Chris is the principal architect of YA’s strategy, vision, and execution. As chief evangelist for the business, he works closely with clients, partners and team members to create extraordinary omnichannel experiences that motivate consumers to engage the brand, take action and spread the word. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Chris was Chairman of the Board of Directors for Young America, LLC. Before joining YA, Chris worked with Baird Capital Partners to develop and execute acquisition and investment strategies to build a company in the digital marketing services industry, serving as CEO and/or Board Member of the acquired business. Previously, Chris was President and CEO of SourceLink, which grew to become the 4th largest privately held marketing services company in the US. Prior to SourceLink, Chris was President and CEO of ETrac, an emergency 911 tow management software services (SaaS) business. He also held various positions at GE Financial Assurance, including Senior Vice President Sales and Client Marketing. Chris began his career at OAG, a global publisher of airline and hotel information. Chris received his degree from the University of Illinois – Chicago.

Chris is also very active in the industry and community. He currently serves on the Association of National Advertising board of advisors, as a curator to the Data and Marketing Association, a member of the advisory board for the Carlson School of Management at the University of MN, Minneapolis Downtown Council executive committee and board of directors, Minneapolis Club Board of Governors and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, and is a board director for Circle Urban Ministries in Chicago. Chris also served on the Superior International Industries Board of Directors before selling the business to a strategic acquirer. When Chris isn’t leading the team at YA, he’s still pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs and wannabe golfer. Outside of these dreams, he enjoys gardening and traveling. Chris has been to more than 50 countries, but never to Italy – he admits, he needs to fix that… fast!

Sara leads the client services team at YA. She leverages over 20 years of strategic marketing experience in direct response, promotions, loyalty, licensing and partnership marketing across numerous industries. In her role, Sara is responsible for successful management, retention, and growth of YA’s clients across multiple industries. Before joining YA, Sara led advertising and licensing efforts at Asset Marketing Services, a numismatic direct response company developing licensing programs with National Geographic, Discovery Communications, and Susan G. Komen. Previously, Sara held the position of Senior Vice President of Business Development at Intemark Marketing Group, a global strategic alliance company bringing strategic alliance partnerships, cross-promotion and retail marketing solutions to retailers, CPG, entertainment and sports/outdoor brands.

Sara held other positions at the company including Director of Client Services leading a team to develop partnership and promotional strategies for brands such as Oakley, Great Clips, Procter & Gamble, Scholastic Corporation, National Geographic, Great Wolf Resorts, among others. Sara held positions at Carlson Companies where she developed partnerships and promotions for Amazon.com, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels, and Amtrak Corporation.
Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of MN Twin Cities and a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. In her free time, you will find Sara outdoors running and hiking and spending time with her husband, three children, and her Goldendoodle, Lola.

Todd leads the sales, marketing, analytics and product strategy teams at YA. He leverages his deep product, technology and IT background with a strong business acumen to help our clients with their YA’s promotional marketing solutions and strategies for engaging their consumers.

Before joining YA, Todd served as Head of Operations for St. Paul, Minn.-based LAKANA (formerly Internet Broadcasting), a technology company that provides SaaS-ready content management platforms for media publishers. He also held other positions at the company, including Senior Vice President of Products and Chief Technology Officer. Prior to LAKANA, Todd held several positions with Best Buy, including Vice President, Global Enterprise Architecture and Strategy, and Vice President, International and Web Technologies. In 2013, Todd was named CIO of the Year by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with specializations in Marketing and Organizational Management, from Marquette University in Milwaukee.

In his time away from YA, Todd is a lifelong runner who spends most of his time off the pavement and on the trails training for his next ultra. He also enjoys watching his three children participate in their various activities and spending time outdoors.

Doug leads our Client Delivery, engineering, infrastructure, and operations teams at YA. He has a passion for the team and delivering superior solutions that exceed client’s expectations.

Before joining YA, Doug spent ten years at Target in a variety of leadership roles. In his most recent role there, he was a Director in Target.com, where he was responsible for planning, developing and implementing the product strategy and overseeing the entire product development lifecycle to create seamless multi-channel experiences for their customers. Prior to Target, Doug spent over fifteen years with US Bank and Wells Fargo in various leadership roles managing engineering, business analyst and project management teams. Doug has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

When he’s not at YA, Doug enjoys spending time outside. He’ll be either on the golf course or the lake in the summer or out snowmobiling or skiing in the winter.

John leads a talented finance and accounting team as YA continues its expansion efforts. He brings with him extensive experience in the finance function, most recently holding the role of senior director of Financial Planning and Analysis for Capella Education Company. In that role, he was responsible for all financial planning and forecasting, variance analysis and leading the executive team’s financial review process.

Prior to that, John held several roles in the finance function at Best Buy. He also held roles at The Pillsbury Company and Arthur Andersen LLP. John has earned several academic degrees, including a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.; a Master of Science of Accountancy from DePaul University in Chicago; and a Master of Business Administration from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

He also earned a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate. John and his family live in Minneapolis.

Renee leads the Legal and Human Resources teams at YA in addition to utilizing her vast experience in corporate law and leadership experience to manage YA’s compliance efforts. Her teams support YA’s strategies and the entire workforce.

Renee joined YA in 2018. Before YA, She served as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Capella Education Company, a public education services company owning Capella University and coding schools DevMountain and Hackbright Academy. Previously, she was General Counsel of The Dolan Company and Associate General Counsel of Fair Isaac Corporation. For the first half of her career, she was a trial lawyer, starting at Dorsey & Whitney and ending as a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright, where she also served as an administrative partner of the firm’s Minneapolis office. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1991 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1988.

Tina joined YA in 2007. She is an accomplished contact center professional with over 20 years of progressive experience in residential customer service and account sales; residential outbound and commercial account management and retention, and loyalty services. She is responsible for the successful operation of YA’s contact centers in U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Tina has extensive knowledge of contact center industry best practices, external outsourcing, team building, and employee engagement.

Prior to YA, Tina spent several years at Sprint. Here she served as a supervisor for the Inbound/Outbound Sales and Retention Team.

Tina received her degree from Lambton College, Ontario, Canada. She is currently working towards her Human Resources Certificate at St. Clair College, Ontario, Canada.

Having grown up in a Greek family who owned a couple of restaurants, Tina loves to cook and bake…and not just traditional Greek cuisine but North American food as well. When she’s not cooking, you’ll most likely find her in the garden, one of her favorite places to be…outside of the YA office, of course!