David Douglas Stone

Co-Founder and CEO

David Douglas Stone has more than 20 years of executive management experience in Fortune 500 and emerging growth technology companies with a strong emphasis on innovative payment systems and loyalty solutions. He has served as a senior executive in several financial services firms, including American Express, where he pioneered the first universal prepaid product, the American Express Gift Cheque, which quickly grew to sales in excess of $300M. Just prior to CashStar, he worked with Intel Capital's Mobile Commerce team in identifying new applications for mobile and digital couponing. He also assisted Waste Management with the development of the company's new Web 2.0 venture, Greenopolis, which focuses on incenting and rewarding consumer green behaviors.

While at ERG Group, a leading global smart card technology company, David added $150M in new revenue and played a critical role in ERG's successful turnaround. He co-founded an innovative sports loyalty company, Sports Loyalty Systems, whose clients included Major League Baseball teams. David also led the creation of Affinnova, a multimillion dollar innovative product development company.

David holds a Masters Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy including graduate studies at MIT and Harvard Business School.

Michael G. Ellis

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Ellis has nearly 20 years of experience in financial operations and management in technology and services companies. For the past three years, Michael served as the Controller of the Massachusetts Port Authority, a $500+ million transportation and services business, where he was responsible for coordinating all accounting activities, as well as administering the internal control structure and financial reporting. From 2001 through 2005, Michael served as the Chief Financial Officer for Eze Castle Software, Inc. where he oversaw financial and administrative matters. From 2000 through 2001, Michael held the position of Vice President of Finance with SupplierMarket.com which was acquired by Ariba, Inc. Prior to that, he held numerous positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers, most recently as a Director within their Transactional Services practice group.

Michael received B.A., cum laude, degrees in Accounting and Politics & Government from Ohio Wesleyan University.

Brian Rigney

Vice President, Business Development & Strategy

Brian brings 15 years' experience leading high performing, entrepreneurial teams in launching new businesses and validating powerful economic, service and technology models.

At Wright Express, Brian led the development of a cutting edge payments solution for the North American construction market. He personally secured commitments for profitable agreements with key “Lighthouse” customers and channel partners, including North America's largest plumbing/building materials distributor and the second largest US manufacturer of compact industrial construction equipment. While leading Wright Express' entry into Canada, Brian secured domestic and international regulatory approvals to establish a new Canadian bank.

Brian is also the Founder and CEO of BlueTarp Financial, Inc., an innovative information and payments company for which he successfully raised $22 million and led from concept through revenue generation. Now ten years old, the company still leads the market.

Brian holds a BA from Colby College and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Phil Moran

Vice President, Sales

As Vice President of Sales, Phil Moran brings more than 20 years of sales and sales management experience to the CashStar team. Most recently, Phil spent seven years at Blackhawk Network, a Safeway Company and the largest distributor of third-party gift cards in the U.S. At Blackhawk, he developed the company's wireless and land-based telecom consumer offerings, which represented 20% of Blackhawk Network's sales and 25% of the company's income. He also executed long-term contracts with top-tier retailers. Prior, Phil was the Vice President of Sales at Planet U, a Transora Company, where he drove business development and sales for the Consumer Packaged Goods and Quick Service Restaurants industries. He has also held sales and marketing positions at Oral-B, SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare and American Home Products. Phil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Providence College.

Phelps Peeler

Vice President, Engineering

Phelps Peeler brings an extensive engineering background with a focus on the payment space to CashStar. Previously, Phelps led the transaction processing team within Wright Express, where he spearheaded the redesign of the company's credit card authorization systems (which processed more than 1 million transactions per day) to increase flexibility and dramatically reduce maintenance costs. Prior to Wright Express, Phelps worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers. As part of a multi-year engagement with Fannie Mae, Phelps led the effort to establish a new industry standard for mortgage loan servicing transactions through MISMO (Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization). Other clients included DARPA, the Department of Defense and i2 Technologies. Phelps holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College.

Kathleen Goodwin

Vice President, Marketing

Kathleen Goodwin brings over 20 years of experience in technology, media and marketing management to CashStar. Previously, she served as a strategic marketer for Veveo, Inc, where she successfully launched vtap™ a mobile video services solution for consumers and cMarket where she founded BiddingForGood.com, a community that brings together cause-conscious consumers and organizations. Prior to that, she served as CEO of IMN, a company specializing in customer acquisition and retention through permission-based marketing. For ten years, she was responsible for the worldwide marketing of Ziff-Davis' publishing division, and shaped the successful launch of several ZD publications and programs. Goodwin served in a number of executive roles for Ziff Davis including Group Marketing Director and Associate Publisher for PC Magazine and PC WEEK. She earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from New York University.

Andrew Dodge

Vice President, Corporate Sales

Andrew brings 15 years of experience in business development and direct to business sales to CashStar, specializing in incentives, rewards, employee programs and channel sales. Previously, he led L.L.Bean’s business sales division, where he was responsible for the national account sales team and contract negotiations for multi-million dollar programs. Prior to that, he served as national sales manager for Lands’ End Business Outfitters, a global multi-channel retailer where he managed corporate accounts and the field sales organization. Andrew has deep experience in positioning consumer brands within business markets. His business development work encompasses the early adoption of web-based programs with Fortune 500 companies for employee recognition, reward and uniform programs. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) and is a past president of the Incentive Gift Card Council.

Brian McLaughlin

Director of User Experience and Design

Brian McLaughlin has had more than ten years lead UI design experience in Fortune 500 and emerging growth technology companies. He specializes in business-to-business and business-to-consumer websites and web-based applications with a special focus on usability, design, standards compliant UI construction techniques, and 508 compliance. As director and lead designer of McLaughlin Designs, LLC, he has worked with Wright Express as a creative director and lead UI designer for its new product development during which time he also established the company's eMarketing system. He has worked on projects such as a lead UI designer and usability consultant for the State of Connecticut, the State of New York, Accuform Form I-9 and several Fortune 50 companies. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts, with a concentration in painting, from Rollins College. He has been commissioned to create public art work for the State of Maine and has won many awards for his paintings.

Laura Cannon

Director of Client Services

Laura Cannon has over fifteen years of experience in web and multimedia design and development, providing world-class client service to Fortune 500 companies including Kraft Foods and Prudential. From her start at web early adopter Hearst New Media/HomeArts and continuing at the global interactive agency Digitas, Laura has guided clients through web launches from simple yet powerful graphic redesigns, to major brand launches featuring complex functionality and personalization. As principal of a small web development company, she produced sites for small businesses and non-profits, before joining the national marketing team at Outward Bound. Laura is a ten-year veteran of the Pop!Tech conference Working Group, serving as speaker liaison to visionary thought leaders from the worlds of science, academia, arts and culture. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Denise Novotny

Director of Customer Services & Human Resources

Denise Novotny has more than 20 years of experience in Customer Service, Human Resources and Strategic Planning. As a former COO for a national organization, Denise was responsible for numerous business lines and a service delivery network including internal call center operations and external field operations. Under her leadership the organization received national recognition for quality initiatives and improvements. She has a depth of experience in human resources and corporate training in such industries as health care, banking, retail, insurance and the travel industry. In addition to her extensive corporate experience Denise has owned and operated her own business and is a fully trained life coach through The Coaches Institute. Denise has been a part-time adjunct instructor at Husson University's undergraduate programs in business and human resources and has developed and conducted numerous training courses, such as Leadership, Management and Customer Service.

Denise holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University and a Master of Science in Business.