About Relias

For Kay, the use of emerging technology is an essential link in the value chain of 21st century learning, employment and recruitment. Before founding the Bertelsmann Education Group, he played a key role in building BMG from a start-up to a leading company in the music industry. Before joining BMG’s Executive Board, he implemented Bertelsmann’s portfolio adjustment between 2006 and 2008.

Prior to Bertelsmann, Kay was a partner at Deloitte. Other experiences include a period with Deutsche Börse AG and private equity firm Beteiligungsgesellschaft Neue Länder. Kay compares entrepreneurship to endurance training: in spite of the ups and downs, the objective is to remain focused on the long-term goal.

Ross has always had a passion for learning and technology, starting with tutoring people how to use computers as an early teen. He now leads Relias’ teams focused on financial reporting and analysis, legal and compliance, and information security.

Before joining Relias in July 2021, Ross supported the Bertelsmann Education Group (working closely with Relias’ accounting and finance teams) and led the accounting and treasury teams at Bertelsmann, Inc. He joined Bertelsmann after 10 years’ experience at Deloitte in both transaction services (serving private equity clients) and audit (serving both SEC filers and private clients, with a focus on the media industry).

Ross holds a BBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, and traveling to experience new parts of the world.

Tina serves as Chief People Officer at Relias, ensuring that Relias’ more than 800 employees are well-equipped to achieve strategic business goals, while fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

Before joining Relias in August of 2016, Tina was a partner at ScottMadden Management Consultants and led their HR practice, focusing on strategy development and planning as well as comprehensive operational transformation across a variety of industries, including energy, defense and aerospace, technology, automotive, transportation, and healthcare. Tina started her career in engineering, where she worked for Shell Oil on international and deep-water oil projects.

Tina serves on the Board of the Tammy Lynn Center, a Raleigh-based organization that empowers families and enriches the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities through education, community, and support services.

Tina holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Florida State University, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, and can be found frequently at volleyball matches and soccer games.

Candace serves as Vice President of the Relias Solutions Group, a strategic arm of Relias’ enterprise sales organization. The Solutions Group is comprised of industry and technology experts from across the healthcare continuum. In addition to providing industry insight, they are responsible for delivering professional services, such as clinical consultation and population health management.

Having joined Relias in 2013, Candace has led several key teams including Client Success, Support, and Professional Services. She has a true passion for Relias’ clients and enjoys using complex data to provide effective solutions.

Prior to joining Relias, she worked as an archaeologist in the environmental compliance industry and holds a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology and Religion from Baylor University.

In her free time, Candace enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her son and bulldog, Lucy.

Shawn holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and currently resides in Wake Forest, NC.  When Shawn isn’t thinking about building impactful software, you can find him exercising his passion as a soccer and fitness coach or on the water with his wife and two children.

His prior roles at Relias have included Vice President of Sales, as well as Director of Account Management with a strategic focus on the client engagement process.

Prior to joining Relias in 2014, Stephen was part of Brainware, a Vista Equity Partners organization acquired by Perceptive software. While at Perceptive Software, he led the build out of Perceptive Software Asia while living in Beijing.

Stephen holds B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida and an MBA from NOVA Southeastern University.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and young sons, boating, wake surfing, and playing tennis. Stephen is also an active volunteer with the Special Olympics of North Carolina.

As the Chief Marketing Officer at Relias, Amy is dedicated to leading a team focused on growing the Relias brand, serving our customer community, and ensuring Relias offerings are well understood in the marketplace.

Prior to joining Relias in 2021, Amy held leadership roles at Vanguard Software, Zaloni, and Pixalate, where she specialized in transformational growth, building teams dedicated to high-performing, data-driven marketing operations for SaaS products. Amy’s career has included product management, product marketing, and business leadership roles, where she developed a passion for articulating companies’ unique market value.

Amy holds a B.A. from Davidson College and a Master’s in Art History from University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She serves on the Art Collection Advisory Committee for Davidson and is an enthusiastic arts supporter. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her family and beloved mutt, Harper.

Maria Samot is the Vice President of Content Development at Relias. She joined Relias in 2013 as Instructional Design Manager and has since served as Director of Curriculum Design before taking on her current role. Prior to joining Relias, Maria worked most recently at Georgia State University as Associate Director of the Best Practices Training Initiative. She has spent more than 20 years in education and training, beginning as an international magnet school teacher and later serving as a curriculum specialist and director of a statewide educational non-profit. Relias provides an optimal environment for her to leverage her instructional design skills and love for teaching and learning.

Maria earned a Master’s of Education in Divergent Learning from Columbia College, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from NC State University. She enjoys family time traveling with her husband and two daughters.

Prior to joining Relias, Darius served as Vice President of Operations at Bertelsmann based in New York, New York. Additionally, he serves as the Chief Information Officer for the Bertelsmann Education Division. Darius is a seasoned professional with several major acquisitions and business transformations within Bertelsmann’s operating company portfolio. Prior to joining Bertelsmann, Darius was a management consultant at Deloitte and performed engagements in operational restructuring, financial process redesign, target screening, operational due diligence, and M&A program management.

Darius holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. When Darius isn’t working, he enjoys traveling, enjoying outdoor activities with his three children, and training for triathlons.

As Senior Vice President of Engineering at Relias, Raghav Pavaman is responsible for the overall vision and strategy for Engineering. His role spans the company’s Product Development, Enterprise Architecture, Systems Engineering, and Application Support organizations as they continue to lead the market with innovative healthcare learning solutions.

Prior to joining Relias in 2020, Raghav held engineering leadership positions at Yahoo, Optum and more recently was responsible in building a high performing engineering culture for a new business unit at Cengage, a learning and education company. He is also an entrepreneur in the fitness and well-being space and is a certified fitness trainer. Raghav is an avid reader and has a passion for developing leaders and building a collaborative culture across the organization.

Raghav has a B.S. in Medical Electronics from Bangalore University in India and has participated in several executive skill development programs from prestigious universities in the U.S.