CO-FOUNDER
Jack co-founded Accelare to reinvent the theory and practice of management. For over a century, businesses have operated under the inadvertent tyranny of hierarchy and industrial era design principles.
WorkFit and the Strategy-to-Execution process are the heartbeat of Jack's work to unleash the power of inspired, connected, agile teams with engaged, authentic leaders to design new business models and build high-performance organizations.
Jack is a noted author and speaker, contributing to such works as:
Jack holds numerous patents and is a principal in a number of early-stage companies.
Jack is also a Board Member and Vice-Chairman of Healthcare Delivery of the Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Tech.
In his spare time, Jack is an avid skier, surfer, runner, and musician.
CO-FOUNDER
Mark is a noted consultant and software architect who has served business and IT leaders for the past 20 years. He is passionate about helping clients ensure they are investing in the right initiatives and delivering those initiatives as quickly as practical.
Mark's work has been cited in several business books over the past decade, including:
Prior to co-founding Accelare, Mark worked at Perot Systems where he designed Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare's groundbreaking approach to simplifying health plan administration through HPHConnect, one of the first online enrollment and billing solutions for health plans
Before that, he founded a software development firm and authored several sales proposal automation software solutions and a law firm contact and conflict management system.
Outside work hours, Mark and his wife Diane enjoy the challenge of raising their two daughters, Riley and Delaney. Mark is also an avid golfer and competes at state and national levels. He enjoys reading US history and biographies of historical figures.
Brendan brings over 20 years working with clients on business strategy, technology adoption, organizational change, and process redesign. He has been at the forefront of multiple technology waves, helping clients to achieve rapid business value from new and emerging technologies.
Brendan’s career has focused on leveraging technology to support strategic change across a variety of industries; including healthcare, high technology, financial services, and government.
Brendan has been an executive in both high technology and consulting companies, where he has always been at the intersection of strategy and technology.
In his spare time, Brendan enjoys golfing, skiing, and cycling.
Michael is an IT professional and leader with over 30 years of experience including working for the New York Stock Exchange and Liberty Mutual. Over the last several years, he has been focused on successful design and delivery of ServiceNow initiatives as an Enterprise / Solutions Architect. These engagements include customers in the Federal, State, and Commercial areas.
Spencer is a consultant with a multi-faceted background in commercial real estate, strategy development, and project management. He has demonstrated proven success in organizational transformation, business turnarounds, financial recovery, and process improvement initiatives. He is an engaging team leader recognized for his creative problem solving and customer service.
In his previous roles, Spencer has worked on behalf of a multitude of multi-national corporations, within both private and public sectors, and across a variety of industries including banking, retail, industrial products, and venture capital.
Spencer holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Boston University, concentrating in Finance.
Prior to joining Accelare, Camille brings a decade of relationship and program management experience, with a cross-functional background in consumer lending, retail management and non-profit arts management. She most recently oversaw the volunteer and tours program at a historic Boston art museum, in which she led redesign initiatives for both, while the museum embarked on a five-year strategic plan. Camille had previously spent three years in private art sales, where she represented contemporary artists and modern masters. Recognizing opportunities for expansion, she spearheaded a satellite gallery that closely engaged with the local interior design industry and increasing gallery visibility.
With a focus on the customer and visitor experience, she approaches problems empathetically and acts as an advocate for her clients and constituents. One to challenge the adage of "we've always done it this way", she enjoys strategizing innovative approaches to improve efficacy and efficiency of processes. Mission-driven, she is also passionate about organizations focused on public policy, education, and social impact causes.
Camille received her BA from Michigan State University in Arts History and Visual Culture and is continuing her education with an MBA at the D'Amore Mc-Kim School of Business at Northeastern University, where she is concentrating in Healthcare Management and Marketing.
Outside of work, Camille is an avid reader, photographer and cook, who enjoys live music, tennis, and art museums.
Chris is an experienced consultant with applied knowledge of project management, application portfolio rationalization, systems implementation, strategic planning and process re-engineering. As a certified Scrum Master, Chris has facilitated and lead team communication, cooperation and coaching. Chris enjoys sharing his knowledge of the Agile/Scrum project management methodology through introductory training sessions for clients.
In his most recent role, Chris has consulted for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. During this engagement, Chris has led scrum teams in developing a COTS solution for a Learning Management System as well as an agency wide contact center for customer support. His leadership on these projects have driven policy development, system implementation and external and internal stakeholder communications efforts.
Previously, Chris has consulted for the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles to assist in their core system replacement initiative. During this engagement, he was been a key member of their modernization program including Project Management Office (PMO) oversight, business process redesign and optimization initiatives.
Chris has received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Before her career as a consultant, Hannah spent over a decade working with Dr. Michael Hammer. She has leveraged this experience and has educated leaders of corporations, not-for-profits, and the military on the benefits of the process-centered organization and transformational customer experience.
With over 25 years experience working with such clients as the U.S. Air Force, Zurich Financial, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Citizens Bank, and the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, Hannah has become a subject matter expert in marketing, business development, customer experience management (CXM), workforce optimization, and process-redesign.
Hannah’s strengths lie in looking at the end-to-end customer experience as a multi-faceted journey. She uses market segmentation and "personas" to create a more robust view of the customer experience and incorporates this into illustrative maps of the journey. She has a keen ability to identify and conceptualize the holistic view of the customer experience: culture, people, process, and data.
Hannah holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in American History and Economics and a Master of Business Administration from Simmons Graduate School of Management.
Hannah is a Trustee of the Woodward School for Girls and the President of the Harvard Club of Quincy. In her spare time, she enjoys doing stand-up comedy and rowing crew.
Keziah is an accounting professional with ten years of experience in accounting systems and management, Inventory accounting, sales and marketing, and consulting in the pharmaceutical, technology, and agro trading industries. I was introduced into the arena of consulting dating back to my third year as an undergrad where I worked as a marketing consultant for a pharmaceutical company and gained real-time experience on how effective strategy impact company success. As a goal-oriented person with the desire to be a diversified Consultant and have a holistic view of business processes and strategies, I explored the other side of the business world changing from my role as a Marketing consultant to Accounts Manager and Inventory Accountant. I have acquired the ability to collaborate effectively with managers to resolve variances, solve problems, refine forecasts, identified ways for improvement, and contributed to efficient accounts and inventory management over the years.
Prior to my MBA at the D’Amore Mc-Kim School of Business at Northeastern University where my concentrations are Investment Finance and Business Analytics, I held a Master of Science in Business Administration from Linkoping University in Sweden with a major in Innovation and project management and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting.
Outside work, I am a sports fan with a key interest in Soccer and Tennis and I enjoy traveling to explore nature as I am always amazed by every discovery.
Wil Santana is a ServiceNow Developer and Certified System Administrator at Accelare. He has been working on the ServiceNow platform for over two years delivering implementations and configuration changes for the Customer Service Management (CSM) and IT Service Management (ITSM) applications. He also worked alongside Ryan Castaldi at Plat4Mation as a Junior Consultant where he was given the opportunity to learn the ServiceNow platform through continuous learning and practical use cases.
Prior to transitioning to the ServiceNow industry, he worked for a non-profit affordable housing organization where he developed digital solutions which streamlined the delivery of vital data and information to various stakeholders. His curious nature and willingness to tackle new technologies were also utilized in a city government role where he delivered marketing solutions on the MailChimp and Jotform platforms as well as improving the project management process utilizing SmartSheets.
In his spare time Wil enjoys working out, discovering new shows on Netflix, traveling, and cooking.
Jim is a maker, learner and coach with a keen interest in helping individuals, teams and organizations realize their performance aspirations. People let too many things get in the way of actualizing what they know in the heads to be helpful and productive. Often all they lack is someone to ask the right questions, make their aspirations actionable and coach them through realization.
After leaving the Electrical Engineering Lab for Information Technology, Jim found his work/playground. A place where people, process, technology and business can align to produce amazing results but rarely do so without struggle. Jim has led Teaming, Leadership Alignment, Leader Development, Change Management and Strategy Clarification programs.
He is a Co-author of The Capable Company: Building the Capabilities that Make Strategy Work (Wiley) and holds two patents related to disc drive performance enhancement and one for holistic computer resource management.
Jim maintains a healthy balance with frequent travel, flamework – glass art, photography, Internet of Things tinkering, and providing science lesson plans and supplies for the two middle-schools in his neighborhood.
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Jennifer has built her career driving change and transformation. Technical aptitude, servant leadership, and building relationships are core to who she is and how she works. She served her teams and customers for over 16 years as a leader in various operational roles with CenturyLink, including Public Safety Services and Global Change Management, where she managed large-scale technology implementations, developed business processes, delivered training programs, and created a culture integration practice. She was honored to serve on the FCC Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) III, be appointed to the MN E-Government Advisory Council and receive the CEO Top Talent award.
She transitioned to consulting in 2017 and joined Accelare in 2020. She is laser-focused on delivering outcomes and exceptional customer experience.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and is a proud Gustie. She serves on the National Advisory Board for Gustavus Women in Leadership and is also Co-Chair of Gusties in Business. She is a professional coach and earned her Coach Practitioner certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF). She also serves on the ICF MN board as Communications Co-Chair.
She enjoys reading, music, movies, a good workout, and loves spending time with her family (including two adorable dogs) and friends.
John is a Senior Consultant at Accelare and brings with him years of experience in consulting and healthcare management. Prior to his role with Accelare, John worked in Life Sciences consulting focusing on the commercialization of novel pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and medical diagnostics. His strategic expertise in commercialization, or market access activities, led to the successful launch of many new and emerging technologies. John also worked for a health insurance carrier as a Senior Provider Relations Manager. His focus on developing and maintaining relationships with delivery networks and provider groups helped the growing carrier deliver high-quality care. John’s experience across the healthcare industry gives him a unique perspective on industry stakeholders and strategic activities that drive growth.
Most recently with Accelare, John worked with a health insurance partner to define and outline a digital marketing strategy aimed to enhance customer awareness, improve customer experience, and ultimately increase market share and revenue for the carrier. Through his work, John has extensive experience in the Strategy-to-Execution process, large scale project management, and structured agile/scrum.
John received a bachelor’s degree in Management and Business and a minor in Mathematics from Skidmore College. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and perfecting his cooking craft.
Jorge is an up-and-coming trilingual consultant with a cross-functional background spanning multiple industries. His experience in management, sales, operations, accounting, and customer service bring a big picture mentality to work teams. Prior to joining Accelare, he oversaw the improvement of procurement processes and managed supplier relationships of a historic Boston hotel as its Purchasing Manager, effectively reducing costs and operational redundancies, as well as ensuring high product quality.
Jorge has a focus on improving customer experience (Cx) in healthcare, where he has helped clients define buyer personas and design end-to-end business processes using service blueprints.
He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business & Trade at Florida Atlantic University. He is pursuing an MBA degree at Northeastern University, concentrating his studies in Corporate Finance and International Business.
In his spare time, he enjoys training, baseball, weightlifting and boxing, while also playing the guitar and coaching youth teams.
Justin manages Accelare software development and is a key contributor to the design, development, and support of WorkFit, Accelare’s tool for implementing Strategy to Execution (S2E).
Justin works with clients and his Accelare colleagues to gather business requirements for new and enhanced features in WorkFit. He then translates those requirements into technology, managing the design, testing, and delivery of those features.
Justin loves solving problems and delivering great user experiences.
Outside of work, Justin enjoys writing music, golfing, and disc golfing.
As a Certified Scrum Master, Kevin is currently working to redesign an enterprise software system of a large government agency while developing and implementing its agency wide training curriculum.
Prior to his work as a consultant, Kevin amassed over 7 years of industry experience with Audi of America as well as Honda and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. This experience includes areas such as sales/marketing, data analysis, business process design, training, and communications.
Kevin enjoys an active lifestyle with as much travel and time spent outside or by the ocean as possible. He has passions for photography, baseball, and running, and can be found checking out live music or a new craft brewery with Maggie and Reuben in his free time.
Steve has worked with numerous corporations to create effective, compelling visuals that quickly convey a complex message. He has helped many healthcare insurers communicate their business architecture ideas, and the graphics he has created illuminate the new discipline of business capability modeling. (You can find many of these graphics in the top ranks of image searches in this area.) He also worked with Microsoft to build a catalog of images that support its capability mapping methodology.
Steve has been creating eye-catching graphics since the early days of the Apple Macintosh and keeps current emerging tools and welcomes new ways to communicate and document ideas.
Steve has a funny bone and uses it to lighten the mood. He really enjoys a good laugh and often meditates using “Seinfeld” TV episodes. He also enjoys hiking and biking in the great outdoors — and hopes to take up kayaking.
Mark leads Accelare's Service Design Lifecycle Management (SDLM) and Customer Experience Deployment practices using Accelare's proven methodology that instantiates Service Design and Customer Experience through a multistep stage-gate process; aligning the customer’s Service Level Expectation (SLE) with the enterprise’s capabilities.
With over 30 years of experience ranging from sales, marketing and global distribution to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and open source software development Mark has helped clients such as Citizens Bank, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Perot Systems, Workscape, Target, AvMed, NASCO, Neighborhood Health Plans, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, and The Public Consulting Group optimize processes/technology and codify their product/service development. He has broad delivery experience ranging from process (SDLC) and governance design to SOA discovery and Product Lifecycle Management.
Mark is a TOGAF-9 certified Enterprise Architect, holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. He is also the founder and former benevolent dictator of BostonPHP.org, a very popular open source user group in the Boston area.
Outside of work, Mark enjoys backcountry skiing, cycling, mountain biking, singing, ice hockey, golf, tennis, economics, woodworking and myriad other general areas of mischief.
Sean graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics. He then spent the next 5 years working in political data in and around Washington D.C.
He is currently learning the complexities of Servicenow platform which range from application creation to scripting solutions. On his way to becoming certified in Custom and Field Service Management, he has demonstrated a deep understanding delivering solutions and architectural systems. Sean is also an engaging team leader who participates in daily briefings and update meetings.
When not on the job Sean enjoys spending time outside hiking, golfing, or playing Ultimate Frisbee. He also loves working on a DIY project and consider himself a cinephile.
Matt is a consultant with a strong foundation in project and portfolio management, business architecture, and organizational change management. He is experienced with executive communication and building transparent project management practices across organizations.
Since joining Accelare, Matt has worked with a variety of public sector and non-profit organizations. This experience incorporates a number of agencies around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including building and launching a strategic Project Management Office (PMO) at the MBTA, managing the development of online services at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), and managing the implementation of a hybrid-cloud queuing system at the RMV. Most recently, Matt has lead the program management oversight at the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) for the federal Child Care Development Block Grant initiatives, including implementing a new Learning Management System (LMS), redesigning and implementing a modern background record check system, and building an onboarding approach for new types of care at the agency.
Prior to joining Accelare, Matt was a researcher working for the Vermont Legislative Research Service where he provided state legislators nonpartisan research to inform their proposals prior to drafting legislation.
Matt holds a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Vermont. Additionally, he is a certified Scrum Master, product certified in Smartsheet, and is an accredited AWS Business Professional.
Matt enjoys spending as much time as he can outdoors and on the water. In his spare time, you’ll find him golfing, fishing, sailing, and skiing.
Matt has worked over 10 years to analyze, identify and provide solutions to complex business challenges. He received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and his MBA from Northeastern University.
Since joining Accelare in early 2016, Matt has worked with several clients including the Department of Children of Families, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Department of Revenue and a private healthcare company.
At the Department of Revenue (DOR), Matt worked as part of a small team to assess the operations of the tax processing group. Once the assessment was complete, Matt and his Accelare colleagues recommended over two dozen projects that could help improve the department’s workflow efficiency. Matt managed a project track focused on developing employee training — highlighting and reinforcing an end-to-end understanding of the department’s operations. In addition to overseeing the training project, Matt assisted in the delivery of two other project tracks.
Matt has the proven ability to manage client needs through clear and communication skills.
Areas of Expertise / Skills:
Mikyas Aklu is a hands-on consultant skilled in process improvement, business process optimization and ability to manage cross-functional work teams.
Over the past two years with Accelare, he worked on several projects at different agencies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the Human Resources Department (HRD), Mikyas managed a transformation project that allowed Massachusetts’ HR operations to holistically and deliberately move toward a contemporary talent and performance management services organization, while realizing big efficiencies from a new operating model and platforms.
At the Department of Revenue (DOR), Mikyas managed a run and improve project in the Inbound Operations department. After an initial rapid assessment of DOR’s processing unit, the team identified 26 process improvement opportunities. In subsequent phases, Mikyas managed the implementation of several of these initiatives, ranging from work flow optimization to tax form redesign.
Mikyas received his MBA from Northeastern University and a BS in Biochemistry from Eastern Mennonite University.
Areas of Expertise/skills:
Nancy brings over 20 years’ experience to her role managing a variety of operational areas at Accelare, including accounting, human resources, employee on-boarding, and compensation and benefits administration.
As our office manager, she helps set a clear path for success for each of our employees.
Nancy’s prior positions with globally-recognized leaders, like PricewaterhouseCoopers, instilled in her a commitment to taking a "Team Effort" approach to developing organization success.
Nancy likes to spend time with her husband, family and friends traveling and exploring new places.
Rich has been helping Accelare clients find solutions to their problems for many years. He has a great grasp of Consulting and Project Management and holds his Agile certification, maximizing the efforts of the teams he has been assigned to; and always looking to match skill sets to mitigate the project issues. His experiences have been across a wide range of industries and his broad skill set has been appreciated by his clients. Rich has worked with his clients to understand their processes and guided them in their reengineering efforts to more effective and efficient operations. He has always had a consulting style of rolling up his sleeves and lending support to his clients and colleagues throughout his many years of engagement work.
He has been involved in Executive Consulting assignments for almost 25 years. Rich has consulted for Accelare at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, BCBS of Massachusetts, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, GMAC, Citizen’s Bank, The United States State Department, Neighborhood Health Plan (Allways), MedRisk, United Health, Optum, Beacon Health and most recently Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the MBTA and Registry of Motor Vehicle. Prior to consulting Rich held a series of Executive positions in the Healthcare and Software industries.
Rich has a very high EQ and is fascinated by people and personalities. Having traveled around the world well over eight times and conducted business in over 30 countries, he enjoys meeting different people and learning about their worlds. In his off time, he is an avid sports fan with a passion for football.
Rich has been on the front line of the strategy-to-execution, capability management, and new growth platform movements, leading to the creation of many practical tools and methods to orchestrate sustainable change. As an Accelare mentor, he uses this experience to develop collaborative Accelare/client teams of who take strategy to design and innovative designs to practical execution.
In addition to publishing numerous strategic planning and leadership articles, he is the lead author of:
Rich is passionate about improving the way leaders take strategy to execution and enjoys collaborating with teams in thinking through new adaptive challenges. Always learning, he continues to write to sharpen business insights.
He is an avid hiker, weekend cook and enjoys traveling to experience different cultures and thinking.
Derek is a Design with a background in business analysis and has a passion for maximizing efficiency and standardizing processes whenever possible. After studying Actuarial Science, Business, and Psychology, he applied the analytical principles he learned at Bentley University in multiple IT and analyst roles, working to improve the lives of clients and coworkers by bringing together the right people, processes, and platforms. Along the way, Derek has gained experience in multiple different applications including Salesforce and ServiceNow.
In his personal time, Derek enjoys trying new recipes, taking long walks outside, and adding to his ever-growing sneaker collection.
Jason is a rising consultant who found his passion during his first year as an MBA candidate at Northeastern University. Majoring in Communication Studies during his undergrad at the University of Alabama and concentrating in Corporate Finance and Data Analytics at Northeastern University, Jason brings a wide range of quantitative and qualitative skills to the Accelare team. He is a high-spirited, team-oriented person who thrives in fast-paced environments.
Jason was elected as the President of the Graduate Consulting Club for the school year of 2022-2023, and looks forward to passing on what he’s learned to incoming MBA students to help them discover what consulting path is best for them.
Outside of work, Jason is an avid lover of sports. You can find him on the golf course on weekends, watching the Dallas Cowboys/University of Alabama football, Barbequing, reading, or spending time with his friends and family.
Alexey is experienced ServiceNow architect with a proven track record of success managing projects and leading teams to meet business objectives with a diverse skillset across a wide range of ITSM platforms. Alexey has 10+ years ServiceNow experience across various modules, deployment of ServiceNow solutions and process/data migration in a wide variety of clients predominantly in Banking, Government and Service Provider industries.
At Accelare, we help our clients design and implement new processes, technologies, and people practices helping them transform the way they work and prepare for the future. We seek to help every organization reach high-performance by building a culture of continuous improvement and enabling every individual to realize their personal best. A key aspect of this vision is to help our clients understand the strategic importance of, plan for and execute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at their organization.
The concepts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are so much more than moral obligations, and should rightfully play an important part in every organization’s strategy for the future. Unfortunately, most organizations treat these initiatives as an afterthought or a “nice-to-have”, when in fact they play a pivotal role in an organization’s ability to thrive. What’s more, misalignment between the strategies employed and the desired outcomes, often result in cases where the organization is no closer to, and sometimes further from, their desired outcome.
For Accelare to truly “change the world of work”, we first must address these principles in our own organization as well as in our engagement with our clients. Accelare is committed to doing its part to employ practices that act on these values for our consultants, but that is not enough. We will also promote these principles within the greater consulting community and help our clients understand and realize the value of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.
We believe this commitment begins with the understanding that every individual comes from a different background, race, ethnicity and gender, and that these factors must be recognized and embraced when we do our part to help to ensure that every individual realizes their personal best.
As part of Accelare’s commitment to embracing diversity in the consulting industry, we continue to add new and work with a variety of diverse firms in our project delivery.
Accelare’s senior leadership takes supplier diversity seriously, taking it into consideration in the scoping of all projects undertaken by the company. This team is in charge of managing relationships with existing suppliers as well as identifying and qualifying new suppliers and subcontractors.