Leadership

Darren Catalano is the CEO of HelioCampus, leading company strategy and operations.  Since launch, Darren continues to serve as the face of HelioCampus in the market through both a business development and thought leadership capacity.  Prior to joining HelioCampus, Darren was the Vice President of Analytics at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) from 2011 to 2015 where he helped develop a culture of data-driven decision making.  Under Darren’s leadership, the Office of Analytics built a technology platform and sophisticated approach to data analyses for senior leadership across the university community.  Recognizing the value this model could bring to other universities, the University System of Maryland Board of Regents approved a plan to spin off the Office of Analytics into a new company, HelioCampus.  Prior to joining UMUC, Mr. Catalano ran the Business Intelligence department at Rosetta Stone, where he built new analytics functions into finance, accounting, sales, marketing and customer operations. He began his career as an analyst for Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic) before working as a management consultant across multiple industries. Mr. Catalano earned a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia.

Steve is Vice President, Operations at HelioCampus. Previously, he was a co-founder and President and Chief Operating Officer at ABC Insights, which became part of HelioCampus in 2020. Steve first encountered benchmarking tools while working for Duke University Health System, then subsequently joined Truven Health Analytics where he helped manage an industry-leading healthcare benchmarking product. Steve concluded that the higher education sector could benefit greatly from using a similar “apples-to-apples” benchmarking approach to identify key insights and help lead strategic change initiatives.

Steve’s background includes teaching, management consulting, product management, operations management, engineering and manufacturing. Steve earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering with honors from Rutgers College of Engineering, and his MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School where he continues to serve the consulting department as Professor of the Practice, an adjunct faculty member.

As the Vice President of Business Intelligence, Joseph is responsible for product development, data visualization and data science functions. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Joe was a Senior Business Intelligence Architect at Rosetta Stone. Joe holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Michigan. 

As the Vice President of Client Services, Susie is responsible for all client implementations and account management. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Susie held a number of roles at the University of Maryland University College, most recently as the Vice President of Student Recruitment. Susie received an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Business Management & International Trade & Politics from Whitworth University. 

As VP of Product Management, Bret is responsible for product strategy and direction. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Bret worked in product leadership roles at Blackboard and EAB. He started his career at Fairfax County Public Schools working on business analysis, strategy and planning. Bret holds an M.S. in Technology Management from George Mason University and a B.A. in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. Paul N. Friga is Vice President, Strategy at HelioCampus. Previously, Paul was a co-founder and Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at ABC Insights, which became part of HelioCampus in 2020. Paul is passionate about helping organizations of all sizes drive improved decision-making through the effective analysis of data and clear connections to strategy. 

In addition to his work at HelioCampus, Paul also holds a Clinical Associate Professor position at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches courses in management consulting and strategy. He researches higher education, strategic decision-making, knowledge transfer, intuition, management consulting processes and entrepreneurship and has presented at numerous conferences throughout the world. He serves as a strategic consultant to leaders at UNC CH as well as many for-profit and not-for-profit organizations over the past 30 years. He has worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Paul earned a Double B.S. degree in Management and Accounting from St. Francis University (selected to be on Board of Trustees) and an MBA and Ph.D. from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. 

As the SVP of Market Development, Lars is responsible for all sales and marketing strategy. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Lars worked at a number of ed tech companies including Level Access, Starfish Retention Solutions & Blackboard. He has also worked at higher education institutions including South Dakota State University, Arizona State University and St. Mary’s College of MD. Lars holds an M.P.A. from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Business Administration from South Dakota State University. 

As the Vice President of Data Science & Analysis, Jack is responsible for the delivery of data analysis and data science services, helping institutions leverage the platform to identify trends and find actionable insights in their data. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Jack was the Senior Director of Data Analysis at the University of Maryland University College. Jack received a B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems from James Madison University.

As the Vice President of Data Engineering & Security, Murthy is responsible for infrastructure engineering, architecture development, and support operations. Prior to joining HelioCampus, Murthy was the Senior Director of Data Warehouse/BI at the University of Maryland University College. Other previous experience includes similar BI/Data warehousing roles at Fannie Mae and America Online (AOL.)