As Chief Executive Officer, Mike de Vere sets the strategic vision and leads the company’s mission to harness artificial intelligence to modernize lending and strengthen the financial system. Under his leadership, Zest AI is expanding access to affordable credit and helping more people achieve long-term financial prosperity.

With more than 30 years of experience, Mike has built his career around giving consumers a stronger voice in how businesses and governments serve them. He has held leadership roles at organizations including Nielsen, The Harris Poll, and J.D. Power, where he specialized in turning data into insights that drive growth and improve organizational performance.

Mike earned his MBA from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge. He lives in Southern California with his wife, children, and their family pets.

As Chief Operating Officer, Dan Chiazza leads the execution of company strategy and ensures operational excellence across all functions. He is responsible for aligning people, processes, and technology to deliver on the mission of modernizing lending and strengthening the financial system through AI. Under his leadership, Zest AI has matured from a start-up to a scale-up, securing its capital structure, expanding its customer base, and increasing its market share.

Dan brings a proven track record of scaling businesses and driving customer-centric growth, with leadership experience at organizations such as Nielsen and The Harris Poll.

He holds a B.A. in Communications and Advertising from St. John Fisher University and resides in Westport, Connecticut with his wife and children.

As the Chief Technology Officer, Sean Kamkar oversees Zest AI’s engineering and data science teams. His teams focus on building robust systems, innovative AI applications, and scalable, transparent models that drive performance, fairness, and automation in credit underwriting. Under Sean’s leadership, Zest AI enables financial institutions to deploy cutting-edge AI/ML solutions that are both powerful and compliant, while ensuring ease of implementation.

Sean holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering and conducted post-graduate work at the NASA Ames Research Center. Before joining Zest AI, Sean led large-scale projects, including managing a team of over 200 engineers to improve the safety of aging U.S. natural gas pipelines.

Sean and his family reside in Burbank, California, where he attempts to play outdoor tennis year-round, with varying degrees of success.

As Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, Marc Levin leads Zest AI’s legal, finance, compliance, and corporate development/partnership teams. He brings more than 25 years of experience guiding public and private companies through complex legal, financial, and strategic matters, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, partnerships, and governance.

Before joining Zest AI, Marc held senior leadership roles at Delos, EyeLock, and The Harris Poll, where he helped steer the company’s sale to Nielsen. He began his career as an M&A and securities lawyer at Thacher Proffitt & Wood.

Marc earned his J.D. and MBA from Boston College and a BA in Economics from Cornell University. He lives in New York City with his wife, two daughters, and their goldendoodle.

As Head of Public Policy and Chief of Staff, Esther Kahng serves as day-to-day operational support for the CEO, and leads the company’s engagement with policymakers, regulators, as well as advocacy and industry groups.

With over a decade of experience on Capitol Hill, Esther has extensive experience in financial services policy, most recently serving as Chief Counsel for the House Financial Services Committee. In this capacity, Esther was at the forefront of legislative and regulatory efforts around financial technology and AI, championing technological advancements that benefit consumers and community financial institutions. Esther has spent the entirety of her career working to expand economic opportunities for people from all backgrounds, and she continues that work in her current role at Zest AI.

Esther is native of Los Angeles, CA, but is currently based in Washington D.C. She received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego, and her J.D. from Georgetown University. She is currently a member of the D.C. Bar Association.

As Head of Business Development, Aaron Long leads the company’s efforts to showcase the transformative impact of Zest AI’s technology. He empowers forward-thinking lenders to modernize their underwriting processes and to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence in credit decisioning.

Aaron brings more than 25 years of experience with deep expertise in the credit industry having held leadership roles at American Express, Equifax, and Fiserv.

He received his MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University. A native of St. Louis, Aaron now resides in Atlanta with his two teenagers.

As Head of People Operations, Patti Mancini leads all aspects of talent and culture, ensuring employees are empowered, connected, and supported in their professional growth. She also oversees Zest Cares, the company’s commitment to support employees, clients, and communities in ways that leave a positive impact on society

Patti brings deep experience as an HR leader across the entertainment and private sectors, having held roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Comcast, and DirecTV, in addition to running her own executive leadership development consulting firm.

Patti is a certified Executive Coach and holds a certificate in HR Studies from Cornell University with a focus on Labor and Industrial Relations. Based in Los Angeles, Patti enjoys spending time at the beach near her home.

As Head of Strategic Partnerships, José Valentin drives growth by building and nurturing high-impact relationships with industry leaders and organizations. With a focus on long-term collaboration, his goal is to accelerate innovation, and create mutual value and business synergy through strategic alliances.

José brings a unique blend of leadership, technical expertise, and financial acumen to his role, grounded in more than 15 years of service as a U.S. Marine Corps officer. During his military career, José served as a helicopter pilot, tactics instructor, and systems development advisor.

He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, and an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Los Angeles.

As Head of Product and Strategy, Adam Kleinman shapes the strategic vision, product roadmap, and execution that drives growth and innovation. He leads cross-functional teams to deliver market-leading solutions while aligning product development with long-term business strategy and customer needs.

Drawing from a career rooted in financial services, Adam brings proven expertise from his previous roles at Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.

Adam’s analytical foundation is built on a B.S. in Finance from Penn State University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He’s based in New York City and enjoys reading, traveling, and rock climbing.

As Head of Customer Success, Curtis Wagner champions a client-first mentality that turns partnerships into measurable business growth. He and his team employ a hands-on approach with a focus on driving smarter credit decisions, stronger portfolio performance, and long-term sustainable growth for Zest AI’s customers.

Drawing from extensive consulting experience, Curtis brings proven expertise from his previous role as an economic consultant at Analysis Group, Inc., where he helped Fortune 500 companies navigate multi-billion dollar liabilities across the technology and financial services sectors.

He received an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University, where he earned recognition as an Academic All-American baseball player.

As Head of Marketing, Shayli Lones is responsible for leading the go-to-market strategy for Zest AI. Her team drives brand positioning, product readiness, and customer engagement initiatives that establish Zest AI as the premier AI automated underwriting partner across the financial services landscape.

Shayli brings over a decade of proven leadership experience from fast-scaling startups, B2B SaaS and fintech companies, with deep expertise spanning demand generation, product marketing, and strategic positioning.

She earned her B.A. in Communications from Weber State University and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and child.