Meet the Team

We have assembled a team of industry experts and technologists who have first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of accounting firms and SMBs. Our leaders understand the flow of data and the tools and processes needed to make it all run smoothly.
joel hughes headshot

Joel Hughes

Chief Executive Officer

Joel is responsible for setting the company direction and leading the successful execution of that strategy with the Right Networks leadership team. He led the successful acquisition of Xcentric, a leading cloud solutions company focused on outsourced managed IT for accounting firms. He also led the acquisition of Rootworks, the accounting profession’s premier firm-improvement organization, serving small to mid-sized accounting firms nationwide. He has an extensive track record of building and growing businesses and has deep knowledge in corporate strategy and team building.

Prior to Right Networks, Joel was SVP of Emerging Business at Constant Contact (acquired by Endurance International Group) where he grew the SinglePlatform unit from $2M to $20M over four years. As CEO at NMS Communications, Joel led the transformation of a business unit into the stand-alone public company, LiveWire Mobile.

Michael Bird

Michael Bird

President

As President, Michael oversees the day-to-day operations for Right Networks. Additionally, he’s charged with expanding the current product and service offerings in Right Network’s intelligent cloud. Michael brings more than 20 years of experience building market-leading businesses across the data, analytics and software industries. Most recently at Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), Michael ran a $750M global business and substantially improved revenue growth, customer satisfaction, product innovation and profitability for his division. During his tenure, Michael also drove the identification and successful integration of multiple strategic acquisitions. Previously, Michael was the CEO at NetProspex, Inc., which was acquired by D&B; Senior Vice President at BzzAgent, Inc.; and Vice President at CNET Networks, Inc.

Karl Johnsen

Karl Johnsen, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Karl oversees the corporate finance, human resources, and business analytics teams. His responsibilities include defining the company’s financial strategies, managing capital allocation, and driving reinvestment for growth. Prior to joining Right Networks, Karl served as Chief Financial Officer for Trax Retail and Aspen Technology, as well as Chief Accounting Officer for Avid Technology. He has extensive experience supporting the expansion of both private and public companies, moving businesses from licensing to SAAS models, raising capital, overseeing 25 successful acquisitions, and building out finance and accounting teams in high-growth environments.

will yapp headshot

Will Yapp

Chief Revenue Officer

Will’s focus is on continued growth of Right Networks’ position as the leading platform for accounting professionals.  He has over 30 years of experience in building high performing Sales & Business Development teams and scaling revenue both directly and through partnerships.

Will has served in senior leadership roles at technology companies, including Constant Contact (acquired by Endurance International Group), Aepona (acquired by Intel Corporation), and LiveWire Mobile (acquired by OnMobile Live).

david rosi headshot

Dave Rosi

Chief Marketing Officer

Dave is responsible for the planning, development and execution of Right Networks’ marketing initiatives including new growth, customer loyalty, building the organization’s overall marketing capabilities, driving innovation with breakthrough customer offerings and operating as architect and steward of the Right Networks brand. Dave is a recognized strategic growth leader with over 30 years of success building, transforming and growing worldwide sales, marketing, and business development functions for private and public companies.

Prior to Right Networks Dave served in senior leadership roles for private equity and venture backed technology companies looking to expand into new markets and product areas.

jim walsh headshot

Jim Walsh

Chief Information Officer

Jim is responsible for guiding the technology strategy for the management and expansion of Right Networks’ infrastructure, as well as leading and scaling the corporate information technology and security functions. He is a technology industry veteran and has extensive experience in helping develop teams, workflow, and technology operations for mid-stage and later-stage SaaS companies.

Before joining Right Networks, Jim was Vice President and CIO at Virtustream. Prior to Virtustream, he spent seven years at Constant Contact (acquired by Endurance International Group) helping develop and scale the company’s enterprise systems and technology as the company grew from $80M to $370M in revenue. Jim has also held senior technology management executive positions at Peoplefluent, Saba Software, and Concentra.

gary engel headshot

Gary Engel

EVP, Cloud Products

Gary is responsible for leading Right Networks’ Cloud Products which includes software application hosting and IT products. Through product management, product marketing, technical support and client success teams, Gary’s focus is on creating outstanding customer and product experiences. Gary brings a blend of strategic vision and operational focus that helps ensure that CPA, accounting professional and small business clients’ needs are met through a wide variety of cloud and IT solutions.

Prior to his current role at Right Networks, Gary led the Customer Care team since 2018. Before joining Right Networks, Gary spent 14 years as Sr. Vice President of Customer Support at Endurance International Group, growing the SaaS company from a start-up to a public company. Gary has also held senior leadership positions at GlowTouch and eSupportNow.

Darren Root

Darren Root

Chief Strategist

Darren Root, CPA, CITP, CGMA is the Founder of Rootworks—the profession’s leading accounting firm improvement organization and Chief Strategist for Right Networks. Having managed his own CPA firm for more than 30 years, Darren’s vast accounting experience is rivaled only by his passion for helping firm owners modernize and transform their practices into thriving, sustainable enterprises—which is why he launched Rootworks more than a decade ago.

Darren’s real-world experience and innovative ideas incite both clarity and excitement among Rootworks members as they work to build their own modern, highly profitable and technologically savvy firms.

Over the years, Darren has earned numerous awards as an influencer and continues to add to the profession’s broad knowledge base via books and podcasts:

  • Top 100 Most Influential People award
  • Top 25 Thought Leader award
  • Author of The Intentional Accountant
  • Co-author of The E-Myth Accountant
  • Creator of the Better Every Day with Darren Root podcast

Darren holds a BS in accounting from Indiana University, where he has also been a guest lecturer for years. Darren and his wife Michelle love to travel the world—both with an affinity for the spectacular cities, ancient ruins and exquisite wines of Italy. He has three grown children and three grandchildren.

Dana Abraham_Official

Dana Abraham

VP of HR/Office of Operations

Dana is responsible for advancing Right Networks’ strategy in support of the company’s leadership and growth. Dana has been with RN throughout its vast growth since 2010. She is responsible for leading the human resource programs for the company’s employees throughout the US. Programs include talent development, staffing, compensation, benefits, and employee relations. As an experienced HR executive, Dana has a deep understanding of the vibrant organizational culture and a well-honed talent for attracting key employees.

Dana has served in various senior leadership roles throughout her career. She is also an active member of SHRM.

meg norberg headshot

Meg Norberg

VP Analytics

Meg is advancing the business analytics capabilities of Right Networks.  She is responsible for implementing an analytics platform to measure the success of our strategic initiatives and provide insight into our operational and financial performance.

Meg has over 20 years of experience with subscription businesses at all stages of growth. Prior to Right Networks, Meg led key strategic initiatives focused on increasing MRR, retention and NPS at Endurance International, $1.3B B2B SaaS company with 5.5M subscribers. Meg has also held strategy, planning, and operational roles at Constant Contact which grew from $100M to $400M and Workscape which grew from startup to $100M.

Brian Suthoff

Brian Suthoff

VP, Software Products

Brian is responsible for leading Right Network’s Software Products, which includes Rootworks and other products and services. Brian joined the Right Networks team after the successful acquisition of Tally Street, which he co-founded and grew to be a leading customer analytics solution for small businesses and their accounting firms. He has an extensive track record of building and growing new teams and software-driven services.

Prior to Right Networks, Brian founded and co-founded other companies, including Localytics, which he helped grow into the leading mobile engagement solution that was installed on 2 billion devices and is now part of Upland Software. Brian also held senior roles in business development and product management at other startups and Fortune 500 companies.

With our cloud-connected application ecosystem, there are no boundaries. Achieve the flexibility that is critical to serve your clients and run your business.

person sitting at computer reading a paper document

Want to hear from us?

Join our mailing list and get all of the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.