Pat Ryan, Chairman
Pat Ryan is a business and social entrepreneur who has created several high growth software companies as well as several innovative urban education initiatives as a social entrepreneur.

Pat is the Founder and CEO of INCISENT Labs, a platform and incubator for innovative, industry-changing technologies that spin out into high growth companies:

The growth of INCISENT Labs original company, analytical software (SaaS) maker FirstLook, was recognized by Inc. Magazine in 2008 as the #4 fastest growing privately held software company in the United States in its Inc 500 rankings.

The growth of INCISENT's second company, internet advertising software (SaaS) maker MAX (launched in late 2010), has already outpaced FirstLook's dramatic growth.

Pat is responsible for INCISENT's vision and strategy as well as leading its innovation incubator for new technologies and businesses. In that role Pat was awarded a U.S. Patent for INCISENT's first generation Expert System Technology as a part of a team from INCISENT and Northwestern University's Artificial Intelligence DevLab.

Pat was a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute as well as a Global Leader for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Pat and his wife Lydia live on Chicago’s North Side with their 3 children.

Christopher Ainsley, Director (CEO ShopperTrak)

Drawing upon his experience guiding the growth of international companies, Christopher Ainsley is leading ShopperTrak’s global expansion as the retail industry’s leader in traffic intelligence and information products. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations as they relate to revenue growth and strategic direction. Under Christopher’s leadership, the company has an increased presence in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Christopher joined ShopperTrak in 2008 from The Patent Board, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer. He successfully transitioned the company from a consultancy to a business model of online tools and analytical products. Prior to that, he served for two years as Senior Vice President of global strategy and business development for LexisNexis, New York and as President and Chief Executive Officer of WoltersKluwer Health, one of three international divisions of WoltersKluwer NA.

A native of England and now an American citizen, he graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration with a Master of Business Administration degree. He also holds a Master of Arts degree from Oxford University.

Michael D. Alter, Director (CEO SurePayroll)

Michael is responsible for the overall business model development, strategic planning, and day-to-day operations for SurePayroll. He joined SurePayroll in 2000 after five-and-a-half years with McKinsey and Company, where he was a founder and leader in the Service Operations Practice. Prior to receiving his MBA from the Harvard Business School, Michael worked in various sales positions at IBM. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Northwestern.

Michael serves on the Illinois Technology Association board of directors and maintains active memberships in the Young Presidents' Organization, Executives' Club of Chicago, the Economic Club of Chicago, the Independent Payroll Providers Association and the American Payroll Association. Michael is a nationally recognized spokesman on small business issues.

He is a columnist for INC.com and appears regularly in media outlets across the country, including Bloomberg TV, the Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur magazine.

Rob Chesney, Director (COO Trunk Club)

As COO of Trunk Club, Rob plays a central role in the general management of Trunk Club overseeing customer acquisition, leading innovation of the technology platform and managing the build-out of the company’s operations. Prior to joining Trunk Club, Rob was an EIR in Greylock Partners’ Silicon Valley office. In this role he advised entrepreneurs looking to scale their early stage startups into thriving, independent companies. He has a particular interest in consumer-focused businesses with e-commerce, marketplace or payments-related business models. Rob has led small and large teams through periods of hyper growth, intense change and fierce industry competition.

Prior to Greylock Rob was a Vice President at eBay. Most recently he ran the Company’s Buyer Experience team where he oversaw the Company’s largest business verticals including fashion, technology, media, collectibles and home. These verticals represent more than half of eBay’s $2 billion North America business. Prior to running eBay’s Buyer Experience team Rob was VP and GM of eBay Motors, which he joined shortly after it launched in 2001. When he left the group it was eBay’s largest stand-alone vertical. eBay Motors receives more than thirteen million unique visitors a month, ranking it in the top 10 for e-commerce properties.

Rob holds an MBA from Kellogg and a BA from McGill University.

Rob Levin, Vice President of Finance and Administration

Rob Levin has 20 years of financial executive management experience with significant achievements in a broad range of areas including strategic planning, financial analysis, technical accounting issues, financial statement preparation, and development of internal controls. Rob’s professional background includes group and corporate controllerships at True Value Hardware and Bell & Howell. He has worked across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, information services, and service companies.

A CPA, Rob earned an MBA in Finance from Indiana University Kelley Graduate School of Management. He is a graduate of Northeastern University in Boston, MA. He currently resides in Evanston with his wife and five children.

Keith Woodward, Vice President of Marketing

Keith Woodward brings over 15+ years of progressive marketing and leadership experience in the high technology industry. Currently, as Vice President of Marketing, Keith and his team are responsible for leading strategic marketing initiatives that support growth and the continued leadership of FirstLook Systems. This includes lead generation, media relations, brand management, digital media, product marketing and telemarketing.

Prior to joining FirstLook, Keith was General Manager and Vice President of Marketing for Zapoint, where he was responsible for delivering marketing strategies that delivered thought leadership, increased demand and established unique brand value. During his tenure, Zapoint went from a basement startup to recognized leader and pioneer in social talent management software.

Prior to Zapoint, Keith held several senior marketing positions with CA, Quest Software and Intel Corporation. Keith earned his MBA from Pepperdine University’s Grazadio School of Business and Bachelors from San Jose State University. He currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife Lisa and two daughters Lila and Scarlett.

Patrick McMullen, Vice President of Sales

As Vice President of Account Development, Patrick McMullen oversees the Account Executive and Account Management Teams and drives their operational effectiveness. With over a decade's worth of management experience in the automotive industry he brings to the team broad knowledge and industry experience in pre-owned operations. After working at Enterprise Rent-a-Car and then CarMax, Patrick joined FirstLook in 2007 and he immediately impacted the company’s success through his consultative approach with clients in the Southeast, analyzing client data and providing ongoing insights to clients’ executive management teams. In the fall of 2010 Patrick moved to the Operations team and since then has grown his role as the leader of Account Development. A graduate of the University of Central Florida in Orlando he currently enjoys lakefront living in downtown Chicago with his wife and their two young sons.

James Sherer, Vice President of Product Support

A seasoned information technology executive with extensive experience developing organizations to provide world class customer centric products, services and support centers. He has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and insurance industry working for companies like ADP Dealer Services, CCC Information Services and HUB International. Jim is a 20 year retired military veteran of the United States Air Force with numerous service awards such as Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit with Valor, National Defense Service Medal, and War on Terrorism Medal. Jim graduated college with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and a minor in Business Administration. He also earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science for Aircraft Maintenance and a Professional Manager Certification from the military.