All Bios

Greg Payne is a Vice President of Business Development in the Autodata Solutions division of J.D. Power. He has over 20 years of automotive and insurance experience, specializing in Enterprise sales. Greg has been with Autodata Solutions for the past 5 years. Previously, he spent 10 years at Audi/VW Group of America, several years at Hearst’s Black Book Online, and helped launch the startup Lotlinx. He currently runs the insurance vertical for Autodata Solutions and was part of the team that created and launched StudyPRICE.

Matthew Racho is Managing Director, Business Development and Configuration Solutions at J.D. Power. He leads the team responsible for developing and executing PIN’s retail strategy and business performance, focused on solutions to assist automotive retailers with insights that will drive decisions to improve sales and profitability.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Racho was responsible for the sale and delivery of information, real-time sales and marketing information, intelligence and insights that enable clients to realize business goals by selling the right products to the right customers at the right time and for the right price.

Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2000, Mr. Racho worked in roles at EDS, Detroit Diesel and Dialogue Marketing, gaining experience in marketing, product development, production system controls and optimization.

Mr. Racho received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University.

Senior Automotive Account Analyst, Power Information Network^® (PIN)
(647) 946-3446
justin.ramkishun@jdpa.com

Bernardo Rodriguez is the Chief Digital Officer at J.D. Power. He is responsible for advancing J.D. Power’s digital and AI transformation and leads the company’s Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Research, Innovation, CX Solutions and Consumer divisions.

Mr. Rodriguez joined J.D. Power in 2017 from Huge, the global full-service digital agency, where he served as Managing Director of Strategy, partnering with Fortune 100 companies on the design and execution of product and brand strategies, enterprise transformation and innovation. Previously, he served as a Managing Director at Accenture, the global management consulting and professional services company, where he led the firm’s North American Digital Strategy Practice for telecommunications, media and technology. Earlier, Mr. Rodriguez served as Chief Digital Officer at Kaplan Test Prep, a top provider of educational and career services, where he was responsible for digital transformation in technology, data science, user experience, online learning, Kaplan publishing and innovation.

Mr. Rodriguez holds a bachelor’s degree of science in electrical engineering from Universidad Rafael Urdaneta in Venezuela and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer engineering from the University of Colorado. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Michelle Ruiz is Managing Director for the Consumer Insights group at J.D. Power. She is responsible for overseeing analytics and consumer insights for the company’s syndicated research studies. Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2018, Ms. Ruiz worked for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Ducker Worldwide, and Electronic Data Systems (EDS) where she held a variety of account management, marketing research, and consumer insights roles. Ms. Ruiz earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and she has taught for Michigan State University in the master’s program in marketing research.

Manager, Operations Support, Canada and Latin America
(647) 946-3444
elena.sheehy@jdpa.com

With over 20 years’ experience within the Autodata Solutions Division of J.D. Power, George has evolved through many roles including sales, customer support, client management, business analysis and is currently in product management. Perpetually the voice of the customer, he has attained automotive industry knowledge of configuration, inventory, comparison, incentives, dealership commercial sales and fleet ordering by building excellent relationships and through the pursuit of truth-finding.

Working with agile product teams, he is able to lead with confidence to ensure the products we build are excellent, but also that the people he works with are valued and respected.

George holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Western University in southern Ontario, Canada.

Keith Spondike is a veteran automotive marketing executive driving transformational change in the digital retail landscape. Previous to Autodata Solutions, Keith worked at FordDirect where he launched Ford’s first cross-tier, omni-channel owner loyalty and retention solution that delivered over $500 million in incremental sales and service revenue. Keith began his career with GM and spent 18 years in the sales and marketing organization. Keith also had stints in other transportation verticals, where he implemented websites, digital advertising and social media programs. Keith holds an MBA from Wayne State University and a BS in Finance/Economics from Oakland University.

Andrea Stokes joined J.D. Power as Practice Lead – Hospitality in September 2019.  She is responsible for ensuring J.D. Power brings relevant and high-quality intelligence to clients in the Lodging and Senior Living sectors.  She provides J.D. Power clients with hospitality industry expertise and thought leadership, as well as expertise in customer experience management.

Prior to J.D. Power, Andrea was with Marriott International’s CX and Innovation division where she oversaw brand health measurement programs, as well as Marriott’s customer insights platforms. Before joining Marriott, Andrea was Vice President - Travel and Hospitality at Ipsos, the well-known global research and polling firm. There she oversaw CX and marketing insights programs for clients in lodging, air transportation, cruise, and destination marketing.  Andrea is also the former Director of Research at the U.S. Travel Association.  

Andrea earned an M.B.A. at Georgetown University and a B.A. in Management at the College of St. Benedict.

Andrea has presented at many travel industry and other conferences.  She is also a Certified Hospitality Educator and Adjunct Lecturer in Hospitality Management. She resides in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. 

Carol Thomas is a Book Product Implementation Manager for the Autodata Solutions division of J.D. Power. She manages the product process from inquiry to implementation. Carol works closely with the Accounting, Fulfillment and Technical Support teams, coordinating the cycle to ensure the customer is provided with the appropriate information, product and tools to meet their business needs.

Carol has sales, service, training and customer relations management experience working in various areas to include Wayne State University Institute of Environmental Health Science Research, Wayne County Medical Society, HCR-Manorcare and GM-Onstar. By managing call centers, customer service, sales and training programs, Carol helps enhance, assist and create positive client relationships.

Carol believes the customer is the most valuable asset an organization can have and is driven by the persistent pursuit of customer service excellence. She consistently looks to increase product usage through value added service and enhanced customer knowledge.

Carol is a graduate of Wayne State University.

Jim Thomason is a Group Account Director for the Autodata Solutions division of J.D. Power.

Jim is responsible for fleet management company engagements as well as supporting various initiatives within OEM partnerships. Jim joined Autodata Solutions in 2009 as a Delivery Director and has since taken on roles that include overseeing the delivery of large scale OEM digital marketing/OEM distributor engagements and working with partners to help them realize the potential of data and content, as well as what software applications can do for their businesses.

Jim has spent nearly 20 years in the automotive industry with a significant focus on client management. Prior to Autodata Solutions, Jim held several positions at General Motors within the Information Systems & Digital Marketing organizations, as well as spending time as a producer for Wunderman Advertising Agency.

Jim pursued post-secondary education in business administration and marketing, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix.

Chip Wallace is a Product Portfolio Director in the Autodata Solutions Division of J.D. Power. Chip oversees a suite of products that power vehicle merchandising tools and research experiences, including Automotive Description Service, As-Built Valuation Service and associated data products. Chip is a customer-focused product manager with a proven track record of success in launching new products and revitalizing mature products through effective collaboration with customers, sales, executive management, professional services, engineering and partners.

With over 15 years at Autodata Solutions, Chip has taken on a variety of roles within the organization from software development to client services to his current role. With this wide range of experience, Chip has the rare ability to provide insights from all stakeholders during the development of new products and solutions.

Keith Webster is President of Global Business Intelligence (GBI) at J.D. Power. He is responsible for setting the strategic direction and managing the growth and profitability of the division. GBI serves high growth verticals, including banking, wealth, insurance, utilities, technology,  telecommunications, healthcare and travel.

Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2015, Mr. Webster was president and CEO of Sector Group, Inc., a management consulting firm serving the software and information industry. Previously, Mr. Webster held a variety of positions in the financial software and information industry, including managing director at Interactive Data Corp., managing director at Dun & Bradstreet; managing director at Thomson Financial; vice president of strategy and business development at ADP Financial Information Services Corp., and director of product management at Data Broadcasting Corp.

Mr. Webster earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from The University of Chicago. He is alumnus of The Harvard Business School where he completed the Advanced Management Program.

Scott Yamauchi is a Managing Director in J.D. Power’s Customer Experience Solutions practice. Scott is responsible for managing the implementation and ongoing execution of all Customer Experience research programs in the U.S.

Scott has 20 years of experience working with clients to help them achieve their CX goals. Additionally, he supports the strategic efforts to apply best practices in Customer Experience research across our global offices. 

Scott earned bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Sociology and Business Administration. He has received a J.D. Power Award of Excellence, a J.D. Power Technology Transformation Award, and the Honda Premier Partner Award.