About Thriveworks

AJ Centore PhD, Founder and Chair

AJ (Anthony) Centore Ph.D. is Founder and Chair at Thriveworks. He is a multistate Licensed Professional Counselor, Advisory Committee Member for the American Counseling Association Foundation, former Private Practice Consultant for the American Counseling Association and Columnist for Counseling Today magazine where he published over 95 monthly columns. AJ is author of several books and Co-author of “Leaving Depression Behind: An Interactive, Choose Your Path Book.” AJ has been quoted in media outlets including The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Will Furness, President and CEO

Will, President and CEO at Thriveworks, started his career in finance and quickly found he had a passion for improving patient care delivery. He has spent his career dedicated to improving the patient experience and strongly believes the way to do that is by engaging the care teams that support the patient. Will has a belief that access to mental healthcare should be as fundamental as primary care and that Thriveworks is the best-positioned company to improve access for patients at scale.

Prior to joining Thriveworks, Will worked in multisite healthcare services at Dartmouth, Sound Physicians, and Vein Clinics of America (VCA). Will has experience in high-growth, tech-enabled healthcare and was most recently the President and COO at VCA.  

Will completed an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Masters in Healthcare Delivery Science at Dartmouth College, and he was a Fellowship Scholar at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. Will is also a guest lecturer in healthcare services at Cornell University.

Irene Frohlich, Chief of Staff

With 13 years of experience learning, implementing, managing, and leading change in the healthcare space, Irene serves as the Chief of Staff at Thriveworks. She works to identify new opportunities across the organization, scale the infrastructure of the business, and drive cross-functional projects to ensure best-in-class execution.

Irene started her career in healthcare as a research coordinator at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In this role, she became aware of the financial difficulties that research subjects faced when trying to access care. She went on to lead various management teams to plan their innovation strategies, manage their value-based risk portfolio, and scale their tech-focused strategies. Irene has successfully led through influence and built strong teams to deploy positive change in the organizations she has served.

Irene was born and raised in Honduras. She holds an MPH, focusing on Health Policy and Management, from Columbia University. Outside of work, she loves being with her family and spending weekends outdoors, either at the beach or hiking.

Joy Decker Guadagnini, Chief Financial Officer

Joy is responsible for the overall financial strategy at Thriveworks and has never met a spreadsheet she didn’t like. With a background in software accounting, Joy brings a fresh perspective to traditional accounting and financial reporting. Speaking of traditional accounting, Joy is a CPA and graduated summa cum laude from Oral Roberts University.

When she isn’t hunting through the financials, you’ll find Joy exploring downtown Annapolis with her family, or in an antique store, hunting for treasures.

Ryan Culkin LPC, Chief Counseling Officer

As Chief Counseling Officer, Ryan Culkin oversees the logistics and operations of all company clinics, telehealth, and clinicians nationwide. He brings over a decade of clinical experience and unique business perspective to Thriveworks. Ryan is passionate about equipping clinicians with the skills needed to be successful, to grow, and to thrive in their role as the field continues to modernize and evolve.  Ryan is responsible for supporting the clinics through strategic planning, operational analysis, recruitment, and training of best practices for improved clinician success. Ryan has a Master’s in Professional Counseling and currently resides in Central Virginia with his wife and son.

Dr. Scott Gordon, Chief Medical Officer

As Thriveworks’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Scott Gordon ensures that the mental health services provided are both safe and effective. He provides strong, inspiring medical leadership to the health care professionals at Thriveworks and oversees daily operations. 

Dr. Gordon received his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Michigan and his Doctor of Medicine from the Michigan State University School of Human Medicine. He completed his psychiatric training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Gordon has extensive experience in the mental health field. Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer of telepsychiatry company MindCare Solutions, where he and his team developed psychiatric services in hospitals, correctional facilities, student health centers, and community mental health clinics. Earlier in his career, Dr. Gordon served as Medical Director at Northshore University Health System, a four-level hospital system, where he developed relationships between the Department of Psychiatry and all other areas of the hospital. He also built the psychiatric emergency services department, a women’s mental health program focused on postpartum depression, and an adult ADHD program.

Dr. Gordon is an avid traveler, collects art and photography, speaks French and Spanish (poorly but working diligently to improve), helps develop local community gardening spaces, and has an encyclopedic knowledge of 80’s music.

Dagen Weaver, Chief Human Resource Officer

As the Chief Human Resource Officer at Thriveworks, Dagen is responsible for all areas of HR with a focus on the implementation of processes and policies that keep the business running smoothly. From entry level position workflows, to top-level strategic business operations, Dagen understands in great detail the workload and process for each support position, supervisors, and also executive team members. These insights position Dagen as the go-to for identifying, creating and implementing new initiatives. Dagen is also responsible for nurturing Thriveworks’ corporate culture which balances the need for excellence with a fun, casual environment. Dagen holds a B.S. in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations from Bridgewater College.

Hampton Catlin, Chief Technology Officer

A skilled technology and product leader with over 17 years of industry experience, Hampton serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Thriveworks. He oversees the development and use of IT, Data Engineering, and Software Development, and works with key stakeholders to build the proper products to support the goals of the organization. 

Hampton is best known for creating the Sass language, the world’s first and most popular CSS language, adopted by Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and more. He was also Co-Founder and CEO at Veue TV, a live video platform where video hosts and audiences can interact in real-time. 

Hampton speaks regularly at conferences about leadership, product design, technology, and how to thrive as an ADHD and LGBT leader in the tech field. He finds meaning and joy in building the most innovative businesses, teams, and software in the world.

Kabir Daya, Chief Product Officer

With a background in business and technology, Kabir’s product and design teams work at the confluence of the two, solving problems and designing experiences for clients, clinicians, and employees while leveraging technology.

Kabir has over a decade of experience in the product management world, working across the US, France, Germany, India, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Kabir received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Heidi Faust LCSW, Chief Compliance Officer

Heidi is responsible for clinical compliance with a focus on the implementation and auditing of policies and procedures in order to ensure that Thriveworks is a curve breaker in our success in complying with relevant ethical, regulatory, safety, and billing guidelines. Heidi joined Thriveworks in 2012 and has served as a Clinician, Clinic Manager, Regional Clinic Director, Executive Clinic Director, and Franchise Owner of locations in Media, PA, and Wilmington, DE. Due to her extensive experience in the field and with Thriveworks, Heidi both understands the processes for each clinical team member and also the importance of coordination between departments in order to achieve company success. Heidi holds a B.A. in Psychology from George Mason University, a Master of Social Work from Hunter College in New York City, and she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Pennsylvania.

Marc Brooks, Chief Legal Officer & VP of Business Development

In his role as Chief Legal Officer, Marc oversees and manages all aspects of Thriveworks’ legal affairs, including litigation, corporate matters, regulatory compliance and risk management. Marc’s secondary role is Vice President of Business Development. In this position, Marc is responsible for locating future Thriveworks clinics, securing real estate and getting the doors open to see new clients! Prior to joining Thriveworks, Marc served as Senior Director and Associate General Counsel at IQVIA, a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and contract research services to the life sciences industry. In this role, he supported regulatory, contracting, mergers & acquisitions, and acted as lead attorney in some of IQVIA’s most strategic customer transactions. Marc holds a B.B.A. from Campbell University and a J.D. with a Health Law certificate from The University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Michael Reffner, Chief Franchise Officer

In his role as Chief Franchise Officer, Michael is responsible for supporting the network of franchise owners across the country. This includes providing the initial training, leading continuous education efforts as well as being a trusted source for advice and information among the franchisees. Michael is also a franchise owner with locations in South Carolina. A graduate of Liberty University, Michael earned additional degrees from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (MAR, Religion) and Lynchburg College (M.Ed. Coursework, Counseling) before returning to Liberty to earn Ed.S., Educational Leadership.

Dana Leake, Executive Vice President of Contact Center Operations

As Executive Vice President of Contact Center Operations at Thriveworks, Dana is responsible for providing a frictionless and exemplary client experience. He is passionate about employee engagement, and he believes that positioning his staff for success means providing the right training, tools, and management support. Dana believes that a highly engaged and equipped workforce is the linchpin to providing that frictionless and exemplary client experience. 

Dana has more than two decades of experience in contact center operations and has spent the last decade working with industry disruptors before joining Thriveworks. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and holds an MBA from California Southern University and a master’s degree from Liberty University’s Baptist Theological Seminary. Dana also earned his Six Sigma Green Belt certification from Villanova University.

Charity Minerva, Vice President of Payor Relations

As Vice President of Payor Relations, Charity is responsible for managing relationships with national, regional, and local payors across the United States by ensuring appropriate and effective communication, contract compliance, issue resolution, and competitive reimbursement plans. Charity collaborates with multiple departments to certify the smooth operation and administration of payor agreements. Charity is passionate about developing sustainable and mutually-beneficial partnerships between Thriveworks and payors so that Thriveworks can help as many people as possible live happy and successful lives. Charity is a licensed attorney and resides in Virginia with her husband and two children.

David Drap, Senior Vice President Employer Partnerships

As Senior Vice President Employer Partnerships, Dave is responsible for all Thriveworks corporate offerings. Thriveworks works with consultants, brokers, and employer groups to provide best-in-class behavioral health services to workplaces and employees. Dave has been in the total wellbeing space for over 25 years and has consistently delivered best-in-class solutions and results. Dave is passionate about providing solutions that make an impact and collaborates closely with operations, HR, and payor relations to ensure high-quality delivery. He lives in Michigan with his wife and 4 children.