Generating buzz in healthcare since 2015
Learn a Little About
rater8
At rater8, we are committed to restoring trust in healthcare by helping providers elevate the overall patient experience and cultivate a healthcare environment built on trust, clarity, and continuous improvement.
Our goal is to improve communication and transparency between providers, clinical staff, and patients with engaging and user-friendly surveys for patients and employees, online review generation and monitoring, and robust analytics and reporting.
A Message From Our CEO
We Know Healthcare
My career in healthcare technology spans over 25 years. I was the founder and CEO of SRS Health, an electronic health records company focused on specialty physician practices. There, I developed a keen passion for providing top-notch customer service as we were awarded “Best in KLAS” for outstanding customer satisfaction among EHR companies. I strive to bring that same dedication and commitment to customer service to rater8.
At rater8, we believe that “measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement” (James Harrington, IBM). Data is in our company DNA and every aspect of rater8 has been designed to help you understand your practice’s performance and take steps toward improving your reputation. By virtue of using rater8, each client raises the standard for patient satisfaction — and I’m proud to be part of the process!
– Evan Steele, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Meet the rater8 Team

Leadership
Our team is committed to providing a first-class client experience with a state-of-the-art product. Interested in joining?

Evan Steele
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Evan Steele
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Evan’s career in healthcare technology spans 25 years. He was a medical practice administrator for nine years before becoming the founder and CEO of SRS Health, an electronic health records company focused on specialty physician practices. His focus on software ergonomics and his passion for customer service enabled high-volume specialty physicians and practices to operate at peak efficiency. [KLAS]
Evan brings that same dedication of providing world-class software and customer service to rater8’s clients.
Evan received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University at Albany and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a double major in Finance and Accounting.
Learn more about Evan by reading his coffee chat on the rater8 blog.
Evan Steele
Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Thomas Johnston
Chief Financial Officer

Thomas Johnston
Chief Financial Officer
Thomas has spent over eight years driving efficient growth and delivering customer value in the software industry, with a particular focus on developing top talent and overseeing value creation activities.
Prior to joining rater8, Thomas worked with senior executives at portfolio companies at Vista Equity Partners, leading transformation initiatives. He is a licensed CPA and previously worked in EY's audit practice.
Thomas received both his B.B.A. and Master's in Professional Accounting degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.
Thomas Johnston
Chief Financial Officer

Judd Weeks
Chief Technology Officer

Judd Weeks
Chief Technology Officer
With a background in both Computer Science and Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Champaign, Judd brings a thoughtful, solutions-first approach to technology leadership.
He’s spent his career leading and scaling software teams across the globe, whether in-person, hybrid, or fully remote. Known for breaking down complex problems into practical, real-world solutions, Judd is passionate about building strong teams through mentoring, process improvement, and leading by example.
Based in Chicago, Judd thrives on challenges, inside and outside the office. He’s an avid runner, volunteer, and bird-watcher, and never turns down a good board game or immersive RPG.
Judd Weeks
Chief Technology Officer

Shari Steele
Chief PeopleOps Officer

Shari Steele
Chief PeopleOps Officer
Shari spent 17 years as a human resources consultant at the HayGroup (now Korn Ferry), advising clients across a broad range of industries on compensation and competency-based HR strategies.
She was an early hire at Evan Steele’s first software venture, SRS Health (now Nextech), and as VP of Human Resources helped to grow the company to 190 employees. She was a strategic partner to the leadership team and helped establish the company’s award-winning ETP (Eager to Please) culture.
Shari is the Chief PeopleOps Officer at rater8 and is responsible for all aspects of talent acquisition, management, growth, and support.
Shari received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, studying Psychology and Management, and her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from New York University.
Shari Steele
Chief PeopleOps Officer

Kelly Francis
Vice President, PeopleOps

Kelly Francis
Vice President, PeopleOps
Kelly began her recruiting career two decades ago, and quickly discovered what attracts candidates, engages employees, and drives retention. She has spent nearly two decades developing and leading talent functions in a variety of industries, most recently joining rater8 in September 2021.
Kelly is dedicated to putting people first in all of the initiatives she leads, which supports rater8's employee-centric culture. She spearheads all aspects of the talent life cycle, including hiring, employer branding, employee engagement, learning and development initiatives, and human resource process optimization.
Kelly graduated from Dowling College with a B.A. in Oral Communications and Creative Writing.
Kelly Francis
Vice President, PeopleOps

Joy Tu
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Joy Tu
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Joy is a healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience in health plan, health provider, and employer operations for commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid product lines.
She has held leadership positions at health-tech organizations extending value-based care network development/management, provider cost-transparency tools, and health insurance marketplaces and has worked with health plan and payer service organizations such as UnitedHealthcare, Molina Healthcare, and numerous Blues plans, including HCSC and Cambia Health Solutions. In her most recent role for andros she served as the VP of Provider Network Solutions.
Joy Tu
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Kristen Ortwerth
Vice President, Marketing

Kristen Ortwerth
Vice President, Marketing
With over 15 years of experience in developing and executing strategic B2B marketing programs, Kristen has held roles such as Digital and Interactive Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing, and Fractional CMO.
Kristen's expertise lies in marketing leadership development, B2B SaaS marketing strategy, MarTech Stack Management, and inbound/outbound marketing.
Prior to rater8, she led the marketing strategies as the VP of Marketing for Andros Technologies, a technology platform and services company that helps healthcare organizations build and manage their provider networks.
Kristen graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in English.
Kristen Ortwerth
Vice President, Marketing

Austin Colvard
Vice President, Professional Services

Austin Colvard
Vice President, Professional Services
As the first employee in the Professional Services department in 2018, Austin has managed responsibilities and operations across account management, implementation, support, and Google consulting. As rater8 has scaled, Austin has grown an award-winning team within these areas to support our clients' needs and ensure that rater8 maintains the highest level of customer satisfaction. He has also created and continuously improves the operations that support his teams.
Prior to joining rater8, Austin was a Data Analyst creating key performance indicator metrics for various corporations that utilized enterprise resource planning solutions.
Austin received a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Austin Colvard
Vice President, Professional Services

Parker Steele
Director, Client Success Management

Parker Steele
Director, Client Success Management
Parker is the Director of Client Success management for rater8’s Professional Services team. He works cross-functionally with CSMs and other departments to ensure client satisfaction and success. Parker is passionate about developing workflows to streamline team operations while maintaining an unwavering commitment to high-quality client relationships.
Before joining rater8, Parker worked in Enterprise Support and Customer Success at Formlabs, working alongside customers to maintain fleets of 100+ 3D printers.
Outside of work, Parker enjoys rock climbing, cooking, and playing board games with friends & family.
Parker Steele
Director, Client Success Management

Ryan Mercado
Director, Client Support

Ryan Mercado
Director, Client Support
Ryan Mercado is the Director of Client Support with nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, spanning both medical clinics and healthcare technology companies.
Ryan is dedicated to delivering exceptional client support and excels in optimizing support operations for the best client experience. He is passionate about collaborating with clients and cross-functional teams to maximize client satisfaction while driving continuous improvement in service delivery. As a strong client advocate, Ryan ensures seamless support experiences while fostering long-lasting relationships.
Prior to joining rater8, Ryan worked for Nextech as an EHR Implementation Specialist, providing consulting and implementation services to medical practices.
Ryan received his B.S. in Biology from the University of South Florida.
Ryan Mercado
Director, Client Support

Ryan Conley
Vice President, Sales

Ryan Conley
Vice President, Sales
With 18 years of experience in tech startups and 7 years focused on sales leadership for health-tech brands like Demandforce and WebMD, Ryan brings extensive expertise in go-to-market sales growth and development.
As Area Sales Manager at Demandforce and WebMD, he led a team of 15, consistently surpassing sales targets and driving revenue growth through strategic leadership and customer-centric initiatives.
Ryan holds a B.A. in Communications from Coastal Carolina University.
Ryan Conley
Vice President, Sales

Jeremy Bowler
Director, Business Development

Jeremy Bowler
Director, Business Development
Jeremy brings a strong track record of success in Sales Development, most recently serving as Senior Manager of Business Development at Salesforce. There, he led a team of ten BDRs and partnered with Sales Leadership to develop go-to-market strategies for Marketing Cloud products in the CBS CMRCL space. His efforts to streamline processes and enhance team efficiency drove significant year-over-year growth in Pipeline Generation and Annual Recurring Revenue.
Based in Colorado, Jeremy enjoys an active lifestyle filled with snowboarding, hiking, and soccer. A passionate music and arts enthusiast, he spends his downtime honing his DJ skills or attending live concerts. He holds a B.S. in Sport Management from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Jeremy Bowler
Director, Business Development

Rowdie McDonald
Director, Product Management & Data Analytics

Rowdie McDonald
Director, Product Management & Data Analytics
Rowdie is the Director of Product Management & Data Analytics for rater8’s development team. She works with clients and developers to ideate, create, and champion new products for practice improvement and Reputation SEO analytics. She loves using data to streamline processes and make real-world changes.
Before joining rater8, Rowdie was an Embedded Analyst on the business operations team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, working to optimize patient movement patterns and treatment workflows based on insights from patient location data.
She earned her B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing Analytics from Northeastern University.
Rowdie McDonald
Director, Product Management & Data Analytics






























