Vistage Executive Team

Real experience fosters real leadership.

Meet the Vistage Executive Team

Vistage Worldwide is an executive coaching organization that has assembled an experienced management team with a wide range of achievements in different industries and professions. Each executive has more than 20 years’ experience in executive and senior management positions with Fortune 1000 companies, start-ups, and divisions of multinational firms, government agencies and running their own consulting firms.

Sam Reese
Chief Executive Officer

Brian Casazza
Chief Operating Officer

Teigue Thomas
Chief Legal and Administrative Officer

James Deveson
Chief Information Officer

Joe Galvin
Chief Research Officer

Mike Hammel
Chief Marketing Officer

Nick Bellomo
Chief Financial Officer

Rob Ristagno
President of International Operations

Andy Nielsen
Chief Product & Strategy Officer

Mary Ellen Sheehy
Chief Member Programs Officer

Gretchen Martz
Senior Vice President, Channel Operations & Enablement

Alan Denton
Senior Vice President, Brand Engagement

Tim Call
Senior Vice President – Western Region

John DeBord
Senior Vice President – Central Region

Tim Gray
Senior Vice President – Southern Region

Lee Peters
Senior Vice President – Eastern Region

Sam Reese, Chief Executive Officer

Sam Reese brings over 25 years of experience leading and advising senior leaders in complex organizations. As Chief Executive Officer of Miller Heiman, Inc., he implemented an effective international strategy and redesigned the business model to position the company as a brand leader in executive development. The independent distribution model he and his team built became a model for other companies to follow and contributed greatly to outstanding customer experiences and extremely high retention rates. Sam also previously held senior positions at Corporate Express (now owned by Staples), Kinko’s, Inc. and British Telecom.

In addition to his professional experience, Reese serves on multiple boards, mostly in the technology space. He is the author of two published books on account management and an experienced keynote speaker. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado and has completed various executive programs at Stanford University and Northwestern University.

Tim Call, Senior Vice President – Western Region

Tim Call brings an extensive background in sales management, growth-driven strategies, lead generation and business development to his role as senior vice president of Field Operations at Vistage. During Tim’s 14 year career at Miller Heiman, Inc., he was instrumental in improving top-line revenue and driving sales growth. His work with and belief in an independent channel of business entrepreneurs provided an opportunity for him to operationalize a unique business model. Tim’s experience in leading a field-based organization was a key driver in the company reaching both top-line growth targets and profitability goals. Prior to that, Tim served as area vice president at Kinko’s, where he turned around the struggling region and grew it 300% over a three year period.

Tim graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Brian Casazza, Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operations Officer at Vistage, Brian is responsible for leading all operations at Vistage. Brian joined Vistage in 2012 as Chief Information Officer and led the IT, Digital Products and Facilities teams for 8 years modernizing the organization’s technology infrastructure before transitioning to his current role in 2021.  Prior to that, Brian was the CEO, USA of Zed Worldwide. In that role, he drove Zed’s strategy of delivering cross platform digital entertainment as a member of its global operational board, by focusing on product innovation and process improvement to significant results. He was instrumental in the successful sale of MonsterMob Group PLC to Zed in 2007, where he directed the company’s day-to-day operations in North America.

Brian also co-founded 9 Squared Inc. where he grew the business from $0 to $100 million in 5 years by developing an innovative business strategy and a focus on continued development of nextgen mobile entertainment services. Brian has been named one of the Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, Global Telecom’s Business 40 Under 40, and a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year awards. He holds an MBA in Venture Management from the University of Denver – Daniels College of Business.

Nick Bellomo, Chief Financial Officer

Nick leads financial strategy for Vistage.  Prior to joining Vistage, Nick served as CFO of PatientPop (acquired by Kareo to form Tebra), Tastemade, AOL Platforms (acquired by Verizon), Medialets (acquired by WPP) and 8thBridge (acquired by Goldman Sachs Investment Partners).  During these operating roles, Nick was instrumental in raising hundreds of millions of dollars of equity and debt capital, completing hundreds of millions of dollars of acquisitions and selling companies for several billions of dollars. 

Prior to his public and private company CFO roles, Nick was Vice President of Trident Capital, a $2 billion private equity firm that ultimately became Sunstone Partners and ForgePoint Capital.  Prior to his role as an investor, Nick worked in the investment banking divisions of Morgan Stanley and Stifel, where he supported the execution of mergers and acquisitions.  Nick also served as a member of the Board of Directors of VTS, a software-as-a-service provider that has raised over $500 million of capital.  Nick received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Denver.

John DeBord, Senior Vice President – Central Region

John DeBord brings more than 25 years of sales leadership experience from such great companies as Kinko’s, FedEx, OfficeMax and Grainger. Most recently, John was SVP Sales at Diversified Foodservice Supply, the market-leading distributor of parts, supplies and equipment to the food-service industry. Prior to that, he served as director of sales and director of coverage at Grainger, where he led inside sales teams and developed new sales roles, models and structures that improved results and productivity.

John has a proven track record of leading and developing teams that span marketing, sales operations and strategy. His expertise is vital in helping Vistage achieve its growth targets by guiding its efforts to develop diverse, high-performing peer groups for our members.

John earned a Bachelor’s degree of Arts from Baker University.

Alan Denton, Senior Vice President, Brand Engagement

Alan Denton is responsible for managing the Vistage brand, brand promotion, communications, advertising, content development, public relations, creative development, as well as member and Chair growth strategy initiatives. During his time at Vistage, he has overseen the creation of Vistage’s brand narrative and the evolution of Vistage’s brand messaging.

Prior to Vistage, Alan had more than 25 years of experience working in marketing with both midsize companies and global brands such as Intel, Nokia, Samsung and Toshiba. Throughout his career, he has managed multiple marketing disciplines, from channel marketing, to product marketing, communications, acquisition marketing, content development and MarTech.

Alan earned an MBA from Pepperdine University.

James Deveson, Chief Information Officer

James Deveson brings more than 25 years’ experience in enterprise information systems, and the innovative application of technology in global enterprises to Vistage.  As Chief Information Officer, James is responsible for all aspects of Vistage’s technical service delivery including software development, IT operations, business intelligence and facilities. James’ background includes R&D, marketing, and product management, datacenter operations and service. Prior to working at Vistage he was the Senior Director of IT at Overland Storage, and held senior positions at IT channel and media companies in the UK and Europe.

James holds a B.Eng.(Hons) degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Bristol, and various industry certifications including CISSP.

Joe Galvin, Chief Research Officer

Joe Galvin is responsible for providing Vistage members with the most current, compelling and actionable thought-leadership on the strategic issues of small and midsized business. This proprietary research is focused on best practices from the exclusive Vistage community of CEOs, senior executives and business owners across a broad array of industries in multiple countries. Through collaboration with other thought leaders and curation of the highest quality content, Vistage members benefit from impactful business research on the strategic challenges and opportunities they face.

Joe’s mission is to continuously uncover, measure and analyze the innovations and emerging trends that drive the performance of the most successful small and mid-sized businesses.

Joe is an established thought leader and business analyst from his former roles as chief research officer for CSO Insights – Miller Heiman, vice president of sales optimization strategies at SiriusDecisions and vice president / research director CRM for Gartner. He has researched and presented to business leaders around the world on advanced concepts in customer management, world-class sales performance and CRM-SFA Technology. Joe has published more than 400 research briefs and engaged audiences at hundreds of conferences, forums and executive presentations.

In addition to 15 years as a business analyst, Joe learned the importance of the customer with 17 quota bearing years as a sales professional in client facing roles in field sales and sales management. Joe also created and led the global sales operations team at Gartner during years of expansive growth. Joe brings expertise in customer management, sales strategy, sales performance, sales productivity, sales technology, and marketing automation to Vistage.

Joe graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University.

Tim Gray, Senior Vice President – Southern Region

Tim Gray brings more than 30 years of sales and operational leadership to the senior vice president position at Vistage. For the past three years, he has worked closely with Chairs to grow the Vistage community in and around Texas as a regional executive. Previously, he worked for 38 years with business information giant Dun & Bradstreet to help C-suite and government leaders identify business solutions, earning the firm’s top performance awards for his leadership of sales and operations teams.

He has also devoted his leadership experience to fighting poverty by fundraising for numerous nonprofits, including his own organization CARE4 Kids, which worked to feed children in rural Costa Rica.

Tim earned a Bachelor’s degree of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mike Hammel, Chief Marketing Officer

Mike Hammel is responsible for overseeing the overall acquisition and retention marketing strategies at Vistage, including branding, lead generation, inside sales, regional marketing, public relations, and member communications. Prior to joining Vistage, Mike was the head of Marketing for Garden Fresh Restaurant Corporation. In that role, he led all aspects of the company’s go-to-market strategy, including advertising, social media, influencer marketing, local marketing, analytics, pricing, and guest satisfaction.

Mike has also provided strategic marketing consultation services to a variety of advertising agencies, and small to mid-sized restaurant and retail chains.  He received a degree in Psychology from Santa Clara University.

Gretchen Martz, Senior Vice President, Channel Operations & Enablement

Gretchen Martz is responsible for developing and implementing programs to support the growth and development of the Vistage Chair community. She joined Vistage in 2011, and currently oversees Channel Enablement, Learning & Development, Program Management and Sales Operations. She brings more than 20 years of business development, alliance, executive recruiting and operations experience to Vistage. Prior to joining Vistage, Gretchen spent 18 years in the ERP and SaaS software space.
 
Gretchen holds a B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University.

Andy Nielsen, Chief Product & Strategy Officer

Andy Nielsen brings more than 15 years of experience working with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. He most recently started Valor Consulting Group, working primarily with startups and nonprofits in Southern California. His previous consulting experience also includes LEK Consulting, where he focused on the Firm’s Private Equity and Aviation practices.

Prior to LEK, Andy was Consulting Actuary at Towers Watson. He also worked as VP Business Development at Specialized Data Systems, advising and driving strategic initiatives for a niche financial software developer, and as Actuarial Assistant at Great-West Life in their health care business.

Andy is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, earned his B.S. in Actuarial Science from Ball State University, and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Lee Peters, Senior Vice President – Eastern Region

Lee Peters brings more than 25 years of experience in sales management and operational excellence, including five years overseeing Northeastern region field operations for Vistage. Prior to Vistage, Lee served as a regional manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, where he led all Connecticut and Western Massachusetts daily rental operations consisting of 46 locations, 300+ employees and an $85 million P&L.

He has a proven track record of building thriving cultures and developing teams to perform at the highest levels. At Enterprise, he was the first sales leader in the Northeast region to earn the company’s highest recognition for sales, ranking as one of the top performers in the organization.

Lee holds a BS in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University.

Rob Ristagno, President of International Operations

As President of International Operations for Vistage Worldwide, Rob works to strengthen and grow Vistage’s global footprint, including in EMEA, Latin America, and Asia Pacific regions.

Prior to joining Vistage, Rob built and scaled a tech-enabled consultancy, Sterling Woods, where he and his team created over a half billion dollars of enterprise value for small and medium sized businesses. He began his career at McKinsey & Company; served as a senior executive at America’s Test Kitchen and Homesite Insurance; and held positions at global brands such as Visa, Pepsi, and Comcast. Rob also led product management and business development for Denmark sports analytics firm TrackMan. He is a published author, keynote speaker, and serves on the board of DRG Holdings. Rob holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in economics from Dartmouth College, and has taught at both Harvard and Boston College.

Mary Ellen Sheehy, Chief Member Programs Officer

As Chief Member Programs Officer, Mary Ellen leads Vistage’s Member Programs team, which delivers world-class events, global online networks, expert speaker programs and other benefits to help small and midsize businesses grow. She brings more than 30 years of business development, sales, marketing and events experience to her role. Prior to joining Vistage, she spent 16 years at Gartner, where she served in a number of leadership roles within the $160M worldwide events organization, including six years as group vice president, strategy and planning. Most recently, she served as the managing director for the Dartmouth College Fund, Fellows Program at Dartmouth College.

Mary Ellen holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Michigan.

Teigue Thomas, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer

As Chief Legal & Administrative Officer, Teigue is responsible for Vistage’s worldwide legal operations and compliance as well as for global human resources, facilities and risk management.

Teigue brings over 25 years of experience, including senior legal, HR and administrative leadership roles. Previously, she was General Counsel at Acer computers, General Counsel at Gateway computers and Senior Trial Attorney at Zurich Financial Services. In addition, Teigue has served on multiple boards, including the Global Board of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the board of Providence Speech and Hearing Center. She is also a volunteer leader for the Boy Scouts of America. Teigue holds a B.A. in Marketing from Bucknell University, a J.D. from New England School of Law in Boston and attended the Boston University MBA program as well as executive programs at Stanford University.