his day-to-day.
From the analyst role, Rob began development work and moved into a leadership role. He owned the relationships between DentaQuest and its clients for all their data interfaces. Rob transitioned to a supervisor role and finally spent his last two years at DentaQuest as a Manager of Client Data, leading a team of 10 business analysts.
The management role at DentaQuest opened the opportunity to take on a role with VBA as Director of Data Services in January 2017. Rob is utilizing his experience by helping to optimize VBA’s team structure and processes to ensure the highest level of quality, accuracy and speed in data interfaces as our Vice President of Integration Services.
Personal History
Rob’s free time is spent with his family. He has five young daughters and an amazing wife. Rob’s family is full of movie buffs who love splitting their vacations between visiting out-of-state family and trips to Disney.
Joel Parker
Vice President of Information Technology
Joined VBA: 2017
Professional History
Joel joined VBA in April of 2017 as the Director of Information Technology and was promoted to Vice President of Information Technology in November 2022. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic direction of VBA’s information systems, identifying and recommending new technologies, managing information programming, running systems analyses and approving the use of hardware and software services.
Joel is also responsible for monitoring progress on development projects, ensuring the reliability of computerized information systems, preparing new projects and programming staff requirements. Joel is also responsible for balancing the IT budget and staying on top of technological advances with a focus on security and compliance.
Joel began his IT career as a Programmer/Analyst for American Whole Health Networks before moving on as a Senior Application Developer and joining Marshall, Swift & Boeckh. In 2006, Joel moved on to Doral Dental where he was the Application Development Team Lead. During this time, Joel ran the team’s enterprise claim administration system.
Before joining VBA in 2017, Joel was Director of Enterprise Architecture at DentaQuest where he was responsible for all technical architectures of all enterprise systems.
Personal History
Aside from being a technologist, Joel has a passion for pretty much anything that has an engine. His first job as an adult was as a Toyota mechanic. Joel loves to diagnosis problems, take things apart and fix them. He spent seven years as an ASE-Certified Master Mechanic before going back to school and learning about computer programming. When he is not working with application code during the day, you will probably catch him in the garage with a wrench in his hand. Joel enjoys ATVs, snowmobiles and sports cars.
Outside of motorsports, his passions include camping, traveling, watching the Green Bay Packers and NASCAR and spending time with his Bernese Mountain Dog, Duke.
Aron Van Pelt
Vice President of Finance
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Aron joined VBA as the Vice President of Finance in May of 2021. Aron is analytical and strategic by nature and his expertise will guide VBA through continued growth. He brings over 14 years of diverse finance experience and has led teams at software as a service (SaaS), professional services and manufacturing organizations. Aron’s vision for the finance organization is to leverage technology to drive efficiency, automation and enable scalable growth.
Prior to joining VBA, Aron was a Director of Finance at Concurrency where he was responsible for the finance, payroll and benefits functions. He led the implementation of NetSuite and the enhancements of other back-office systems to enable improved and timely analytics and insights.
Aron earned his BA in Accounting and his MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Aron is an active CPA and is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Personal History
Outside of work, Aron is a family man. He is involved with his kids’ academics and their extracurricular activities including soccer, ballet and swimming. Aron is also a DIY enthusiast around the house and takes on several home and yard projects in his spare time. He is passionate about sports and loves to watch the NFL and NCAA basketball.
Rachel Cell
Director of Client Solutions
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Rachel joined VBA in November 2021 as a Solution Consultant. She was promoted to Manager of Business Services – Solutions in 2022 and was promoted to Director of Client Solutions in May 2023. She is responsible for ensuring our clients have a positive experience from implementation through ongoing support. The Solution Consultants and Customer Support teams report to Rachel.
Her career spans over 20 years in third-party administration. Prior to joining VBA, she was the Vice President of Technical Operations at Benefit Management, LLC. In that position, Rachel led the information technology and operations support teams with a focus on implementing new business while also streamlining processes to maximize business efficiency and profitability.
Personal History
Outside of work, Rachel spends her time with her husband, son, daughter, dog and many roaming farm cats. She enjoys cheering her kids on in sports, watching reality TV shows, and improving her talent of juggling.
David Clark
Director of Integration Services
Joined VBA: 2017
Professional History
David graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. He first began working in the insurance and claims industry after joining Navigant Consulting in 2004 with a primary focus on servicing long-tail claims in the international market.
After leaving Navigant Consulting, David joined DentaQuest in 2009 where he started on the Member Enrollment team responsible for healthcare data exchanges and system conversions. He later became a Member Enrollment Supervisor, overseeing a team of analysts responsible for maintaining the enrollment of over 20 million lives. David spent his remaining years at DentaQuest as Executive Director of Client Services, managing a variety of dental and vision services for Medicaid and Medicare benefits around the country.
David joined VBA in 2017 as a Data Integration Analyst and was promoted to Director of Integration Services in 2019.
Personal History
Outside of work, David spends his free time with his wife and two young boys. They enjoy watching any Wisconsin sporting event and boating in lake country around the Milwaukee area. He also enjoys music and plays a variety of instruments in bands that perform throughout the Milwaukee and Chicago areas.
Dave Ostrenga
Director of Data Services
Joined VBA: 2018
Professional History
Dave graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and afterward spent time in the financial industry, first as a banker and then developing and maintaining data processes. He began working with healthcare and insurance data upon joining DentaQuest as an Information Analyst. After moving into a leadership role and taking ownership of client relationships, Dave gained experience in every aspect of the data process life cycle, from requirements gathering to development to maintenance of production processes.
Dave then took on a Software Architect role at Trisept Solutions. There, his focus was leading business process improvements, reporting and analytics.
With a desire to return to healthcare data, Dave joined VBA as an EDI Developer. He took on leadership responsibilities as a Senior EDI Developer and served as the Manager of Data Solutions prior to moving into his current role as Director of Data Services.
Personal History
Dave spends his time outside of work with his wife, son and daughter. The family is very sports-oriented, and the kids are involved in baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis and taekwondo. A longtime amateur baseball player, Dave has since retired to focus on coaching youth baseball.
Shawn Mann
Director of Application Services
Joined VBA: 2013
Professional History
Shawn joined VBA in 2013 as a software developer on VBAGateway and now serves as the company’s Director of Application Services.
Shawn has over 20 years of software development experience, specializing in web applications. Prior to joining VBA, Shawn developed loan and investor tracking and payment software for a Las Vegas based real estate investment firm.
Personal History
Shawn lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Britty, their four children and three dogs. Shawn is a vegan who loves reading, learning, art, gaming, movies, cooking and basketball.
Kari Krueger
Director of Support Services
Joined VBA: 2018
Professional History
Kari started with VBA in June of 2018 as a Data Integration Analyst and was eventually promoted to Director of Support Services. In this role, she is responsible for the support services team, providing first-level support to our clients and ensuring their experience with us is handled in a timely manner and our incident turnaround goals are met.
Kari started in the Property Casualty insurance industry right out of high school and worked in various departments including underwriting, accounts receivable, and later at the help desk where she started her IT career and began to pursue her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Business Administration through Lakeland College in Sheboygan, WI.
In 2012, Kari pursued an opportunity in the health insurance industry within the COBRA division at Wageworks, which is now Health Equity. She was a Data Integration Engineer and worked with clients and vendors on their COBRA eligibility data integration needs. She also trained new associates in her role when acquisitions occurred. While at WageWorks, she was promoted to Supervisor of Data Services and led the team handling data discrepancies and file related issues until joining VBA in 2018.
Kari received the Lisa B award in 2021, which is given annually to one or more VBA employees who exemplify a positive attitude and exhibit compassion and concern for their co-workers.
Personal History
Kari has a passion for service and has served as Vice President of Kettle Moraine Insurance Professionals, a group of professionals in the insurance and risk management industries. During her time with KMIP, she co-authored a cookbook to help with group functions, such as continuing education and attending regional or national conferences. While at WageWorks, Kari helped co-author another cookbook for the company based on employee recipes. The sales of the book raised over $5,000 for Feeding America.
Kari is a single mom whose son will soon be graduating high school. She loves to cook, entertain family and friends and venture to her family vacation home in northern Wisconsin. Kari also likes to shoot pool and is in a weekly league.
Peter Verbeten
Director of Product Experience
Joined VBA: 2015
Professional History
Peter joined VBA in June of 2015 as a Business Analyst. He directed the Support Team from July of 2019 to December of 2020, and then served as the Manager of Quality Assurance. He was promoted to Director of Product Experience in 2022.
Peter’s previous experience being a VBA product expert and training VBA clients has prepared him to lead others into VBA’s future. He shares VBA’s commitment to the highest level of quality for its products. He is passionate about providing a quality user experience, and Peter looks forward to the future of automation in this space.
Peter graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2012. He began his career at Zywave as a Database Analyst and eventually an Implementation Consultant. This is where Peter learned about agile development and the benefits software space. He moved on to Rexnord, where he started as a Business Analyst. He learned the basis of requirements gathering in this role.
Personal History
Peter spends much of his free time with wife and three daughters building lasting memories. His personal time is split between woodworking, gardening, and PC gaming.
Rosanna Zepecki
Director of Human Resources
Joined VBA: 2020
Professional History
Rosanna joined VBA in 2020 as the Director of Human Resources. She has over 20 years of experience in Human Resources and over 17 years of technical recruiting experience in the Milwaukee market. Rosanna is responsible for all aspects of human resources, from employee benefits to recruitment and hiring. She will continue to play a pivotal role in the growth of VBA for the foreseeable future.
Rosanna holds a BA in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and she is SPHR certified.
Personal History
Outside of work, Rosanna enjoys running and biking. She is currently training for her second marathon. Rosanna also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.
Management Team
“Live in such a way that those who know you, but don’t know God will come to know God because they know you.”
Kris Kirchner
Data Systems Manager
Joined VBA: 2020
Professional History
Kris joined VBA in March 2020 as a Data Analyst. He also served as a Database Administrator and a Software Engineer before being promoted to Data Systems Manager in 2023. In this position, he is responsible for overseeing the database environment and structures, as well as the internal processes that interact with the databases. His team also ensures the data integrity and support of the current applications that rely on VBA’s databases and continually seeks to improve the speed, functionality and dependability of VBA systems.
Prior to joining VBA, Kris worked as a Data Services Manager and Technical Lead for Marshall & Swift-Boeckh, which later became CoreLogic. He also worked as a Software Engineer for Xerox. Early in his career, Kris was an Algebra and Geometry teacher at Burlington High School, and he also worked as a carpenter on new construction and home remodel projects.
Kris earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse with a dual major in Computer Science and Math.
Personal Interests
When he is away from work, Kris enjoys spending as much time as he can with his children and grandchildren. He also enjoys hiking or kayaking in the great outdoors.
Ian Noble
Software Development Manager – Engagement Solutions
Joined VBA 2021
Professional History
Ian joined VBA in February 2021 as a Software Developer and was promoted to Software Development Manager – Engagement Solutions in 2023. In this role, he is responsible for leading multiple teams of software developers who design, develop and support VBA’s web solutions, such as VBAGateway.
Prior to joining VBA, Ian worked as a UI/UX Senior Developer at Trimble. He brings more than 20 years of experience to his role, using his knowledge of the current technology landscape to promote best practices in web design. He has held a variety of development positions for client-facing and internal applications in companies such as Meridian Systems, Golden 1 Credit Union, Cology and BizFlex.
Personal Interests
When he is away from work, Ian enjoys coaching baseball, playing video games, and collecting way too many board games.
Shawn Odle
Senior Manager of Channel Partnerships
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Shawn joined VBA in October 2021 and manages the integrity and relationships between VBA and its channel partners.
Shawn has over 10 years of consulting and healthcare technology experience. For the last six years, he has exclusively focused on enhancing the member experience and the successful enablement of partner products for various healthcare SaaS solutions.
Before joining the team, Shawn worked at Zipari, formerly Healthx, as Senior Manager of Client Support and a Partner Solution Analyst for over five years.
Shawn holds a B.A. in Communications from DePauw University and an MBA with a certificate in marketing from the University of Indianapolis School of Business.
Personal History
Outside of work, Shawn’s spends time with his wife and their son. Watching and coaching his son’s numerous sporting events (basketball, football, track and field, tennis) consumes the majority of his time away from the office. Shawn loves cooking and grilling for his family and friends.
Shawn also serves on the Board of Directors of The Orchard School. He is involved with youth mentorship via 100 Black Men of Indianapolis and also volunteers with the Indiana Sports Corp. He co-chaired the communications committee for the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee.
Katlin Patterson
Manager of Data Integration
Joined VBA: 2019
Professional History
Katlin joined the VBA team back in 2019 as Data Integration Support Specialist. Later that year, she moved into the Data Integration Analyst role. In 2021, she was promoted to Senior Data Integration Analyst, where she helped train new analysts and she became a Manager of Data Integration in 2022.
Katlin graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. She began her career as an analyst at WageWorks and held the position of Data Analyst II, focusing on documentation and processes while working closely with third parties and vendors. She then became an IT Metrics Analyst at HSABank where her primary focus was reporting on key performance and quality indicators, as they related to IT.
Personal History
Katlin’s free time is spent with her husband, daughter and son. As a family they enjoy spending time outside, going on walks, hiking, and swimming.
Christian Peck
Manager of Eligibility Integration
Joined VBA: 2018
Professional History
Christian joined VBA in 2018 as an ETL Developer and was promoted to Senior ETL Developer in 2020. He quickly advanced into the role of Manager of Eligibility Integration in 2021. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing the transition of eligibility data into and out of VBA’s solutions and working to optimize B2B interactions.
Prior to joining VBA, Christian worked as a Business Systems Analyst for Milwaukee Tool and as an IT Project Coordinator for Nexgen Packaging. He has a passion for business intelligence and its ability to promote growth opportunities for developing companies.
Christian holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Sharri Seffens
Manager of Data Integration
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Sharri joined VBA in April 2021 as a Business Analyst and has worked in various roles throughout the company, including Implementation Manager and Data Integration Analyst. She was promoted to Manager of Data Integration in 2023. In this role, she is responsible for building strong relationships with VBA clients and vendors by helping set up file feeds to support their business and ensuring they have a positive experience.
Prior to joining VBA, Sharri worked as a Project Manager for WPS Health Insurance. Sharri brings a wealth of experience in planning, project management, requirements gathering, quality assurance testing, training and technical documentation. She has a strong technical background and is an excellent communicator, which allows her to act as a liaison between business and technical staff.
Sharri earned a Master’s Certificate in Project Management and a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate from the University of Wisconsin School of Business.
Personal Interests
In her free time, Sharri enjoys traveling, walking/hiking, movies, reading and spending time with family.
James Stupka
Manager of Quality Assurance
Joined VBA: 2020
Professional History
James joined VBA in December of 2020 as a Software Quality Automation Engineer and was promoted to Manager of Quality Assurance in 2022. He is responsible for ensuring a quality software development process including introducing new technologies to improve accuracy and efficiency, identifying, setting and communicating new quality standards, and coordinating product testing.
Prior to joining VBA, James worked for a year at PKWARE in the QA department testing enterprise data encryption software. He also previously worked nearly 5 years at Empower Retirement on the Large/Mega Payroll Conversion team working with the largest retirement plans in the United States.
Personal History
In his personal time, James enjoys playing computer games with friends, home repair, board/tabletop games, cooking, and helping out with local conventions such as Anime Milwaukee.
BJ Whiddon
Manager of Payer Solutions
Joined VBA: 2013
Professional History
BJ joined VBA in 2013 as a Software Engineer and now serves as the Manager of Payer Solutions responsible for leading the development teams for VBASoftware, VBAReport and VBAdjudication.
He has over 27 years of development experience. After starting his career in the U.S. Air Force in 1995 working on the Standard Material Accounting System and completing four years of active duty, BJ continued to work on this system as a civilian contractor.
He worked as a Senior Programmer at the Northrop Grunman Corporation and Ingenium Corporation for nearly 10 years. Afterwards, he joined General Dynamics as a Senior Programmer and was the Lead PowerBuilder technician on a general ledger accounting system for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
Personal History
BJ lives in South Dakota with his wife, Melissa, and their son, William. He enjoys spending time with family and friends and playing games of all kinds. He is also active in his community, having served on the local Lund Theatre board, as Adjutant of his American Legion Post and as a Scout leader.
Mitchell Wilichowski
Manager of Claims Integration
Joined VBA: 2010
Professional History
Mitch holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. He joined VBA in August of 2010 on an internship while attending school. With over a decade of experience as part of the VBA team, Mitch brings a wide range of knowledge and experience to his role.
Throughout his time with the company, Mitch has been responsible for report writing, support incident resolution, encounter reporting, claims, eligibility, ID cards, accumulators, invoicing, automated clearing house, billing and payment interface development. His experience with claims covers almost all types of claim imports and exports including pharmacy, inpatient and outpatient medical and dental.
Personal History
Mitch’s favorite pastimes include watching his two girls grow up and coaching their soccer teams in the spring and fall. He also enjoys hiking, hunting and getting lost outdoors when he’s up in north Wisconsin with his two labs.
Sales Team
“If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough.”
Jay Hammond
Senior Sales Executive
Joined VBA: 2023
Professional History
Jay joined VBA in February 2023 as a Senior Sales Executive. In this role, he focuses on educating potential clients about the value of VBA solutions in the healthcare payer and administrator space and demonstrating how VBA’s technology can positively impact their operations and the lives of the constituents they serve.
Prior to joining VBA, Jay held a variety of sales positions at PLEXIS Healthcare Systems, most recently serving as the Vice President of Sales. He has deep knowledge of healthcare payer operations and is able to engage with anyone within the organization from end users to technical buyers all the way up to senior leaders and decision makers.
Jay graduated with a bachelor’s in health promotion and fitness management and a bachelor’s in business management from Southern Oregon University. He also successfully completed Miller Hyman Sales Training.
Personal Interests
Jay was born and grew up in Alaska. He currently lives in Ashland, Oregon with his wife and two daughters. He has been very engaged in youth sports for the last 18 years and enjoys watching his college-aged daughters play collegiate soccer. He also spends his free time downhill skiing, rafting and fly fishing as well as hanging out with the family’s dogs who also happen to be his at-home coworkers!
Mike Jasien
Senior Sales Executive
Joined VBA: 2022
Professional History
Mike joined VBA in June 2022 as a Senior Sales Executive. In this role, he is responsible for building relationships with potential clients in the health plan and managed care space, educating them about the value of VBA solutions and generating sales for the company.
Prior to joining VBA, Mike was a Senior Sales Executive for Conduent. Mike brings over 20 years of experience in the healthcare payer and technology space. He is always up for a challenge, and he enjoys working side by side with payer organizations to understand their needs and propose solutions that will improve their operations and position them for success.
Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from James Madison University.
Personal Interests
Outside of work, Mike enjoys spending time with his family. He also loves being on the water, whether he is boating, sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding or just spending time at the beach.
Georgeann Seuffert
Senior Sales Executive
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Georgeann joined VBA in April 2021 as a Senior Sales Executive. In this role, she is responsible for engaging and educating healthcare payers about VBA’s suite of solutions and demonstrating how they can gain a competitive edge while achieving their key business objectives.
Prior to joining VBA, Georgeann was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Planwatch, a healthcare analytics company, where she focused on developing short and long-term sales strategies to gain market share and uncovering new sales opportunities for prospective and current clients, which nurtured growth for a multi-million-dollar company. She also researched industry trends to better understand customer needs and provide insights for product development.
Georgeann has many years of experience working with TPAs, health plans, brokers, stop loss carriers and PPO vendors, which helps her to understand the unique needs and goals of her clients. She is also a licensed agent for accident, life and health insurance.
Personal Interests
In her free time, Georgeann enjoys golf, traveling with her husband and spending family time with her adult daughter. On the weekends, she loves cooking and preparing meals to share with family and friends. She also volunteers and cooks for her local American Legion Post 703 in Ohio.
Mike Tuomey
Senior Sales Executive
Joined VBA: 2021
Professional History
Mike joined VBA in February 2021 as a Senior Sales Executive. In this role, he is responsible for introducing VBA’s suite of solutions to third-party administrators and other healthcare payers and helping those prospective clients achieve their business goals.
Prior to joining VBA, Mike worked at Mphasis-Eldorado as the Director of Sales for Javelina. He brings over 30 years of experience in sales and administration of health insurance products and sales of enterprise software to the healthcare payer market, including third-party administrators, insurance companies, managed care organizations, unions and self-insured employers.
Mike is a former licensed health insurance agent and actively participates in many industry associations including the Health Care Administrators Association, Self-Insurance Institute of America and the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators.
Personal Interests
When he is away from work, Mike enjoys spending time with family, traveling, boating and billiards.