Consulting

Michael Vermillion is Vice President and General Manager of Global Business Intelligence with oversight of the Insurance and Healthcare practices at JD Power.

He is responsible for the growth of the business by leading growth initiatives, key capability development and new market entry. Other areas of responsibilities include strategic planning, new product development, sales enablement and strategic partnerships.

A key thought leader in the field of customer experience excellence,
Mr. Vermillion is the host of the JD Power Insurance Intelligence podcast and is a regular contributor to CX articles, webinars and white papers.

Mr. Vermillion brings to JD Power 25 years of experience in the strategy, corporate development and product management fields. Prior to joining the company in 2015, he held executive roles in product, strategy, business development and consulting with Market Risk Partners, NAVEX Global, Dun & Bradstreet, Autobex, Salient3 Communications, Stern Stewart & Company and Procter & Gamble.

Mr. Vermillion is President of Chicago Booth Alumni of Los Angeles, the former chair of P&G Alumni of New York City and is a member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, CFA Institute, the New York Society of Security Analysts, the Product Development and Management Association and the American Marketing Association.

Mr. Vermillion received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA in corporate finance from the University of Chicago.

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Stephen is a Managing Director in the Global Insurance Intelligence Group at JD Power. His area of responsibility includes intelligence around new customer acquisition, sales, and marketing for the property/casualty industry. He has more than ten years of experience at JD Power and a total of more than 20 years in marketing research and consulting. Stephen helped to launch many of the syndicated research studies in property/casualty insurance at JD Power and has worked with dozens of insurers to use these studies and other business intelligence to improve business results.

Before rejoining JD Power in 2022, Stephen worked on the carrier-side as a Group Manager at Auto Club Enterprises with responsibilities across the marketing function. He also spent five years at Gongos, Inc., a customer centricity agency that helps leading brands better deliver to their customers.

Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in mathematics, from Lake Superior State University and a master’s degree in economics from Walsh College. He also worked towards a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame.

Mark Garrett is a Director for the Insurance Intelligence Practice at JD Power. His primary focus is on Auto and Property claims, including the digital experience. He works with many of the top 30 insurance carriers consulting on study findings and advising on opportunities to improve the customer experience.

During his tenure at JD Power, Mark has designed and launched several products including the Auto and Property claims studies. He presents at 30+ client meetings annually, regularly speaks at industry conferences and events, and has authored several thought leadership pieces.

Mark joined JD Power in 2004 and had previously worked at DTE Energy. He has more than 20 yrs. of market research experience across utility, automotive, mortgage, brokerage, and insurance industries.

Mr. Garrett graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Madonna University in Michigan.

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As the Executive Director of the Global Insurance Intelligence Practice at JD Power, Craig Martin’s decades of experience in the financial services sector, customer experience, market research and data analytics provide him with a unique perspective that helps insurance organizations evolve with consumer expectations. With Martin’s extensive experience combined with years in behavioral finance and psychology, he is dedicated to driving positive change in the insurance industry by helping carriers better serve their clients and produce better business outcomes by incorporating consumer-driven data.

Since joining JD Power in 2012, Craig has created multiple syndicated studies while working closely with many leading financial services and insurance brands to create change and strong results. His current focus areas include life insurance, annuities, agent experiences and home insurance. Craig has been a featured contributor in numerous national news outlets such as Barron’s and Plan Adviser, where he provides a unique perspective on the intersection of customer experience, human behavior and how these factors impact business success. He is also a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences where he has covered a variety of topics including ways to optimize the balance of human and digital experiences to maximize client loyalty with finite resources.

Leveraging his experience in technology, market research and data analysis combined with real-world business experience he helps strategic partners drive positive change. By understanding business goals, end-user needs and relating those to the available data and technology resources, Craig bridges the gap between strategy and execution. His expertise has guided numerous improvement initiatives with organizations seeking to differentiate themselves and leverage technology effectively to deliver exceptional service.

Tony Soloman is the Director of Strategy and Planning for the Insurance Intelligence Group at JD Power. He is primarily responsible for new product development and strategic partnerships within the insurance industry. Tony joined JD Power in 2005.

Previously, Tony worked in the Global Automotive Consulting group at JD Power where he partnered with OEMs to improve vehicle quality and customer satisfaction levels. Prior to that, Tony managed multiple voice of the customer programs at JD Power, developing custom client solutions in the financial services sector.

Tony earned a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Economics from Michigan State University, and an MBA from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

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James Vecchio is the Head of VIN Products for the Autodata Solutions Division of JD Power. Jim is a seasoned entrepreneurial executive who is now focused on fueling data solutions across JD Power. Prior to the merge with JD Power, Jim was charged with corporate strategy, marketing and business development efforts at EpiAnalytics, Inc., an on-demand software company providing Automotive AI and customer experience analytics.

Jim began his career in the corporate legal department at Ford Motor Company and then moved into private legal practice before serving as general counsel for SITEL Corporation, a NYSE-listed company with over $1 billion in revenues. At SITEL he directed the company’s legal strategy, managed external counsel and led SITEL through its initial public offering (IPO) – the first publicly traded, independent teleservices company. He also managed matters ranging from large outsourcing service contracts with multinational organizations to international joint ventures and acquisitions/dispositions.

Jim received his JD, Cum Laude, from Michigan State University - College of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the State Bar of Nebraska.

Chris Hodges is a Vice President leading JD Power’s Customer Experience Solutions practice. His focus is helping clients drive top-line revenue growth and increase operational efficiencies with effectively executed customer and employee experience strategies. As an accomplished problem solver, project manager, and change enabler, Chris works with executive-level leaders across multiple channels and business units to align technology strategies and solutions with business goals.

Prior to joining JD Power, Chris spent 20 years in business and technology consulting at Accenture, West Monroe Partners and Infosys Consulting leading digital customer experience initiatives for an array of Global 1000 enterprises across many industries including Automotive, Financial Services & Insurance, Energy & Telecom, Software & High Tech, Healthcare, Private Equity, Retail & CPG, Life Sciences and Manufacturing. 

Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems at Florida State University.

Mark Miller leads the JD Power Global Customer Service Advisory and is responsible for thought leadership, solutions development, strategic alliances and client support. He leads customer service, technical support and sales performance improvement and certification initiatives for the company.

Mark has over 20 years of performance-improvement consulting experience working with small, medium and Fortune 500 clients in more than a dozen industries to improve sales, customer service and technical support operations. Through his work leading the JD Power Certified Customer Service Program across channels, Mark has had the opportunity to interact with over 600 high-performing contact centers, which has given him a unique understanding of what customers want and what top performers across industries actually do to deliver an outstanding experience. With this perspective to draw from and with access to the most comprehensive research data around what defines and drives an outstanding customer experience, Mark is one of the foremost authorities on what top performers do to create a differentiated customer experience.

Prior to joining JD Power in 2000, Mark served as a strategy and operations consultant to senior-level management, as well as an executive in the sporting goods, computer and networking services, offshore software development and Internet security industries.

Mark has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in marketing (with honors) from Regis University. He was selected as a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society.

Scott Killingsworth is Director, Customer Service Advisory at JD Power. He currently manages the JD Power Customer Service Certification programs and is responsible for developing and maintaining the standards and operational benchmarks for the program. He also manages both internal teams and external partners in the execution of certification surveys and on-site evaluations of client operations.

Mr. Killingsworth has more than 20 years consulting experience to both B2B and B2C clients across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, travel and insurance. Prior to joining JD Power, he was a market manager for Tecnol, Inc., a manufacturer of contamination control products for semiconductor, pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Amit Aggarwal is the Managing Director of JD Power’s Digital Solutions Group, which helps our clients benchmark and improve the digital products and experiences of their customers. Websites and mobile apps are our jam. We start with customer research, develop actionable insights/ recommendations, and deliver via consultative workshops with our clients.

We are research nerds, CX geeks, digital professionals, and advisors to C-Suite, senior management, digital teams/agencies, and research managers.

Amit is a recognized subject matter expert for digital user experience across a variety of industries, including automotive, financial services, utility, and telecommunications. He is well-versed in Internet trends, experienced working with digital teams, and a trusted client partner.

Amit has an MBA from UCLA and a BS in Computer Science and Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction from Stanford University.

Jon Sundberg is a Director in JD Power’s Digital Solutions practice. Jon manages a portfolio of digital research studies across a variety of industries, including automotive, insurance, utility, and financial services. With nearly 10 years of digital research experience, Jon is passionate about good digital experiences and keeping up with current digital trends. He spends much of his time translating study results into actionable insights for clients.

Along with his role at JD Power, Jon also teaches at local universities.

Jon earned a Master of Business degree in management and organizational behavior from California Lutheran University and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.

Scott Yamauchi is a Managing Director in JD Power’s Customer Experience Solutions practice. Scott is responsible for managing the implementation and ongoing execution of all Customer Experience research programs in the U.S.

Scott has 20 years of experience working with clients to help them achieve their CX goals. Additionally, he supports the strategic efforts to apply best practices in Customer Experience research across our global offices. 

Scott earned bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Sociology and Business Administration. He has received a JD Power Award of Excellence, a JD Power Technology Transformation Award, and the Honda Premier Partner Award. 

Denese Waiters is Director in the Customer Service Advisory practice at JD Power. Serving as a subject matter expert, Denese is responsible for delivering high impact customer experience solutions, cross industry benchmarking, and operational best practices.

Denese joined JD Power in 2022, bringing years of experience providing both strategic direction and tactical leadership in the contact center space. She has led several enterprise-wide, cross-functional projects to streamline processes and improve operational efficiencies and has a diverse background ranging from management consulting, strategy facilitation, business development, project management, and sales.

Prior to joining JD Power, Denese held several senior level roles with increasing responsibility for Carnival Cruise Line, ADP TotalSource, American Express and Arthur Andersen.

Denese has an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University.

Wade is a Director for Customer Experience Solutions practice, responsible for the implementation and ongoing management of Customer Experience (CX) programs at JD Power. He specializes in automotive retail engagements focused on improving dealership sales and service satisfaction and retention. His team delivers end-to-end professional services from program design to CX platform configuration and insights delivery.

Prior to JD Power, Wade held an account management role at Ipsos, supporting advertising, branding, and product planning research along with business development.

Wade earned a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising with an emphasis in Business Marketing from Pepperdine University.