Executive Team

Pat O’Donnell is Chief Executive Officer of iPipeline. He joined the organization in November 2023, bringing robust industry knowledge and expertise to the role, including extensive experience in leading and overseeing software company operations, sales, and engineering.

O’Donnell joined iPipeline from Ministry Brands, the leading provider of software and services for faith-based, non-profit, and other purpose-driven organizations, where he led the organization as Chief Executive Office. In this role, O’Donnell played a key role in the company’s success and oversaw a period of transformation and growth.

His experience includes serving as Senior Vice President, and later as President, of FLEETCOR, an Atlanta-based leading global business payments company.

O’Donnell also held roles of increasing responsibility during his nearly 24 years with ADP, a member of the Fortune 500 and global technology company providing human capital management solutions, including as Senior Vice President and Division Vice President of Major Accounts.

O’Donnell is a graduate of West Chester University, with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Additionally, he earned the Six Sigma designation and the Project Management Profession (PMP®) certification.

Deane Price is Chief Executive Officer of iPipeline. She joined the organization in early 2022, bringing an extensive wealth of industry knowledge and experience, including a robust background in leading and overseeing software company operations, professional services, and research and development.

Price joined iPipeline after more than 10 years at Aderant, a global leading provider of business management solutions and practice-of-law solutions. Hired as Chief Financial Officer, Price was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and ultimately promoted to Chief Executive Officer. During her tenure, Aderant experienced significant growth, both organically and via acquisition, with Price overseeing 12 acquisitions, each with their own strategy.

Prior to her time at Aderant, Price was Chief Financial Officer of Ventyx Inc., the world’s largest provider of software for the energy and utilities industries. In addition to overseeing all back-office activities, Price oversaw acquisitions and established a highly effective, cross-functional team to ensure smooth transitions. She was also an essential member of the company’s transaction team, which played a key role in the sale of Ventyx to ABB for more than $1 billion in 2010.

Price joined Ventyx after the company acquired NewEnergy Associates, LLC, a provider of planning and operational software and solutions, from Siemens Power Generation. Price, who served as Founding Principal, President, and then CEO of NewEnergy, was selected to lead Ventyx’s newly combined businesses of Global Energy Decisions and NewEnergy. . 

Earlier in her career, Price held various roles of increasing responsibility in the technology, energy, and power industries, covering all areas of product consulting, software development, and back-office operations.

Price earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in management information systems from the University of Georgia Honors Program.

Bill Atlee is Chief Innovation Officer and Founder of iPipeline. In this role, he develops new and innovative products, ensures innovations provide clear value to customers, and drives effective go-to-market strategies based on customer needs, industry pain points, and current trends. 

In 1995, Atlee founded iPipeline, creating the first multi-carrier network where distributors and agents could digitally access insurance quotes, check underwriting status, compare product information, and complete electronic applications through cloud-based software.

His experience in personally selling more than 6,000 life insurance policies gives iPipeline an inside perspective on creating and launching the most innovative software products based on industry behavior. Atlee has the unique ability to simplify the industry’s most complex and complicated problems through his infamous stickman drawings used to depict solutions.

Today, the company that Atlee founded now offers innovative digital solutions to the life insurance, annuities, and wealth management industries.  iPipeline now employes more than 850 people around the world, including in the US, Canada, and UK.  

Atlee began his career as a life insurance agent with Fidelity Mutual Life where he gained valuable experience in implementing tax, legal, and estate planning techniques for high-net worth individuals. In 1992, he founded Direct Quote America, Inc., a nationally licensed brokerage firm that developed one of the industry’s first automated term insurance shopping services. His dream of automating the application process continued, with the launch of iPipeline’s signature e-App, iGO®, in 2005. And the rest as they say, is history.

A popular industry speaker, Atlee delves into his extensive industry knowledge and experience to share his thoughts on the critical role that digitization plays in the future of the financial services industry. 

Atlee earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from Westminster College.

John Bryner is the Chief Financial Officer at iPipeline, leading the accounting, financial planning and analysis FP&A, and security operations of the organization. Bryner joined the iPipeline team in April 2012 as a Finance Manager, with a strong skillset and business acumen that later helped him advance to Director of Finance, AVP of Finance, and now CFO. Over the course of his time with iPipeline, he successfully guided the finance organization through numerous acquisitions, as well as debt and equity recapitalization.

At the start of his career, Bryner worked as an auditor at Mercedian, P.C., CPAs, and BDO Seidman, LLP. He later went on to become a Controller at Independence Capital Partner, before beginning his career at iPipeline.

Bryner earned an MBA from Villanova University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lehigh University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. 

Chris Nichols is Chief Technology Officer at iPipeline, where he oversees the company’s technology strategy, research and development, process improvements, and security protocols. 

Since joining iPipeline in 2009 as Director of Research and Development, Nichols has climbed the ranks through roles focusing on quality and DevOps. Prior to his current position, he served as the Executive Vice President of Research and Development.

With a solid track record in the life insurance software sector, Nichols held key roles in other tech firms as well, including Vice President of Technology at AgencyWorks, and Director of Technology at both EbixLife and LifeLink Corporation. 

Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Kansas.

As Chief People Officer at iPipeline, Diane Rowell plays a critical role in guiding the employee experience  to strengthen the company’s transformative growth. With more than 20 years of experience as a global human resources leader, she leads iPipeline’s global talent and people strategy for attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining its team of diverse professionals. 

Rowell joined the company in 2022 from Allscripts, a global electronic health records software company, where she was Vice President of Human Resources, Business Partners and Business Operations. 

Earlier in her career, Rowell was Vice President of Human Resources at Misys Healthcare Systems, where she led all aspects of Human Resources for a business unit and led the corporate and executive recruiting function. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

George McDonnell is iPipeline’s General Counsel. He leads the organization’s legal operations, including customer and vendor contracting, intellectual property, employment law, privacy and data security, and corporate compliance and regulatory matters. He also provides advice on strategic corporate planning and decisions.

McDonnell joined iPipeline in 2022 from PowerPlan, Inc., where he was Corporate Counsel. In that role, he provided a wide range of legal advice supporting the company’s business of providing corporate performance and asset management software and SaaS solutions, primarily to asset-intensive, heavily regulated utilities and other participants in the North American energy marketplace.  

Before joining PowerPlan, McDonnell spent 10 years on active duty as a judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a prosecutor, company commander, and deputy general counsel, both forward deployed as the chief of operational and international law for all U.S. and international special operations forces in Afghanistan, as well as stateside for Marine Corps Logistics Command, which oversees and manages the provision of logistics support across the entire Marine Corps enterprise.

McDonnell earned his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.

Ian Teague is the UK Group Managing Director of iPipeline. In this role, he is responsible for delivering innovative solutions to dramatically improve the planning, selling, and servicing of financial products in the UK. iPipeline’s contribution to the UK protection market has led to industry recognition and numerous awards, which include Best Life Insurance Solutions-UK, Protection Review Winner, Cover Excellence Award, and Fintech’s Innovation Firm of the Year. iPipeline’s expansion into the pensions business, as well as into Europe, has led to industry recognition including being shortlisted as Pensions Technology Provider of the Year (Ireland).

Teague brings extensive experience working in the financial services industry at a variety of leadership level roles, with a focus on innovation, and growing revenues and profitability of technology companies within the insurance industry.

He joined iPipeline in 2012, following iPipeline’s acquisition of Assureweb Ltd., where he had been Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, managing the company’s commercial and operational aspects. Appointed Managing Director in 2013, he transformed iPipeline’s portal solution and market position and led the acquisition of TCP LifeSystems in 2017, which increased iPipeline’s reach into new market-leading new business, underwriting, and administration capability.

Prior to iPipeline, Teague also served as a director for various companies including Vertex Limited, where he played a lead role in the sale of the business to a consortium of Private Equity investors, and various Misys PLC companies.

Teague is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), one of the world’s leading professional membership organizations that trains, develops, and supports 150,000+ accountants worldwide. He also holds an ACA designation from the ICAEW.

Bill Hunter is Senior Vice President of Sales for iPipeline. In this role, Hunter is responsible for overseeing all sales in North America. His extensive experience and industry knowledge helped to create his stellar reputation for successfully helping U.S. companies – both small and large – become data-driven organizations, transforming from a paper to a digital environment, resulting in streamlined and accelerated business processes.

Joining iPipeline in 2000, Hunter has spent the majority of his career with the company. He has built countless strong relationships with hundreds of key members of the insurance community, demonstrating the value of iPipeline’s straight through processing technology as a game changer for 100+ insurance carriers; 2500+ broker dealers, Brokerage General Agencies (BGAs), Independent Marketing Organizations (IMOs), and financial institutions; and more than a half million agents and advisors.

Prior to joining iPipeline, Hunter served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Hill AFB, UT with the 75th Operations Support Squadron. 

Hunter received his bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Park University.

Roy Goodart leads the product management team at iPipeline. In this role, he plays a critical role in product management, pricing, and strategy to advance iPipeline’s integrated end-to-end solutions. 

Prior to joining iPipeline, Goodart was the Chief of Product and Customer Success for Paperless Solutions Group, Inc., where he drove strategic direction and oversight. He also served as a consultant for Prospect9, where he was hired as a change agent to evaluate product and marketing practices and recommend key strategies. He held positions of increasing responsibility with Aplifi, InsureSocket, and AgencyWorks, all of which were acquired by iPipeline. 

Goodart was instrumental in bringing to market the industry’s first web-based agency management system and the first commercially available multi-carrier e-delivery platform, of which he is the co-inventor of a software patent that is currently owned by iPipeline.

A frequent industry speaker, Goodart is a contributor and advisor for InsurTech Express, and has served on the e-Delivery Technology Committee for Life Brokerage Technology Committee (LBTC), Life Insurance Direct Marketing Association (LIDMA) and Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD).  He serves on the board of directors of Bully Boy Pet Products. 

Goodart earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Westminster University.