Company Has Now Added New Members to Senior Leadership Team From Outside Traditional Corrections Sector
Aventiv Technologies continues to deliver on its promise to transform the company by bringing in individuals from outside of the traditional corrections space to broaden and diversify the perspective of its corporate leadership team. Over the past year, the company has hired seven new individuals to its executive team in addition to new president and CEO Dave Abel. The new leadership brings expertise in the consumer products, technology, financial services and education sectors and will add to the core of experienced executives already in place at Aventiv and its subsidiaries.
Most recently, the company added Cindy Pechal as its Chief Human Resources Officer. Ms. Pechal has over 30 years of experience developing and executing on the strategic human capital blueprint for organizations ranging from startup tech companies to Fortune 50 financial & consulting services firms. She is recognized for transforming the People experience while aligning Human Resources priorities to yield high performing business outcomes.
Ms. Pechal’s hiring is part of a multi-year executive restructuring designed to advance the transformation agenda envisioned by CEO Dave Abel. The transformation will improve affordability, increase accountability, and prioritize continued investment in technology. This includes the creation of two new positions that are focused on executing the company’s new commitments: Chief Strategy Officer Alex Dougherty is charged with refining Aventiv’s strategic outlook and executing on necessary transformational activities to see the enterprise achieve its goals, while VP of Corporate Affairs Joanna Acocella is charged with soliciting input from external experts and other key stakeholders and ensuring transparency and public accountability.
Aventiv also announced the hiring of Melanie Sankaran as Chief Information Security Officer. Sankaran brings a background of leading-edge information security in the financial services industry to the role. She will be responsible for advancing the overall enterprise security vision and approach in line with the transformation agenda.
“I was named in January to drive and accelerate a transformation of the organization. Bringing these leaders into the Aventiv family adds a more expansive array of perspectives that will build on the important work being done by our existing leadership team and drive that transformation forward,” said Dave Abel, President and CEO of Aventiv Technologies. “New talent helps bring new energy into any organization, and I look forward to working with our entire executive team to deliver more value for our customers and build an industry-leading culture of accountability.”
Aventiv has already made significant strides toward its transformation commitments. The company has reduced call rates by an average of 30%, renegotiated outlier contracts to further lower rates, implemented quarterly consumer formers with formerly incarcerated individuals, and signed the Getting Back to Work Pledge.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the company worked with almost 400 agencies to provide free credits for its services during the pandemic, nearly 20 million free phone calls, 4.7 million free video connections, and 8.9 million free JPay Stamps for digital messaging.
Joanna Acocella
Melanie Sankaran
Cindy Pechal
Alex Dougherty