We make therapy work better for everyone

AJ (Anthony) Centore Ph.D. is Founder and Chair at Thriveworks. He is a multistate Licensed Professional Counselor, Advisory Committee Member for the American Counseling Association Foundation, former Private Practice Consultant for the American Counseling Association, and Columnist for Counseling Today magazine where he published over 95 monthly columns.

AJ is author of several books and Co-author of “Leaving Depression Behind: An Interactive, Choose Your Path Book.” AJ has been quoted in media outlets including The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Dr. Dan Frogel is an experienced healthcare leader with more than 20 years’ experience in healthcare operations, emergency medicine, and urgent care. As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Frogel leads Thriveworks’ mission to become America’s most valued mental health care company. He is passionate about simplifying and expanding access to health care services and helping people build whole health.

Dr. Frogel started his career as an attending physician in the department of emergency medicine before pivoting to urgent care. Prior to joining Thriveworks, he was co-founder and president of CityMD, one of the largest urgent care providers in the northeast.

Dan is dedicated to building high impact organizations that focus on efficient care delivery models, supportive work environments for clinicians and support teams, and optimizing the client and patient experience.

Dr. Frogel earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Yeshiva University and a Doctor of Medicine from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A lifelong New Yorker, Dan lives on Long Island with his wife Rachel and five children.

As Chief Operating Officer of Thriveworks, Jim oversees the company’s clinical and administrative operations, driving optimization and scalability of high-quality mental healthcare services. He is passionate about integrated healthcare models that strive to treat patients holistically and improve general and behavioral health outcomes.

Jim brings over two decades of leadership experience in healthcare to Thriveworks. He started his career as an Emergency Medicine Physician at large Urban Tertiary care centers. Over time, he transitioned to operations, focusing on improving clinician and patient experience while maximizing quality. Jim has co-founded and led operations at numerous organizations focused on providing access to high-quality care across broad populations and transforming Emergency, Primary and Urgent care delivery. He co-founded and led operations at Premier Care and Progressive Emergency Physicians and served as Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Summit Health-CityMD, where he played a pivotal role in scaling operations and integrating services across over 6 million patient visits annually. Most recently, he was the Co-Founder and CEO of Care2U, where he led efforts to bring innovative, patient-centric care directly to patients’ homes.

Jim earned his undergraduate degree from SUNY Albany and completed his medical degree at SUNY Downstate. He went on to complete his internship in General Surgery at Stony Brook and his residency in Emergency Medicine at LIJ/Albert Einstein Medical College, where he served as Chief Resident.

Outside of work, Jim is an avid boater, CrossFitter and skier. He currently resides in New York with his wife and three daughters.

Ryan Culkin is the Chief Counseling Officer at Thriveworks, where he oversees operations and ensures clinical excellence for talk therapy services. With over a decade of experience as a child and adolescent counselor, Ryan brings a deep understanding of the rapidly evolving mental health field. He is dedicated to equipping clinicians with the tools and skills they need to deliver the highest standard of care.

Having personally experienced the challenges of burnout, Ryan is passionate about creating a supportive culture that allows clinicians to thrive without being overwhelmed by the demands of their roles. He works closely with the executive team to implement strategic initiatives, shape future objectives, and ensure the success of both clinicians and clients. Ryan is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

As Chief Clinical Officer, Heidi oversees the Counseling, Psychiatry, Quality, and Credentialing teams. Her role focuses on ensuring the delivery of high-quality care through robust clinical operations and compliance. With a strong emphasis on evidence-based care, Heidi ensures the integration of client feedback and clinical quality strategies.

Heidi is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Pennsylvania and Virginia and a Licensed Master Social Worker in New York. Her expertise in clinical management and administration has been instrumental in aligning clinical operations with broader organizational goals. Her dedication to fostering diversity and inclusion within the workplace has led to the establishment of a Diversity & Inclusion Council and Employee Resource Groups, enhancing Thriveworks as a more diverse place to work and receive care.

Heidi joined Thriveworks in 2012 as a Clinician and has since served as  Lead Clinician, Clinic Manager, Regional Clinic Director, Executive Clinic Director, Chief Clinical Compliance Officer, Chief Quality Officer, and currently, Chief Clinical Officer. She also was a Franchise Owner of locations in Media, PA, and Wilmington, DE. Her extensive experience with Thriveworks and as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker provides her with a deep understanding of how empowering clinicians drives positive client outcomes to make therapy work better for everyone.

Heidi holds a B.A. in Psychology from George Mason University and a Master of Social Work from Hunter College in New York City. She also holds a certificate in Trauma-Informed Behavioral Healthcare from Drexel University College of Medicine.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Jenny oversees the payer relationships, contracts and overall company strategy for Thriveworks. She is dedicated to optimizing provider relationships and scaling services to expand access to the ever-growing needs for behavioral health services.

Jenny brings nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare and 14 years focused in behavioral health to Thriveworks. She began her career in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), where she trained as a hospital administrator. More recently, she has held key strategic roles focused on growth, business development and planning at Carelon Behavioral Health (formerly Beacon Health Options), Quartet, and NovaWell.

Jenny holds two Master’s degrees: one in Healthcare Management and Leadership (jointly awarded by the Universities of Manchester and Birmingham), and another in Health Psychology from the University of Bath, where she graduated with 1st class honors in both programs.

Originally from the UK, Jenny now resides in New York with her husband, three sons and the family dog, Archie.

Marcos V. Blanco is a seasoned CFO with 20 years’ experience scaling technology-driven organizations, leading highly effective teams, and driving impactful finance, strategy, and operations efforts. He joined Thriveworks as Chief Financial Officer in 2024.

Prior to joining Thriveworks, Marcos served as CFO for a variety of companies, including EHE Health, Food52, and BDMI Ventures. As CFO of EHE Health, Marcos led teams through challenging economic conditions, boosting business performance and expanding the company’s product offerings as well as multi-site footprint. Under his financial leadership, the company became a leading platform for preventive healthcare services. He has extensive experience using his skills in finance, M&A, and strategy to help enhance procedures, build out highly effective teams, and accelerate growth.

Marcos earned an MBA from Yale and a law degree from the University of Manchester. He is fluent in English, Spanish and German.

With a background in business and technology, Kabir’s product, engineering and design teams work at the confluence of the two, solving problems and designing experiences for clients, clinicians, and employees while leveraging technology.

Kabir has over a decade of experience in the product management world, working across the US, France, Germany, India, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Kabir received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

As Chief Growth Officer, Michael oversees the company’s growth strategy, forging key partnerships that scale and increase accessibility to quality mental healthcare across the country. Michael has a passion for working with stakeholders across the healthcare sector to elevate the standard of mental healthcare while ensuring that the patient remains at the center. He has held leadership roles in both physical and behavioral health and has been a pioneer in developing value-based care models and policies that benefit patients and providers alike.

Michael began his career at McKesson, working with independent practices to implement technology and services that enabled the then-budding ACO care model. He also spent time leading McKesson’s independent pharmacy strategy, empowering them with tools and solutions to be active members of their healthcare communities. Since then, Michael has led pre-revenue and early-stage companies to a national scale while ensuring that clinical quality and outcomes were market-leading. He has held leadership roles at Interwell Health and Forge Health, overseeing the business development, marketing, and strategy functions for each organization.

Michael holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree from Georgia Tech, and currently resides in Atlanta with his wife and three boys.

With nearly two decades of experience serving as a human resources strategic business partner for both burgeoning and well-established healthcare organizations, Shawnee serves as Thriveworks’ Chief People Officer. She leads and executes a top-notch people strategy, focused on maximizing team potential and enabling sustainable growth.

Shawnee exhibits an ardent desire to provide her teams and working partners with the highest level of professionalism and support to exceed both individual and organizational goals. She is committed to ensuring that all employees have a great work experience throughout their time here — which has a direct positive impact on Thriveworks’ clients.

While she’s a native of Lafayette, LA, Shawnee went to college at the University of New Hampshire and now lives in Orlando, FL with her husband and two children.

In his role as Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, Marc oversees and manages all aspects of Thriveworks’ legal affairs, including litigation, corporate matters, regulatory compliance and risk management. He is also responsible for locating future Thriveworks clinics, securing real estate and getting the doors open to see new clients!

Prior to joining Thriveworks, Marc served as Senior Director and Associate General Counsel at IQVIA, a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and contract research services to the life sciences industry. In this role, he supported regulatory, contracting, mergers & acquisitions, and acted as lead attorney in some of IQVIA’s most strategic customer transactions. Marc holds a B.B.A. from Campbell University and a J.D. with a Health Law certificate from The University of Pittsburgh School of Law.