BJ Schaknowski is a seasoned software industry executive, with over 20 years of experience in leadership roles across a wide variety of operating functions. Before joining symplr, BJ served as the Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Vertafore, the world's leading provider of insurance technology. Prior to that, BJ spent four years at LexisNexis Software Solutions in progressively ascending roles, culminating as its SVP Marketing, Sales & Services. He held numerous senior and global leadership roles earlier in his career at CA Technologies, Intuit, and Sage Software.

BJ brings his dedication to creating balanced value and outcomes for employees, customers, and shareholders to the symplr community. Deeply committed to philanthropic efforts, BJ was recently appointed to the Susan G. Komen Board of Directors, joining an elite group of nearly two dozen executives from various industries who help govern and advise Komen, which is the world’s leading non-profit breast cancer organization. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. BJ earned a BA in Communications from the State University of New York at Geneseo and his MBA at the University of Georgia – Terry College of Business. Schaknowski also served in the United States Marine Corps infantry as an enlisted reservist for 8 years. He lives in Denver with his wife, Heather, and two children.

As Chief Product Officer, Brian Fugere leads all product management and user experience (UX) design efforts in the company. During the past two years, he also served as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and led the engineering organization. Bringing almost 30 years of go-to-market experience in software companies of all sizes, Fugere was most recently the CMO of Virence Health, a carve out from GE Healthcare. Prior roles include President of The Estimating Edge, Chief Operating Officer and CMO of RemitDATA, and leadership positions at Belo Interactive, Stryker, and America Online.

Fugere has deep experience in executive leadership, marketing, product, sales, and operations across public, private equity, and venture-backed companies. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, an MBA from George Mason University, and has completed a leadership and business program at Harvard Business School.

As President, Nicole Rogas is responsible for driving symplr’s revenue growth strategy and overall customer experience providing oversight and vision for the Sales, Client Success, Support and Services teams.

A recognized healthcare IT and revenue cycle management leader, Nicole is focused on fostering a high-energy, high-performing culture putting the employee and the client at the center. Prior to symplr, Nicole spent 19 years at Experian Health, formerly Passport Health, where she successfully held numerous leadership positions, most recently as its Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, she oversaw the National Sales Team, among other cross-functional teams that focused on customer health and driving growth throughout all healthcare channels.

Nicole also is a recipient of the 2019 Women in Sales Awards - North America and has been an advocate for women and working parents through her career. She also is a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. Nicole earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Marketing from Marquette University and her Master’s in Business Administration from Benedictine University. She lives in Elmhurst, Illinois with her two children. For more on Nicole, please visit her LinkedIn profile.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Kristin Russel drives the development and execution of symplr’s comprehensive marketing strategy, overseeing all branding, digital and product marketing, sales enablement, public relations, community outreach programs, channel partnerships, and business development.

Recently named one of Becker’s top 100 women in healthcare, Russel is a tenured leader and a visionary in the healthcare technology industry. She also is a Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management. Before joining symplr, she led marketing at Quest Analytics and Carrot Inc. and drove revenue and new growth initiatives through strategic partnerships and marketing at Humana, Cerner, and Omnicell. She is also a successful entrepreneur, having founded fin-tech company Anachron, which was ultimately sold to ING Bank. Russel has a bachelor’s degree from McMaster University in Canada, an MBA from École Supérieure de Commerce in France, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Carleton University in Canada.

With over 20 years' experience working with providers and payers to improve outcomes and make healthcare safer and more efficient, Todd shares his passion for healthcare innovation by leading cross-functional teams in the creation and delivery of technology enabled services, analytics, and applications.

Prior to symplr, Todd held market strategy and product leadership roles at Cotiviti, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and Change Healthcare and began his career as a Field Artillery officer in the US Army. Todd earned a BS in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a MBA from Georgia Southern University.  Todd lives in Nashville with his wife, Kori, and their four children.

Austin Dirks is a Managing Director, Senior Vice President within symplr’s Contract and Supplier Management Pillar. Austin is the former CEO and Founder of GreenLight Medical leading the company from inception to acquisition by symplr in March 2022. Before founding GreenLight Medical, Austin worked as a cardiac medical device sales representative for St. Jude Medical (acquired by Abbott), as well as for Thoratec Corporation, working on merger and acquisition opportunities within the Business Development team.

Austin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, Austin was a member of the Track and Field team as a pole vaulter. Austin resides in Nashville, TN but is originally from Lincoln, NE. He patiently awaits the next Nebraska football national championship.

Bill Christy is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of symplr’s Provider Data Management Solutions. In this role, Bill oversees the product vision, development, and go-to-market strategy to deliver solutions that help payers and providers improve healthcare outcomes. A seasoned healthcare operations leader, Bill previously was Chief Customer Officer at symplr, and he continues to be a strong champion for the customer experience. Bill began his career as a biomed technician in the U.S. Air Force. After a successful career serving his country, Bill moved on to GE Healthcare, where he spent nearly 19 years holding vital leadership roles, such as Customer Operations Manager and Enterprise Services Director.

Bill received a BS in Business Administration degree from University of Maryland Global Campus and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland University College. He lives in Rochester, New York with his wife Cathy and four children.