Sean Feeney

Sean is an Operating Partner with Golden Gate Capital, focused on investment opportunities in software, SaaS and outsourced services. Prior to joining Golden Gate, he was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Inovis, Inc., a Golden Gate portfolio company that merged with GXS in June, 2010. Prior to Inovis, he was an Executive Vice President at Checkfree (now Fiserv), serving as the President of Checkfree Software, GM of American Payments, and EVP of Sales. Earlier in his career, Sean served as the Chief Operating Officer of Clarus, CEO of clickandmove.com, and VP of Sales at D&B Software and Sales Technologies.

Sean graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. degree in Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army for six years.

Joseph P. (Joe) Grace

Joe is the founder of Health Marketing Partners, a management consulting firm that develops and manages effective, performance-based marketing solutions for a broad range of companies, including WebMD, NV Perricone Cosmeceuticals, Ebewe Pharma--a Division of Novartis, and Suzanne Somers’ ThighMaster, for which he is credited as the genius behind Ovation/Body Solutions’ groundbreaking infomercial. He also consults with Private Equity Firms on a broad range of health industry transactions, and provides interim CEO and CMO services to companies in transition, as well as Private Equity and Venture Capital portfolio companies.

A strategic problem solver and marketing innovator, Joe is a pioneer in eHealth, and DTC marketing of health and wellness products and information. He is known as the go-to marketer for start-up and turnaround companies in these highly competitive arenas.

Once Head of Online Marketing at WebMD, Joe grew traffic and membership to record levels with effective and innovative web-based marketing programs, establishing WebMD as the #1 source for eHealth on the Internet.  He also built and managed WebMD’s first eCommerce programs, including the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic.

Joe earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business from Cornell University. He is one of 12 alumni invited to work with faculty and students in the prestigious Entrepreneurship Program at Cornell’s Johnson School of Business Administration. A respected lecturer and mentor, Joe specializes in teaching how to “bootstrap” new businesses with highly efficient marketing strategies.

Hal E. Hershfield, Ph.D.

Professor Hershfield is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Professor Hershfield’s research focuses on judgment and decision-making and social psychology, with a particular interest in how thinking about time can strongly impact financial decision-making. His work has been published in Psychological Science, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the Journal of Marketing Research, and Judgment and Decision Making, and featured on ABC World News, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Forbes.

Professor Hershfield received his B.A. (magna cum laude) in Psychology and English from Tufts University, and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University.

Benn R. Konsynski, Ph.D.

Dr. Konsynski is the George S. Craft Distinguished Professor of Business Administration for Information Systems and Operations Management at Emory University in Atlanta.  As the Information Systems Doctoral Chair for the Decision and Information Analysis area, Dr. Konsynski teaches in the Executive MBA, Doctoral IS, and evening MBA programs.  Prior to Emory, he spent 7 years on the faculty at the Harvard Business School, where he taught in the MBA and Executive MBA programs.  Prior to Harvard, he was a Professor at the University of Arizona, where he was co-founder of the University’s group-decision support laboratory. 

A specialist in issues of digital commerce and information technology in relationships across organizations, Dr. Konsynski has conducted extensive domestic and international fieldwork on inter-organizational systems, electronic data interchange (EDI), channel systems, electronic integration, information partnerships, and the digital marketplace.  He has employed extensive domestic and international fieldwork as a basis for analysis of best practice and theory development in these rapidly developing areas.

In serving as a consultant on management and technology issues, Dr. Konsynski has worked with UPS, IBM, TESSCO Technologies, Harbinger, AT&T, Northern Trust, Texas Instruments, U.S. Army, Digital, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, MicroAge, Ernst and Young, the Bank of Montreal, Plasti-line, J.C. Penney, Aetna Insurance Company, Turner Broadcasting Corporation, and Dillard’s Department Stores.  He serves on the board of directors of numerous companies, including TESSCO Technologies, Miller-Zell, Nu-Bridges, and The Management Education Alliance.

Dr. Konsynski holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University. He was named a Baxter Research Fellow at Harvard, and a Hewlett Fellow at The Carter Center in Atlanta.

Stephen W. Maggs

Steve is a CPA turned information technology specialist. During his career he’s helped numerous companies achieve success, including Mericom Systems, a large regional value added reseller of computer products and services, which he sold to AmeriData Technologies in 1993. During two subsequent years at AmeriData, Steve served as Senior Vice President of Operations, and Chairman of Canadian Operations. During this time he also assisted the company with more than 20 acquisitions in seven countries. AmeriData became GE IT Solutions in 1996.

Steve also Co-Founded Interliant, a leading webhosting and application service provider, and has served in leadership roles with other IT related companies, including Telephonetics, Inc., IP Merchant Solutions, LLC, Verity Professionals, Inc., and Channelforce, Inc.

Throughout his career, Steve has served on advisory councils for major computer manufacturers, including IBM, Compaq, Toshiba and NEC.

Steve is a graduate of Hillsdale College, with a BS in Accounting. He’s a native of Bristol England.

Jennifer Openshaw

Jennifer is among the nations’ leading financial education voices and innovators. Her financial and economic insights have been seen and heard on a host of programs, from CNN and CNBC to Oprah, Dr. Phil, and the Today Show.

Jennifer was Vice President of the Investment Management Group at Bank of America and Director of Investment Services for Wilshire Associates, one of the nation’s largest investment consulting firms to CalPERS and other leading institutional investors. During her tenure at Wilshire, she led marketing for the launch of the Wilshire 5000 Index Mutual Fund, converted the Index into a real-time stock index, and formed a strategic alliance with CNBC, which now utilizes the Wilshire 5000 Index as a regular feature of its financial programming. Jennifer was also Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing for Bank One, now JP Morgan Chase.

Jennifer founded Women’s Financial Network (WFN), an innovative financial services company created by women, for women and a trendsetter in the industry. WFN included the nation’s first network of pre-screened financial advisors for women, who could be selected based on personal preferences. WFN is now a division of Siebert Financial (NYSE:SIEB). She later co-founded investment education site WeSeed, a Facebook-meets-Wall Street platform now used by hundreds of schools. The Company created a unique search tool that delivers stock ideas instantly based on a user’s personal interests, or via their Facebook profile.

Through her commentary on TV and radio, Jennifer has educated millions of consumers. Today, she shares her practical advice as a columnist for Dow Jones’ Marketwatch, as a financial expert for Ask.com, and as a frequent guest on the Fox Business Channel. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, the Chicago Tribune, Fortune Small Business, Women’s Day, Redbook, and Kiplinger’s.

Jennifer’s first book, What’s Your Net Worth? (Perseus) was turned into a Public Television Show. Her second book, The Millionaire Zone (Hyperion), is based on national research about the networking strategies used by those who have achieved financial success.

A Rotary Scholar, Jennifer holds an MBA and BA from UCLA. She has served on the Advisory Board of Wyndham Hotels and as a gubernatorial appointee on the Commission on California State Government Organization & Efficiency (“The Little Hoover Commission”). Jennifer is currently an Adjunct Professor in Personal Finance at NYU, and serves on the Advisory Boards for both SpringBoard Enterprises, and Women’s Leadership Exchange, which help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, as well as the Board of Friendship Ambassadors Foundation.

Paul Saganey

Paul is the Founder and President of Integrated Financial Partners Inc. (IFP), an independent financial planning firm with offices located throughout the U.S., and In Touch Innovations, Inc., a marketing and communications company specifically addressing the needs of accounting firms, financial advisors, and various financial services companies.

As a former top manager and producer with Cigna Financial Advisors, and Allmerica Financial, Paul is also a management consultant, helping financial advisors establish and build meaningful revenue producing relationships with accounting firms.

Paul resides just outside of Boston, and is active in supporting various charitable organizations and financial services companies.