CEO Moves this week include:

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CEO Moves is published by Samuel Dergel (Executive Search Consultant with Dergel Executive Search). Samuel can be reached by email at samuel@dergelsearch.com or by phone at +1 (415) 738-2070.

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Payspan [ATLANTA] announced that it has promoted Rob Pinataro to CEO. Pinataro served as COO for nearly three years before stepping up to lead Payspan. His background includes 30 years of experience taking on progressive responsibilities for Fortune 500 and private equity-backed companies, such as GE, ADP, Open Solutions and Alegeus Technologies.

Sonoco [HARTSVILLE, S.C.] (NYSE: SON) announced the start of Robert C. Tiede’s tenure as the new President and CEO of Sonoco. Tiede replaces the retiring Jack Sanders, who served as President and CEO since 2013. Prior to being named CEO, Rob served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Sonoco. Since joining Sonoco in 2004, Tiede has led all of Sonoco’s global consumer-related businesses, including Rigid Paper Containers, Flexible Packaging, Plastics and Display and Packaging.

Werner International Holding S.à.r l. [GREENVILLE, Pa., SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland and LUXEMBOURG] announced that James T. Caudill has been named Global Chief Executive Officer of the WernerCo Group. Mr. Caudill will work out of WernerCo’s Itasca, IL USA office. Prior to joining WernerCo, Mr. Caudill was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of D&M Group. Before joining D&M Group, Jim was with The Black & Decker Corporation for over 20 years where he served in various roles including President of the Hardware & Home Improvement Group and Vice President & General Manager of the Industrial Accessory Division.

Kirkland’s, Inc. [NASHVILLE, Tenn.] (NASDAQ: KIRK) announced that W. Michael Madden has resigned from his roles as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company, and will serve as an employee-advisor to the board until June 30, 2018. Michael B. Cairnes, the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer. Since November 2016, Mr. Cairnes has been responsible for the operations of the Company. Prior to joining Kirkland’s, Mr. Cairnes was with Michael’s Stores, where he served concurrently as President of its Aaron’s Brothers retail business, since 2015, and President of its Artistree framing business, since 2007.  Prior to Michael’s, Mr. Cairnes held senior leadership positions at Brushstrokes, and Larson-Juhl, a manufacturer of home décor products.  He also has served as a board and strategy advisor to Bain Capital and Blackstone.

SmashFly Technologies [CONCORD, Mass.] announced that Thom Kenney, SmashFly’s CTO, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Kenney replaces Michael Hennessy, company founder, who has served as its CEO and Board Director for more than 11 years.  With this announcement, Hennessy moves into a newly created role focused on product innovation and market thought leadership. Before being appointed CEO, Kenney led the company’s product, engineering, and operations teams. Previously Kenny was an executive at Applause and LogMeIn.

Ascent Capital Group Inc. [ENGLEWOOD, Colo.] (NASDAQ: ASCMA) announced that William Fitzgerald has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Ascent, however, he will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board. Ascent has appointed William Niles, currently Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary of Ascent, as CEO.  Mr. Niles will continue to serve as the General Counsel and Secretary of the Company. Mr. Niles has served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, since its inception in 2008 and as a director of MONI Smart Security since its acquisition by Ascent Capital Group, Inc. in 2010. Prior to 2008, Mr. Niles served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Ascent Media Group Inc., (“AMG”) and as a director of AMG’s respective operating subsidiaries.  Mr. Niles also served as co-managing director of AMG from 2006 to 2008.

Lyons Magnus Inc. [FRESNO, Calif.] appointed Ed Carolan as Chief Executive Officer, effective May 15. Mr. Carolan succeeds Robert Smittcamp, who will continue to serve as the Company’s Chairman after more than 40 years of service as Chief Executive Officer and will remain a significant shareholder of the Company. Carolan previously served as President of Campbell Fresh (C-Fresh), Campbell Soup Company. Carolan joined Campbell in 2001 and previously served in general management roles across all divisions, most recently as President of U.S. Retail. Prior to joining Campbell, Ed spent five years with Procter & Gamble, both in the U.S. and internationally.

G6 Hospitality LLC [DALLAS] the parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands in the U.S. and Canada, announced the retirement of Jim Amorosia, G6 Hospitality President and Chief Executive Officer, concluding a 33-year career with the company.  Rob Palleschi, G6 Hospitality Chief Development Officer, has been appointed to the position of Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Palleschi joined G6 Hospitality in 2017 as Chief Development Officer.  Previously, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of TGI Fridays and spent 12 years at Hilton Worldwide as global head of full-service brands.

Trevena, Inc. [CHESTERBROOK, Pa.] (NASDAQ: TRVN) announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Maxine Gowen, Ph.D., will retire on October 1, 2018.  The Company has selected Carrie L. Bourdow, who currently serves as Trevena’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to be the Company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2018. Dr. Gowen will continue to serve on the Trevena Board of Directors. Bourdow has served in various senior positions at Trevena since May 2015. She joined the Company as Chief Commercial Officer, and was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2018. Prior to joining Trevena, Ms. Bourdow was vice president of marketing at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., until its acquisition by Merck & Co., Inc. in January 2015. Before joining Cubist in 2013, Ms. Bourdow served for more than 20 years at Merck & Co., Inc. Since June 2017, she has served on the board of Nabriva Therapeutics plc.

DataCore Software [FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.] announced the appointment of Dave Zabrowski as chief executive officer (CEO). Former CEO and original founder George Teixeira transitions to the role of executive chairman. Zabrowski most recently served as founder and CEO of Cloud Cruiser, and previously served as CEO of Neterion. Zabrowski was also vice president and general manager at HP.

Step2 Discovery [STREETSBORO, Ohio] announced that Anthony (“Tony”) Ciepiel has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ciepiel was most recently Chief Operating Officer of Vitamix Corporation. Ciepiel will succeed Tom Doherty, Interim CEO, who was appointed in July of 2017. His prior roles at Vitamix included Vice President Sales & Marketing and Vice President of Commercial Division. Mr. Ciepiel’s past leadership positions include: President & Chief Operating Officer at The Flood Company and President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer at Realty One Inc., as well as Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer at Griswold Inc. Ciepiel currently serves on the Board of Directors and is an active committee member of IDEAL Industries, Beckett Air, and The Christian Business Men’s Connection of Northeast Ohio. Prior board positions include: Westfield Bank, Southern Title Company, The National Association of Realtors, In His Steps Foundation, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, and United Cerebral Palsy.

US Radiology Specialists [CHARLOTTE, N.C.] formed by Charlotte Radiology and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a leading healthcare investment firm, announced that John Perkins has agreed to join US Radiology Specialists as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Perkins comes to US Radiology Specialists from Bio Products Laboratory (BPL), where he served as CEO. Prior to that, Perkins was the EVP of Global Commercial Operations for Talecris Biotherapeutics. Perkins also had significant private equity experience as an operator and operating partner for Bain Capital, Ampersand Capital and Cerberus Capital. He started his career at General Electric, where he held a variety of operating and M&A roles.

Skimlinks [LONDON & NEW YORK] announced the appointment of Sebastien Blanc to Chief Executive Officer. Alicia Navarro, Skimlinks’ co-founder and current CEO will continue as President. Blanc was the company’s Chief Revenue Officer for the past two years. Prior to joining Skimlinks, Blanc was a Director at Quantcast.

On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina® [DALLAS] named Matt Hood as President and Chief Executive Officer.  Hoods’s previous leadership positions were Chief Marketing Officer at The Habit Burger Grill, Chief Marketing Officer of BJ’s Restaurants, and SVP of Marketing and Brand Development for Carino’s Italian Grill.

Blancco Technology Group [ATLANTA and LONDON] announced that Matt Jones has been named the company’s Chief Executive Officer, taking over from interim CEO Simon Herrick. Prior to Blancco, Matt was the CEO of E8 Security. Matt has been Executive Chairman at InterAct, CEO at CloudShield Technologies, and CEO at Allocity. He has also held senior executive roles at Excite@Home, Sprint and AT&T.

Graham Healthcare Group [TROY, Mich.] a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE:GHC), announced today that it has named David Curtis as chief executive officer of Graham Healthcare Group Home Health, and Justin DeWitte as chief executive officer of Graham Healthcare Group Hospice. In his prior role as chief operating officer of Graham Healthcare Group Home Health, Curtis was responsible for the day-to-day operations of Celtic Home Health, Residential Home Health, and Mary Free Bed At Home. DeWitte previously served as chief operating officer of Graham Healthcare Group Hospice, overseeing the day-to-day operations of Celtic Hospice and Residential Hospice, as well as president of Graham Health Services. Curtis and DeWitte have a long history with the company, Curtis has served as president of Residential Home Health for over 13 years, and DeWitte has served as president for Residential Hospice for over 7 years.

Applied Science Technologists & Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) [SURREY, British Columbia] announced that Theresa McCurry been appointed as the new CEO.

10EQS [NEW YORK] announced the appointment of Jeff Carbeck as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining 10EQS Carbeck built and led the Global Advanced Materials and Manufacturing practice at Deloitte Consulting. He started his career in academia as Professor of Chemical Engineering at Princeton University. After leaving academia he co-founded and built a series of businesses enabled by emerging technologies.  Carbeck works closely with the World Economic Forum, serving on a number of Global Councils.

Insigneo [MIAMI] announced that Daniel de Ontanon will join the company as CEO, effective April 30, 2018. Raul Henriquez, who has served as Insigneo’s (and its predecessor companies’) CEO since 1985, will continue in his role of Chairman of the Board. de Ontanon has more than 20 years of experience with financial services, leading global wealth management firms with a focus on the Latin America region—Insigneo’s key market. Most recently, he served as head of Americas Investment Services at Citi Private Bank (CPB), where he was responsible for the region’s investment teams. Before that, he held various leadership roles, including head of sales for Citibank’s International Personal Banking for the Latin America Region and President of Citi International Financial Services. He also held positions at UBS International and Morgan Stanley.

Ricoh USA, Inc. [MALVERN, Pa.] announced that Joji Tokunaga has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Ricoh in the Americas. Glenn Laverty remains Senior Vice President of Ricoh Americas Marketing and President & CEO of Ricoh Canada Inc. Most recently, Tokunaga served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Shared Services within Ricoh Americas. Prior to this he was Executive Vice President and Deputy General Manager of Shared Services.

HG Data [SANTA BARBARA, Calif.] announced that Elizabeth Cholawsky has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and to the Board of Directors. Founder Craig Harris, who has led the company since its inception, will now be responsible for accelerating the research and development activities essential to HG Data’s continued growth and expansion. Craig will remain Director and Chairman of the Board. Cholawsky was President and CEO of Support.com. He waws also General Manager at Citrix. Before her leadership roles at Support.com and Citrix, Cholawsky served in senior marketing and product strategy roles at Move, Inc., ValueClick, Inc. and other companies.

EvergreenHealth [KIRKLAND, Wash.] announced that Robert “Bob” Malte plans to retire from his position as Chief Executive Officer of by the end of 2018. Malte joined EvergreenHealth in May of 2010, having previously served as CEO at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Colorado. Prior to that, he served in several senior leadership capacities at ThedaCare health system in Appleton, Wisconsin, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and Loyola University Medical Center, after starting his career at Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) [TAMPA, Fla.] announced that Roy E. Wright has been selected as the next President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Wright is expected to assume both roles on April 25. Wright will work closely with current IBHS President and CEO Julie Rochman, who will remain a strong resource for the organization through her retirement at the end of June. Wright joins IBHS from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where he most recently led the agency’s resilience, risk management, risk reduction, and flood insurance programs. Wright served as chief executive for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Integrated Financial Settlements (IFS) [ATLANTA and DENVER] announced the selection of Robert Lee as new Chief Executive Officer. Bob has worked with IFS for several years, and for the last two plus years he has served in the role as their CFO. For most of his career, Bob has served as a Managing Director at Dean Witter and Morgan Stanley.

United Community Banks, Inc. [BLAIRSVILLE, Ga.] (NASDAQ: UCBI) announced that, after almost 35 years of service, its Chief Executive Officer, Jimmy Tallent, will retire from his current position effective June 30, 2018.  Mr. Tallent will move into a new role as Executive Chairman of United’s Board of Directors.  Lynn Harton, President and CEO of United’s banking subsidiary, will become CEO of United.  Harton was named CEO of United Community Bank in August 2017 and was elected to the Board of Directors in February 2015.  Prior to joining United in 2012, Harton served in executive capacities with various financial institutions. These include serving as CEO of The South Financial Group, and Chief Credit Officer for both Regions Financial Corporation and Union Planters Corporation. He began his career with a twenty-year stint at BB&T.

The Krystal Company [ATLANTA] announced that it will welcome Paul M. Macaluso as its new Chief Executive Officer. Macaluso began his career with YUM! Brands Inc., starting as a general manager and ultimately holding several management roles within the Taco Bell Corporation. He then led brand strategy, menu development, and product marketing for Burger King Corporation and Sonic Industries. Most recently at Focus Brands, Macaluso began as CMO of Moe’s Southwest Grill and ultimately rose to President of McAlister’s Deli.

Hexagon US Federal [HUNTSVILLE, Ala.], a subsidiary of Hexagon, has appointed Tammer Olibah president and chief executive officer. Prior to joining Hexagon, Olibah served as part of an executive team leading the Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) information technology and cybersecurity business.

Abeona Therapeutics Inc. [NEW YORK and CLEVELAND] (NASDAQ: ABEO) announced the appointment of Carsten Thiel, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer.  Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D., will remain President and assume the position of Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Thiel most recently served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to leading his most recent position at Alexion, he served as its Senior Vice President, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific where he was responsible for driving Alexion’s global commercial operations in these regions. Prior to joining Alexion, Dr. Thiel served as Vice President, Head of Europe at Amgen. He also held various other senior leadership positions at Amgen, including General Manager, Germany, and General Manager, CEE. Prior to Amgen, Dr. Thiel held several sales and marketing leadership roles across Europe at Roche.

Oski Technology, Inc. [SAN JOSE, Calif.] announced that it has appointed Craig Shirley as President and Chief Executive Officer. Shirley comes from IC Manage where he served as the Vice President of Worldwide Sales. Prior to IC Manage, he served as Vice President Worldwide Sales at Apache Design Solutions (acquired by ANSYS), Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Jasper Design Automation (acquired by Cadence), and Vice President of North American sales at Verisity Design (acquired by Cadence).

Nex Cubed [SAN FRANCISCO and SAN DIEGO] has named Marlon Evans as CEO. Evans was the former CEO of GSVlabs. Prior to GSVlabs, Evans was the Director of Corporate Affairs at Hewlett Packard. Evans has held leadership roles at the KIPP Foundation, Playworks, All Stars Helping Kids, and other nonprofit organizations.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. [ST. LOUIS] (NASDAQ: CBSH) announced that effective August 1, 2018, John W. Kemper, currently president and chief operating officer of Commerce Bancshares, Inc., will become president and CEO, assuming the CEO role currently held by David W. Kemper, who will remain active as executive chairman. John Kemper has been with the bank since 2007, and was named president and COO in 2013. John Kemper joined Commerce in 2007 as director of strategic planning. Prior to that, he worked as an engagement manager in the New York and Chicago offices of McKinsey & Company.

Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union (FMFCU) [CHADDS FORD, Pa.] announced the naming of Michael B. Magnavita as president and CEO. Magnavita previously served as executive vice president and chief financial officer at FMFCU since 1993. He started his FMFCU career in 1987 as assistant vice president and controller.

Rogerson Communities [BOSTON] announced that Walter J. Ramos will join the organization as President and CEO in July, 2018. Ramos will succeed Rogerson’s current President and CEO, James F. Seagle, who led the organization for 45 years. Seagle will assume a new role at Rogerson, advocating on a national level for funding production of affordable housing. Ramos will leave his current position as President of Carney Hospital, part of Steward Health Care.

Mercer [SEATTLE], a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), has appointed Macaire Pace as West Market CEO, based in its Seattle office. Prior to joining Mercer, Ms. Pace spent more than ten years at Willis Towers Watson, most recently as the Managing Director and Market Leader for Metro New York. In addition, she spent several years in various leadership roles at Hewitt Associates (now Aon Hewitt) in San Francisco and New York.

Riverbed Technology [SAN FRANCISCO] announced the appointment of Paul Mountford to CEO, succeeding Jerry M. Kennelly, who is retiring after serving as CEO since co-founding Riverbed in 2002. Mountford joined Riverbed nearly four years ago as SVP and Chief Sales Officer. Prior to Riverbed, Mountford was CEO of Sentillian. Mountford also spent 16 years at Cisco in senior leadership roles.

Not Your Average Joe’s [MILTON, Mass.] appointed Peter D’Amelio to become the Chairman and CEO, succeeding Stephen Silverstein, the company’s Founder. Mr. Silverstein will continue in his role as a Director and will be a consultant to the Company. D’Amelio joined Not Your Average Joe’s as President in September 2017. Peter’s career included his 18 years at Cheesecake Factory where he was President for 5 years.

The United Way for Southeastern Michigan [DETROIT] announced the appointment of Dr. Darienne Driver as the organization’s new president and CEO, effective July 9, 2018. Dr. Driver currently serves as superintendent of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and will continue in that role through July 6. Prior to her role as superintendent, Dr. Driver served as MPS’ first chief innovation officer. She also previously served the School District of Philadelphia as its deputy chief of empowerment schools, and coordinator of strategic management and accountability. While at Clayton County Georgia Public Schools, she served as special assistant to the superintendent. Dr. Driver began her outstanding career in education as an elementary teacher for Detroit Public Schools. Dr. Driver will replace Tanya Heidelberg-Yopp who led the organization as interim CEO throughout the three-month nationwide CEO search. Heidelberg-Yopp will resume her role as chief operating officer. Dr. Driver replaces Dr. Herman Gray, pediatrician, who vacated the role last December to chair the department of pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Macrolide Pharmaceuticals [WATERTOWN, Mass.] announced that Mahesh Karande has joined the company as President and CEO. Mr. Karande has held increasing responsibilities at Novartis AG where he ran large businesses in the US and internationally. He served as Vice President and U.S. Oncology Business Head for Breast and Renal Solid Tumors, President and Pharma Head for Africa and Egypt, and Head of Strategy and Business Development for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. He joins Macrolide from Intarcia Therapeutics where he served as Vice President and General Manager.

Vizient, Inc. [IRVING, Texas] announced that Byron Jobe, its previous president, chief administrative and financial officer, is the new president and CEO of the Company. Jobe began his career at Vizient (then VHA Inc.) in 1994, where he focused on corporate planning and business development. Jobe left the organization in 1999 to work in the health care technology sector, returning in 2007. Jobe’s broad and diverse experience includes positions with PwC, Baylor Scott & White Health and Healthvision.

Command Center, Inc. [DENVER] (OTCQB: CCNI) appointed Richard Coleman as president and CEO and a member of its board of directors. He succeeds Bubba Sandford, who resigned his positions as CEO and director to pursue other interests. Since 2014, Coleman has been a director at Hudson Global, Inc. Prior to Command Center, Coleman served as President and CEO, director, and principal executive officer of Crossroads Systems, beginning November 2013. He has also served on various other public company boards and in a variety of senior operational roles, including CEO of Vroom Technologies Inc., COO of MetroNet Communications, and president of U.S. West Long Distance. He also held significant officer-level positions with Frontier Communications, Centex Telemanagement and Sprint Communications. He began his career as an Air Force Telecommunications Officer managing Department of Defense R&D projects.