Executive Team
Rick Egan
Co-Founder | Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Egan is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of LightPath. His early career was spent as a member of technology start-up teams in the critical “zero to one million” revenue growth phase. He worked closely with many early stage investors within the venture capital community. Mr. Egan leveraged this early experience as a member of the management team at publicly held VSI Enterprises, an innovative leader in videoconferencing, network diagnostics & device control technologies. His career started in direct sales with progressively increasing responsibilities including National Accounts Manager, Regional Sales Manager, and Vice President of Global Sales. The Board of Directors promoted Mr. Egan to President, Chief Executive Officer and Director to lead a strategy of moving the company from a hardware manufacturer to a software provider.
Mr. Egan’s focus at LightPath has been helping SMB clients with their early stage growth and business transformation via the application of artificial intelligence, machine learning & advanced analysis technologies. In client engagements, Mr. Egan has served as a member of various management teams and strategic advisor to Boards and investors. His engagements included AI solutions that manage healthcare outcome optimization, fraud detection and identity protection technology in the financial sector as well as a SaaS solution that optimizes outreach to consumers via email and social media. Mr. Egan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Egan is an active alumni and has served as an advisor mentor for the TI:GER MBA Program (Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results).
Derek McCrae Norton
Co-Founder | Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Norton is trained as a Statistician, specializing in applied computational statistics, i.e., data science. His work experience has a strong consulting focus, providing expertise in a variety of areas ranging from developing advanced analytics and machine learning models to leading clients in the “Art of Possible”.
Mr. Norton’s experience includes predictive modeling, consulting, and development work in areas such as: fraud, lifetime value, market share, pump failure, failure to appear in court, drug adherence, opioid diversion, and likelihood of claims payment. These covered broad domains such as hospitality, telco, credit risk, and healthcare.
Over the last several years Mr. Norton served a variety of roles at Microsoft, including: Global Lead Data Scientist, Architect, and Industry Digital Strategist in Microsoft Engineering, Consulting Services, and Worldwide Commercial Business. After Microsoft Mr. Norton transitioned to lead the technical team of Life2, Inc. as their Chief Technology Officer. At Life2 he both modularized and modernized their healthcare analytics platform.
The common thread throughout Mr. Norton’s career is bringing advanced analytics and machine learning models to clients in easily understood, actionable, and reproducible terms.
Advisory Team
Barry Saltzman
CEO, Saltzman Enterprise Group
847-912-4109 | www.saltzmaneg.com
Barry Saltzman is a distinguished executive with a robust history of guiding corporations on strategy, operations, and profit maximization at the highest level of management. His proven leadership skills led to the successful management of a $650 million division consisting of over 1500 employees. His advisory roles have spanned numerous corporations and professionals, serving in crucial C-suite positions such as COO and CEO.
In addition to his executive roles, Barry sets himself apart through his commitment to nurturing and educating entrepreneurs. His active contributions to advisory boards underline his dedication to the business community. His insights and expertise are frequently shared through articles on leadership, culture, and team building in prestigious publications like Fast Company.
Drawing on his extensive experience as a business coach and advisor based in Chicagoland, Barry provides transformative mentorship spanning multiple business sectors, including Strategy, Sales, Marketing, Service Delivery, and Operations. His role entails guiding individuals and businesses in developing comprehensive business strategies, refining go-to-market plans, devising impactful marketing strategies, and constructing efficient processes for streamlined operations.
His hands-on and personalized mentorship approach enables clients to operate in a manner that best aligns with their individual style and personality type. This approach underscores his dedication to fostering business growth and success through personalized and effective guidance.
Independent Auditor
Hutch Mansell
Auditor
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7888964
Hutch is a former “auditor”/professional assassin of the CIA who retired to live the rest of his life as a simple, ordinary family man who is happily married and with children.