Jill Davies, MS, CCGC, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Jill Davies is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for GeneMatters. Jill has more than 20 years’ experience in the genetics field, with leadership in clinical services, telehealth, product development, business development and operations. Prior to founding GeneMatters in 2016, Jill was Director of Genetics at the Medcan Clinic in Toronto where she developed and delivered leading-edge clinical genomics services. She has a special interest in the role of genomics in primary care and preventive medicine as well as the use of technology to enable access to genomic information and services.

Mark Sylvester, J.D., Chief Operating Officer

Mark is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for GeneMatters. Prior to this role, Mark was the President & CFO of Invenshure, a med-tech incubator located in Minneapolis, MN. During his tenure, he was part of the co-founding team for 5 med & bio-tech companies, operated as their early stage CFO, and was instrumental in their go-to-market strategy. Prior to Invenshure, Mark was the CFO at The Emily Program, where he oversaw accounting, finance, payroll, and financial analytics. During his tenure, Mark sat on the board of directors, was a member of the senior leadership team, structured a debt and equity recapitalization (via private equity), and was instrumental in business development during a period of rapid growth.

Brent Backhaus, Chief Technology Officer

Brent Backhaus is Chief Technology Officer for GeneMatters, leading technical implementation for our telegenetics platform. Brent was the CTO at VRAD from its original incorporation through preparation of IPO, and is lead inventor on the VRAD patent portfolio. He also holds the position of COO for Verata Analytics and is the founder of Living Window. Brent earned SB and SM degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kiley Johnson, MS, LCGC, Vice President, Clinical Operations

Kiley Johnson is Vice President of Clinical Operations for GeneMatters. Prior to joining GeneMatters, Kiley was a genetic counselor at Mayo Clinic for 8.5 years where she had a broad range of clinical experience and was integral to the development of the Individualized Medicine Clinic, focused on utilizing new clinical technologies for patient care. Her clinical experiences furthered in the world of telemedicine as a Senior Genetic Counselor with InformedDNA. Kiley also has prior experience with Ariosa/Roche Diagnostics where she was a Medical and Scientific Liaison for 2 years, educating clinicians on Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT). Kiley's special interest is bringing new genomic technologies to patient care, with an emphasis on patient education and patient-centered decision making.

Kaylene Ready, MS, CGC, Vice President, Products

Kaylene is Vice President, Products for GeneMatters. Kaylene has extensive experience in product development strategy and execution in the genetics industry. As Product Director for Counsyl, she managed the hereditary cancer product portfolio, working to expand access to genetic testing in the oncology and preventative settings. She was also instrumental in launching their first online results delivery platform. Her clinical experience as a genetic counselor includes MD Anderson Cancer Center and Counsyl, bringing a strong background in oncology and reproductive genetics. Throughout her career, Kaylene has been passionate about education and patient access, and has served in leadership positions in the Texas Society of Genetic Counselors and the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Colleen Caleshu, MS, CGC, Senior Director of Research, Cardiovascular Team Lead

Colleen is Senior Director of Research for GeneMatters and Cardiovascular Team Lead. Colleen is a pioneer in embedding genetic counseling services within cardiology. Prior to joining GeneMatters she established cardiovascular genetic counseling services for UCSF and also the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, where she built the largest cardiovascular genetic counseling team in the world. She has advanced the field of cardiovascular genetics by serving as a member of the ClinGen Cardiovascular Domain Working Group, as a contributor to the American Heart Association working committee on policy recommendations for genetics in cardiology and as chair of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Cardiovascular Genetics Special Interest Group and vice-chair of the NSGC Education Committee. In addition, she serves on the editorial board for Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine. Her research interests include interpretation of genetic and genomic tests in cardiology, mindfulness among genetic counselors, psychotherapeutic aspects of genetic counseling and integration of genetic counselors into cardiology.