Power Moves: Tech Impact’s Francis Johnson won a fellowship to boost nonprofit cybersecurity

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Email us: philly@technical.ly.

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Tech training nonprofit Tech Impact announced this month that its managing director of tech services, Francis Johnson, has been named as a Nonprofit Technology Fellow for the Okta for Good Nonprofit Technology Initiative.

The fellowship program is in its inaugural year and boosts nonprofit leaders who are “advocating for a movement toward better use and implementation of technology,” per Tech Impact.

Johnson was named as one of eight fellows in the six-month program, through which Tech Impact was also awarded a $25,000 grant. Johnson’s area of focus for the grant is in “protecting critical data and vulnerable identities that nonprofits hold.”

“There is a huge need in the nonprofit sector for cybersecurity support and education,” Johnson said in a statement. “Tech Impact’s goal is to help nonprofits thrive and in order for them to thrive they must prioritize cybersecurity. I’m grateful to the Okta team for providing additional resources to help us increase capacity and help nonprofits implement proper cybersecurity measures.”

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Real estate startup Houwzer just welcomed Charlie Young, the former president and CEO of Coldwell Banker, to its board of directors this month.

Young brings decades of experience in real estate to the position, first joining Coldwell Banker in 2004 and becoming CEO in 2016. Young stepped down from that role in 2020.

Tech-enabled brokerage service Houwzer is unique in that it has salaried agents, a move that allows them to spend more time with a customer, the company says. Traditionally, agents would receive a 6% fee, but instead, Houwzer charges a flat $5,000 listing fee paid at closing plus 2.5% for the buyer’s broker. The company said it saves home sellers an average of $15,000 in commissions.

“Houwzer truly offers the consumer all the benefits you get from a technology company but coupled with experienced, well-trained, full-service real estate agents,” Young said of the company. “With increased commission compression and growing scrutiny of the 1099 independent contractor model, Houwzer’s flat-fee, salaried agent model is the future of real estate brokerage.”

Houwzer CEO Mike Maher said the company is lucky to have Young join the board and bring his “depth of industry knowledge and experience.”

“He also knows the complexity, uniqueness, infrequency, and emotion inherent in this transaction and why real estate agents will remain a critical component of the winning models over the long-term,” Maher said.

Also on the board is Austin Allison, cofounder and CEO of Pacaso, Natasha Ashton, former cofounder of PetPlan and Michael Kopelman, general partner and fintech lead at Edison Partners, which led Houwzer’s Series A funding. The company also added Melissa Gingrich as its CFO last summer.

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Newly formed payments company Onbe, with campuses in Philadelphia and outside of Chicago, just appointed PayPal alum George Eliopoulos as its chief revenue officer.

Two fintech firms — Conshy’s North Lane Technologies and Illinois-based daVinci Payments — recently merged and rebranded to form a single, unified payments brand: Onbe. Kevin Schultz, who most recently served in leadership roles at Fiserv, also joins the company on its board of directors.

Onbe now specializes in a variety of payment forms for customers, including payroll, payouts, incentives and marketplace services, and payments can be customized for digital wallets for online, in-store and in-app purchases.

“The company’s mission to create engaging payment experiences for leading brands globally is something I’ve dedicated my career to, and I’m excited to start this new chapter of my journey as Onbe embarks upon its own new beginning,” Eliopoulos said in a statement. The new CRO’s LinkedIn profile indicates he’s based in the Chicago area.

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Center City-headquartered Independence Health Group announced this month the promotion of Juan Lopez to EVP, CFO and treasurer of the company.

Most recently Lopez has held the role of SVP of finance shared services, and has been with IHG since 2010. He’s been in the financial industry for more than 30 years and has held financial leadership roles at CIGNA Corporation, ARAMARK, GE Capital and CoreStates Financial Corp. In this new role, Lopez will also focus efforts on the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

“I have been fortunate to work closely with Juan during my tenure as Independence’s CFO, so I know he’ll excel in this new role,” said Gregory Deavens, president and CEO at Independence, in a statement. “We’ve set ambitious goals to help us achieve our mission to enhance the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve, and Juan’s expertise will undoubtedly position us for success.”

Deavens vacated the CFO role to become the company’s new head at the top of 2021, following the retirement of longtime leader Dan Hilferty.

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Inspira Health Foundation, which supports South Jersey-based Inspira Health programs and services, including its technology advancements, has approved the appointment of Peter Kaprielyan as the org’s new chief development officer.

Kaprielyan is currently the VP of government and external relations at Inspira and previously served as VP of organizational improvement and philanthropy at Underwood-Memorial Hospital, prior to its merger to become Inspira Health last year. Kaprielyan also served as the executive director of its foundation and held several development and advancement positions at regional hospitals and medical colleges.

“I’m looking forward to stepping back into this development role while still maintaining a foothold in government affairs,” Kaprielyan said in a statement. “As we look to the future of Inspira Health, I’m energized by the support of our community and look forward to what’s to come.”