LevelUp Podcast

Valerie Martin is a Silicon Valley finance operator and strategic business partner who has guided high-growth technology companies through complex scaling, transformation, and change. She is a hands-on leader at the intersection of growth, revenue, and decision-making, partnering closely with CEOs, boards, and investors to turn strategy into results and drive sustainable impact. Known for her curiosity, storytelling acumen, and tal...

Albert Ramos Jr. is the Founder and Fractional CFO at Stratego, a firm that helps high-growth businesses strengthen cash flow, refine unit economics, and scale with financial clarity. He has supported companies from $500K to $30M in revenue in building disciplined, data-driven finance operations. As host of The Owner Seat Podcast and an advocate for modernizing the finance function, he brings unique insights on the evolving role of...

Justin Norton, CPA, MAcc, is the Chief Financial Officer at Brekhus Tile & Stone, a Denver-based commercial and residential construction company specializing in high-quality tile and stone installations. Under his financial leadership, the company has strengthened operational discipline and driven meaningful process improvement. He is known for transforming complex accounting environments into scalable, efficient systems that suppo...

Andrew D. Platt is the Chief Financial Officer at Freed Associates, a healthcare consulting firm specializing in strategic advisory and operational improvement for healthcare organizations. With over 20 years of finance and business experience, he helps organizations bring order to complexity and build strong financial discipline. During his career, he has worked across consulting, e-commerce, logistics, and business-to-business se...

Daniel Nelson is a Fractional CFO and Partner at Tech Brainstorm, where he helps founders and growth-stage companies bring order, strategy, and speed to their finance functions. Tech Brainstorm specializes in building investor-ready financial models and scalable operations for innovative businesses. Over his 15+ year career, Daniel has supported more than 40 startups and high-growth companies, helping them raise capital, navigate M...

Rho Lind is the CFO & COO at Mood.com, an online retailer specializing in federally legal hemp-derived cannabis products. He is a finance and operations executive specializing in leading both startups and established companies through transformative growth. Prior to joining Mood, Rho served as Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations at ONE Jeanswear Group and as Senior Director of Financial Planning & Analytics at Polo Ralph ...

Tracie Williams is the President & CEO of SONGWON International Americas, Inc., part of SONGWON Industrial Group, where she oversees operations across North and South America. SONGWON is the world's second-largest manufacturer of polymer stabilizers and a global leader in specialty chemicals. She specializes in global strategy, planning, risk management, and financial control to drive revenue and profitability. Tracie began her car...

Sam Levy is Senior Vice President at Oracle NetSuite, the world's leading provider of AI-powered cloud ERP solutions for growing and finance-led companies. Under his leadership, NetSuite has grown to serve thousands of organizations globally and is recognized as the #1 AI Cloud ERP, with a vibrant community including over 1,500 CFO Alliance member enterprises. With over 25 years of experience in enterprise software, he has also hel...

Sumeet Agrawal is the Founder & Managing Partner at SmartScale Finance, a firm providing fractional CFO and operations consulting services to life sciences, deep tech, and AI startups. He brings over 15 years of experience in finance, strategy, and operations across the biotech and technology sectors. At SmartScale, he helps early-stage companies scale without the cost of a full-time CFO. Before founding the company, Sumeet held ex...

Aaron Wilkins is the Senior Vice President of Accounting, Legal, and Compliance at Human-I-T, a nonprofit social enterprise that bridges the digital divide by providing low-cost technology, internet access, and digital literacy training to underserved communities. He has been with the organization since 2012, first serving as Chief Financial Officer before stepping into his current role in 2021. Under his leadership, Human-I-T has ...

Ilana Esterrich is the Chief Financial Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a nonprofit that provides sexual and reproductive health care and education nationwide. Ilana previously served as CFO at the American Coatings Association and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. A recognized voice in national CFO networks and advisory councils, she actively advances innovation and best practices in financial...

In March 2020, brothers Kaleb and Kolby Rush lost their internships with the onset of the pandemic. They decided to put their skills and knowledge to good use. Alongside their dad, they spent months perfecting their five-ingredient, human-grade, meat-based dog treat recipes. With a passion for entrepreneurship, a love for dogs, and their unique knowledge of dog treat craftsmanship, Kaleb and Kolby got down to business and co-founde...

May Thao-Schuck, EdD, is the Vice President of Career and Professional Development at St. Catherine University. With a strong background in leading and advancing teams and organizations, May successfully propels growth through innovative strategic organization and business design. She was previously the Divisional Director of Workforce Development Employment and Training Programs at the Minnesota Department of Employment and the Di...

Ginny Clarke is the CEO of Ginny Clarke, LLC. She is a talent strategist and organizational builder who provides insights to some of the world's leading executive search firms and technology companies. She recently started her consultancy, where she speaks, writes, and hosts the Fifth Dimensional Leadership podcast.

She was the Director of Leadership Staffing and led diversity and internal mobility and non-tech recruiting teams at ...

Reyn Holden is the Head of Finance and Accounting at Truebill, a finance company that manages subscriptions, improves credit scores, tracks spending, and builds budgets for consumers. He is a Global Advisory Board Member at AchieveNEXT and the Owner of Quintessence Properties I.

Reyn led a team of internal and external staff supporting the technology acquired by Rocket Companies and helped Truebill become a member of the Rocket tea...

Misty Law Flurry is an accomplished human resources leader who brings over 20 years of experience to her position as Director of Talent Solutions at AchieveNEXT, a company that helps businesses achieve performance goals and outcomes through its peer communities, data, insights, and talent solutions. Misty's years of experience enabled her to garner specialization in cultural transformation, organizational and executive development,...

Steve Dobbins is the Founder and CEO of The Dobbins Group Inc., a full-service agency solving marketing and communications challenges for clients worldwide. He is a seasoned marketing and communications professional and has worked side-by-side with CEOs to help build their brands for over twenty years. Steve was the Co-founder of revolucion LA, the Senior Vice President of Member Engagement at Vistage, the Chief Marketing and Commu...

Matt Aaron is the President and CEO of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of sports to transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Over the course of 13 years working for this statewide nonprofit, Matt has more than tripled annual revenues by fostering a strategic vision to expand and regionalize the organization. Matt has positioned the Special Olympics Pennsylvania as...

RJ Juliano is the Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Marketing Officer at Parkway Corporation. He helps companies create environments where people want to work and customers enjoy doing business. In 2016, he began his career with Parkway as the Chief Information Officer, and in 2020 he was promoted to the dual role of Chief Marketing Officer. In 2021, he was also handed the Senior Vice President role. 

Work...