Leadership

Executive Leadership | Board of Directors

Board of Directors

• Kevin Taweel
  • Since co-founding Asurion in 1994, the company has grown from a small 40 person operation to become the leading global provider of technology protection products with over 10,000 employees worldwide, partnering with many of the world’s top companies and brands. Prior to founding Asurion, Kevin served as Chairman of Mill River Corporation, an investment company. He also worked with many Fortune 500 companies to develop and execute corporate strategies and financial plans while working in Mergers & Acquisitions for the investment bank Salomon Brothers. He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and holds a Bachelor`s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. Kevin currently serves on the board of ResponseLink. Kevin is also a former recipient of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
• Bret Comolli
  • Bret holds responsibility for the management, growth and success of Asurion’s overall business operations. He brings more than twenty years of proven leadership, business management and consulting experience to Asurion’s executive team. Bret’s prior business experience includes CEO, COO and General Manager positions at companies such as Excite@Home, Kendara, Risk Management Solutions and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Especially relevant to Asurion’s focus is Bret’s experience at Risk Management Solutions (RMS). As COO and SVP of Marketing and Sales at RMS, Bret helped develop and deliver a suite of software and consulting services used to assist over 75 insurance companies worldwide to identify and manage underwriting and portfolio risk. He also worked at McKinsey & Company, consulting to Fortune 500 companies on strategic, operational and organizational issues. Bret graduated second in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He currently serves on the Board of CTIA and is the only person from the insurance, repair, or logistics industry.
• Charles A. (Chuck) Laue
  • Chuck is responsible for the management and oversight of Asurion`s North American operations. Prior to this position, Chuck served as President of lock\line, a leader in specialty consumer protection products, which merged with Asurion in 2006. With nearly 20 years of insurance industry experience, Chuck began his career with Kemper Insurance. He subsequently worked for Lockton Companies, Inc., the nation’s largest independent insurance broker, developing and marketing insurance programs for some of the nation`s largest companies specializing in private equity, manufacturing and hotel programs. Realizing the opportunity for protection products utilized by the wireless industry, Chuck founded and served as President of lock\line, a startup within Lockton Companies, Inc. He grew the company into a leading provider of protection programs for wireless and other consumer services companies. He continued to serve as President through its acquisition by DST Systems, Inc. Chuck received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Eastern Illinois University. He is active in many charities including No More Homeless Pets Kansas City and The Nature Conservancy of Kansas.
• Cregg B. Baumbaugh
  • Mr. Baumbaugh has been involved in the wireless industry since 1989. He was Executive Vice President - Finance, Strategy and Development of VoiceStream Wireless (now T-Mobile U.S.) from inception through its 2001 sale to Deutsche Telekom. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President - Corporate Development of VoiceStream and Western Wireless. Mr. Baumbaugh is currently active investing in early stage technology companies and currently serves on the boards of AngelPoints, Frengo and ResponseLink.
• John D. Clark
  • Mr. Clark is a General Partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York private investment firm, which manages over $16 billion in its various funds where he focuses on investments in the Information and Business Services sector. He is currently a board member of USIS, Paycom, Aptuit, SHPS and SAVVIS. Prior to joining WCAS, he was a General Partner at Saunders, Karp & Megrue, a private equity firm. Previously, Mr. Clark worked in the Corporate Finance Group at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown and in the Merchant Banking Department at Morgan Stanley. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
• Anthony J. De Nicola
  • Mr. De Nicola is a Partner and member of the Management Committee of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a New York private investment firm, which manages over $16 billion in its various funds. The firm specializes its investment activities in the information/business services industry and the healthcare industry. Mr. de Nicola joined Welsh, Carson in 1994, and has been involved with some of the firm's most successful and profitable investments. He serves on the board of directors for a number of the firm's private and public companies, including Centennial Communications, Titan Outdoor, Local Insight Media, OHL Logistics, and Transfirst. Previously, he was director of Alliance Data, Windstream Communications, and MedE America, and he served as Chairman of the Board for Valor Communications and Dex Media. Prior to joining WCAS, Mr. de Nicola worked in the private equity group at William Blair & Company and the mergers and acquisitions department of Goldman, Sachs & Co. Mr. de Nicola earned his BA degree from DePauw University, where he graduated summa cum laude with an economics major and a minor in computational math. Mr. de Nicola also earned an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.
• Douglas C. Grissom
  • Mr. Grissom is a Managing Director at Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), a Chicago-based private equity firm. Prior to joining MDP, Mr. Grissom was with Bain Capital, Inc. in private equity, McKinsey & Company, Inc., and Goldman, Sachs & Co. Mr. Grissom concentrates on investments in the communications sector and currently serves on the boards of directors of Cbeyond Communications, Inc, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation, Intelsat Holdings Ltd., and the Childrens' Inner City Educational Fund. Mr. Grissom earned his A.B degree from Amherst College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
• H. Irving Grousbeck
  • Mr. Grousbeck is currently a Consulting Professor of Management at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, and cohead of the school's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. Mr. Grousbeck co-founded Continental Cablevision (later Media One) in 1963 and went on to serve as that company's President from 1964 to 1980 and Chairman of the Board from 1980 to 1985. From 1981 to 1985, Mr. Grousbeck was a lecturer at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. In addition to his professorial duties, Mr. Grousbeck coauthored the textbook New Business Ventures and the Entrepreneur. Mr. Grousbeck has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, and he is a principal owner of the Boston Celtics where he is a Managing Partner. Mr. Grousbeck holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University, and Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.) degrees from Amherst College.
• Christopher (Chris) J. Hadley
  • Mr. Hadley joined Berkshire Partners in 1998 and became a Managing Director of Berkshire in 2006. Prior to joining Berkshire, Mr. Hadley worked as a consultant in the LBO Practice Group at Bain & Co. He also worked in the consumer products industry consulting to General Mills, ConAgra and Borden Foods in the area of marketing and new product development. Mr. Hadley became a Managing Director of Berkshire in 2006. He received a B.S. from University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School.
• Ross M. Jones
  • Mr. Jones began his career over 20 years ago in private equity. He worked at Bain & Co. and in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. before joining Berkshire Partners in 1993. Mr. Jones became a Managing Director of Berkshire in 2000 and has been a director of a number of companies in consumer products, retailing, manufacturing and business services. Mr. Jones earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
• John P. Kelly
  • Mr. Kelly is an Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners, where he joined in 2010. He was most recently Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Crown Castle International Corporation (NYSE: CCI). Prior to his appointment as Executive Vice-Chairman, Mr. Kelly served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CCI from August 2001 to July 2008. Previously he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of CCI. Mr. Kelly joined CCI in July 1998 and was named President and COO of Crown Communication, Inc. in December of that year. From January 1990 to July 1998, he was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Atlantic Cellular Company L.P. From December 1995 to July 1998, Mr. Kelly was also President and Chief Operating Officer of Hawaiian Wireless, Inc., an affiliate of Atlantic Cellular. He serves as a Director of CCI and NEW Asurion Corporation and as the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of FiberTower Corporation (NASDAQ: FTWR). Mr. Kelly earned a B.S. from Purdue University.
• Anthony (Tony) Nader
  • Mr. Nader is President and CEO of N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. (NEW). Under his leadership, NEW has become the leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection services. Before joining NEW in 1990, Mr. Nader was the product manager for the merchandise service contract program at Progressive Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. During his tenure at Progressive, he grew the service contract program 600 percent. Prior to that, Mr. Nader served as retail banking manager at Ameritrust Company, N.A. Mr. Nader is a member of the Board of Trustees for INOVA Health System Foundation and Chairman of INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital Development Committee. He is a graduate of John Carroll University and holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
• James N. Perry
  • Mr. Perry is a co-founder and managing director of Madison Dearborn Partners. Prior to co-founding MDP in 1993, Mr. Perry was with First Chicago Venture Capital for eight years. He has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. Mr. Perry oversees MDP's investing efforts in the communications industry. He was responsible for MDP's early investments in the wireless industry, including Nextel and Nextel Partners, Omnipoint, which was subsequently merged with Voicestream and acquired by Deutsche Telecom, and Clearnet Communications, a PCS provider in Canada that was acquired by Telus. MDP's most recent investment was in MetroPCS where Mr. Perry serves on the board of directors. Mr. Perry also serves on the boards of directors of Cbeyond Communications, Sorenson Communications, and Univision Communications.
• Jeff Post
  • Mr. Post is the president and chief executive officer of the CUNA Mutual Group, based in Madison, WI. . The company is the leading provider of insurance and financial services to credit unions and their members worldwide. Prior to joining CUNA Mutual, Mr. Post was president and chief executive officer of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company – a position he held for more than three years before resigning in 2004. As CEO, he led an impressive financial turnaround in the company, improved underwriting results by more than $1 billion annually, and repositioned the company to market leadership in five business segments. In his 10 years with Fireman's Fund, Mr. Post also served as the company's chief financial officer and chief actuary.A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Post grew up in the Midwest and received his bachelor's degree in business administration, majoring in actuarial science, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
• Paul J. Salem
  • Mr. Salem is a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners based in their Providence office. Mr. Salem is currently a director of Asurion and Education Management Corp. Mr. Salem established Providence's London office in 1999 and returned to the Providence office in 2001. He continues to be involved in all international activity. Before joining Providence, Mr. Salem worked for Morgan Stanley in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to this, Mr. Salem spent four years with Prudential Investment Corporation, an affiliate of Prudential Insurance, where his responsibilities included private placement financings, leveraged buyout transactions and establishing Prudential's European investment office. Mr. Salem received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Brown University. Mr. Salem is currently Chairman of Year Up Rhode Island and a Trustee of St. John's High School.
• Fredrick (Fred) Schaufeld
  • Mr. Schaufeld is Chairman of N.E.W. Customer Services Companies, Inc. (NEW). Mr. Schaufeld founded NEW in 1983 while attending law school. His vision, innovation, and penchant for superior customer service have helped NEW develop a blue-chip client list of industry leaders in retailing, financial services, and manufacturing. Mr. Schaufeld takes an active role in the company's day-to-day operations. He continues to set strategic goals for the company and seek ways to expand NEW 's products and services. He also oversees the company's state-of-the-art customer service operations, which have accelerated its growing reputation. In 1998, Ernst & Young named Mr. Schaufeld as its Entrepreneur of the Year in the Washington, D.C. Service Industry category. Mr. Schaufeld is a founding member and the former president of the Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC), the national association for service contract providers, a member of the Young Presidents' Organization in Washington, D.C., a member of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and sits on a number of corporate and philanthropic boards. Mr. Schaufeld holds a degree from Lehigh University.
• Peter O. Wilde
  • Mr. Wilde is a Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners based in our Providence office. Mr. Wilde is currently a director of Asurion, Decision Resources, Education Management Corp., Kerasotes Theatres, Medical Media Holdings, Pluris and Survey Sampling International and is chairman of Study Island and The Vendome Group. Prior to joining Providence in 2002, Mr. Wilde was a General Partner at BCI Partners, where he began his career in private equity in 1992. While at BCI, he was involved in many of BCI's investment activities in traditional media, education and marketing services. Prior to BCI, Mr. Wilde worked at LaSalle Partners in the acquisitions group. Mr. Wilde received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Colorado College.