Management Team

Home
About Us
Management Team

Michael Atkins Amaxven Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Atkins has five successful decades of executive marketing and technology management with Fortune 500 companies Xerox, Boeing, EDS, Diligent, Lockheed Martin, SWIFT and IBM.

Mr. Atkins founded, funded, and managed several companies:

Chairman and CEO - AMAXVEN, Inc. management consulting and real estate investment company;
Chairman and CEO - Incident Logic, Inc. analytical software for DOD intelligence community TS;
President - Master Key, Inc. native American company, IV&V secure application software testing in the cloud Department of Justice TS;
President - DF Labs North America digital forensics government;
Chairman and CEO - Visual Board Books, Inc. SaaS the board book portal for board of directors;
Chairman and CEO - Strategic Marketing Ventures, Inc. management consulting company to SWIFT VIABLE Contract, Lockheed Martin and NuComm;
Chairman and CEO - Commonwealth Financial Corporation debt and equity financing to software companies;
Chairman and CEO - Chesapeake Computer Solutions, Inc. IBM Master Reseller, and system integrator;

Mr. Atkins held executive positions:

Executive Vice President - DEXEL Systems computer company;
Director Department of Defense - EDS Systems;
National Director VIABLE contract - Boeing Computer Executive Information Solutions;
Manager - Tymshare, Inc. computer modeling software and DOD budgeting;
Sales Professional - Xerox Corporation office and engineering systems Education.
Education - MBA Loyola Maryland University, BA Baptist Christian University.

The Honorable Ronald R. Spoehel – Amaxven Advisory Partner

The Honorable Ronald R. Spoehel served in the leadership of NASA as the U.S. Presidentially appointed Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer. He has over 40 years of board, executive management, private investment, and investment banking experience, from Fortune 500 to innovative technology start-ups.

Mr. Spoehel is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Aegis Cybersecurity Systems Inc. and serves as Managing Partner of Windrock Capital LLC, a private firm with a concentration on technology start-ups and innovation. He also presently serves on select U.S. and international company, investment fund, and advisory Boards and has served in financial and general management and on Boards with globally operating public and private companies in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Among various companies with worldwide operations, he has served with Harris Corporation, Hughes Aircraft Company, ManTech International, ICF Kaiser International, Optinel Systems, ICx Technologies, Acer Group, Profire Energy, and Indrocorp Technologies. His global experience also includes ten years with Bank of America and Lehman Brothers across the energy, technology, and industrial sectors.

He is a member of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and has served on the United States Chief Financial Officers Council, U.S. Air Force Audit Committee, the Board of Directors of the Professional Services Council, and the Advisory Council for the Wharton and Engineering Schools at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Spoehel is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in economics and MBA from the Wharton School, and his Master of Science degree in engineering from the Moore School of Electrical Engineering.

Professor Paul Barach, B. Med.Sci, MD, MPH, Major (RET.) – Advisory Partner Amaxven Healthcare

Professor Paul Barach is an international expert and an enthusiastic believer in smart health information technology and monitoring to improve the safety and quality of healthcare with both extensive professional and academic experience. Paul has more than 25 years of experience as a practicing physician and physician executive in the military and in academic medical centers and integrated delivery systems. Paul has a long history of intersecting clinical, information technology and operational responsibilities with executive management, business and entrepreneurial roles including as a senior hospital executive in academic medical centers and integrated delivery systems. His experiences in a wide variety of healthcare endeavors have provided him the opportunity to develop unique and deep relationships with national and international networks of recognized knowledge leaders and professionals. Paul is the Associate Editor of Telehealth and Medicine, a lead digital health journal.

Paul is a double-boarded anesthesiologist and critical care physician-scientist, and trained at Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Hebrew University, and the University of Chicago. Paul is an elected member of the lead international honorary society the Association of University Anesthesiologists.

Paul is the Head of Population Health for Play it Health and is deeply involved in all clinical trial designs. Paul has designed numerous clinical trials and has received research grant funding of over $16,000,000 as PI or Co-PI (and more than $200,000,000 in group funding) in federal competitive grant funding from the US (NIH/AHRQ/HRSA), EC (FP-7, Horizon, Erasmus), Australian (NHMRC, ARC), UK (NIHR), Dutch and Norwegian Federal Agencies as well as World Bank, WHO and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. He has sat on several NIH, AHRQ, VAHSRD and international grant review panels.

Paul is currently the Principal of J Bara Innovation Consulting which he founded in 2012. J Bara Innovation partners with academic medical centers and large hospitals to identify, capture, organize, and optimize the organization’s digital strategies and help identify gaps and/or risk exposure in operations as well as develop and implement strong systems of corporate checks-and-balances. Paul has designed remote patient monitoring solutions to address compliance, diversity, and engagement issues.

Previously, Paul held the position of Chief Quality Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer for the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital, a 1200-bed integrated hospital system. He was a member of the management leadership team on a variety of consulting projects with international health care clients. He also was Associate Dean and director of the Center for.

Colonel J. Carlos Vega, Advisory Partner Cybersecurity

Colonel J. Carlos Vega, a retired US Army officer, Amaxven Board and Executive Advisor, provides BoardGRC and Board Member Services, strategic leadership, governance, risk, and compliance expertise.

With substantial experience as a CISO, CIO, CXO, and CTO, Colonel Vega possesses a breadth of executive and cybersecurity knowledge. His operational expertise and a visionary outlook have been vital in shaping robust cybersecurity policies and fostering a culture of compliance and diligent risk management across diverse regulatory landscapes.

Key Projects include Sorenson Communications, CISO, Devo Technology Inc, US State Department leader, Foreign Military Partnerships LATAM, Global Executive Security Advisor, IBM Security Executive, Security Software & Services, IBM Security, DoD Executive, CIO, CISO, and Executive Advisor, US Army Major Command, CTO – Supply Chain and IoT, US Forces South Korea, Chief Experience Officer, Sr. Dir, & Co-Founder, US Army Cyber Institute, and Cyber Instructor, United States Military Academy @ West Point.

Colonel Vega is set to deliver Amaxven clients a comprehensive and strategic contribution, ensuring that the organization maintains a cutting edge in cybersecurity and excels in governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
His education, clearance and credentials include MS, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), BA, California State Polytechnic Univ, Ph.D., NPS - Candidate (ABD-defense), Clearance: US DoD TS/SCI, Board Certified Qualified Technical Expert – Digital Directors Network (QTE). ISC2 CISSP - Certified Information System Security Professional (66176), NIST Information Systems Security Professional, System Administrator, and Security Officer (NIST 4011, 4013, & 4014)

Mark Kehaya Amaxven Advisory Partner to Ukraine

Mark Kehaya Mark has more than 30 years of investment and operating experience, with numerous operational restarts, turnarounds, and growth investments. Co-founded Private Equity firm Meriturn Partners, specializing in overlooked and underperforming middle-market situations. Investments were made in basic industries including manufacturing, distribution, and services.

Co-Founder and Partner in Ukraine Border Logistics, a Private Equity fund focused on partnering with Ukrainian industry and entrepreneurs with the goal of investing in the reconstruction of the country and help revitalize companies in key sectors of the economy. Chairman of the Board of AMV Holdings, the largest operator of specialty brick and mortar vape stores in the USA, operating 100+ retail locations. Past Chairman and CEO of Alliance One International, a $2 billion revenue agricultural company with extensive operations in Eastern Europe, South America, Asia, & Africa. Past Chairman of the Board of Dunn Paper, a manufacturer and supplier of high performance, advanced paper, and tissue for use in food, medical, and specialty markets. Past CEO of Standard Commercial's Cut Roll Expanded Stem Operations in Russia, building manufacturing plant and operations from 1 employee to 140 employees. Past Director of Wayne Farms, a leading integrated agriculture company specializing in poultry.

Michele M. Merrell Amaxven BoardGRC Strategic Planning

Michele M. Merrell Amaxven - BoardGRC Strategic Planning

Michele M. Merrell is a senior level technology and telecommunications executive with 30 years experience leading marketing and business development in organizations ranging from start-up to mature, private, public and pre-IPO. She has worked on numerous mergers, acquisitions and joint venture agreements during her tenure. Her portfolio of work experience includes companies such as Tyco International, Brightstar Corp., CSPI Technology Solutions, Thales eSecurity, Bellsouth, U.S. Cellular, Viya and others. She has held broad global responsibility across APAC, EMEA, LATAM and North America.

Michele has been an Independent Corporate Director for over nine years on publicly held international company boards including Cable Bahamas, Summit Broadband and Aliv Mobile. She is the head of the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee, and also sits on the HR & Compensation Committee, and has served on Audit & Risk. She is an accredited National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow. She is also a member of Women Corporate Directors.

Michele is on the international board of directors for the Global Telecom Women’s Network (GTWN), and is the Americas President for GTWN, an organization that actively promotes and mentors’ women into C-level positions in the global telecommunications and technology industries. Michele was also named to the Board of Directors for the LeMieux Center for Public Policy in 2018 and currently serves on their board. She also serves on the board of SoldierStrong, an organization that helps paralyzed military veterans walk again with the use of technology.

Michele is a contributing author of articles for the Forbes Council, part of Forbes Magazine and shares her insights and contributes articles on various business topics for publication on Forbes.com. She is also a frequent contributing author to The Mobile Century magazine.

Michele’s achievements have earned her dozens of awards and recognition over her career for her business and leadership acumen. In 2022, she was named by Silicon Valley Review as a “Top 30 Inspiring Leader to Watch.” Michele was honored with the Women of Distinction award from the South Florida March of Dimes. In prior years, she received the Women of the Channel Power 50 Award by CRN Magazine. Michele was the recipient of the Florida Achievement Award from the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, part of the Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida. The South Florida Business Journal also named Michele as their “Businesswoman of Influence” recipient. Michele was named by the Diversity Journal as the recipient of their “Woman Worth Watching” award.

Chris Hetner - Amaxven Senior Advisory Partner Board Member Services – Cybersecurity

Chris Hetner is the Amaxven Senior Advisor for Board Member Services. As an Executive Management Consultant, Board Director, and leader in Cybersecurity recognized for raising cyber risk to the Corporate Board level to protect industries, infrastructures, and economies he creates operational resilience by aligning robust Cybersecurity strategies with business objectives.

Mr. Hetner’s professional judgment combined with a public company perspective and SEC regulatory and investor oversight experience has led to his success in corporate and government roles. Currently, he the Special Advisor for Cyber Risk for the NACD, a Senior Advisor for the Chertoff Group, Chair Cybersecurity and Privacy for the NASDAQ Center for Board Excellence, Board of Director, and Research Affiliate with MIT Sloan School of Management.

He served as the Senior Cybersecurity Advisor to the Chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and as Head of Cybersecurity for the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examination at the SEC. He also represented the Chair of the SEC as a senior member of the US Department of the Treasury Financial Banking Information Infrastructure Committee. His greatest contributions included vision for and implementation of the first agency wide Cybersecurity governance structure, threat intelligence program, and incident response capabilities. The Cybersecurity framework he implemented improved the National Examination Program’s ability to monitor and respond to Cyber risks and threats across the US Securities market.

Mr. Hetner has also led efforts across financial, regulatory, and government agencies to enhance Cybersecurity coordination in the financial services sector. He successfully led diverse teams, in multiple global locations, through transformative thinking about cyber-risk management, Cybersecurity policy, and regulatory compliance to embrace change and become cultures of action and collaboration. He established governance and risk management structures aligned with strategy and business objectives, while integrating resilience into corporate DNA.

Mr. Hetner’s thought leadership is actively sought by governments, private and public entities, industry associations, and media outlets as the threats to critical infrastructure and economies increase. Throughout his career he has shared his professional expertise by mentoring students at Columbia University, New York University, Fordham School of Law, and Pace University.

He is a Certified Information Security Manager (ISACA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (ISC2), and holds a high-level USA security clearance. Mr. Hetner earned a MS, cum laude, in Information Assurance from Norwich University and a BS in Security Management from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Amaxven Board Member Services Business Strategy - Cybersecurity - Risk Management - Regulatory Compliance
Leads Cybersecurity & Operational Resilience in Public/Private Sectors
Cyber Risk Advisor, NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors)
Chair Cybersecurity and Privacy, Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence
Board of Directors, Simulint
Senior Advisor, The Chertoff Group
Research Affiliate, MIT Sloan School of Management

Former Affiliations:
Senior Cybersecurity Advisor, Chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Senior Member, US Department of Treasury Financial Banking Information Infrastructure Committee
US Department of Treasury, G-7 Cyber Expert
United States Department of Homeland Security
Executive Vice President, Moody’s Cybersecurity Joint Venture
Managing Director, Marsh
National Board Member, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Cybersecurity Practice Leader, EY Wealth and Asset Management and Private Equity
Global Chief Information Security Officer, GE Capital
Senior Vice President Information Security, Citi