Meet The Team

Meet the hardworking people who make NextGen happen.

Meet The Team

The hardworking people who make NextGen happen.

Chris Kelly

Chairman & CEO

Chris Kelly briefly worked as an investment banker before starting his career in earnest at Google, where he held product and marketing positions with AdSense and Google Apps. He left in 2010 to start his first successful online advertising business, primarily focusing on lead generation. He founded NextGen Leads in 2014 with the aim of modernizing the way insurance leads are generated and sold, putting a strong emphasis on improving agent experience through technology. Chris graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Claremont McKenna College. In his spare time, he enjoys playing with his son, learning piano, reading and travel.

Our goal from the outset has been to provide a superior customer experience through a relentless focus on lead quality and solving problems with technology. I'm very proud of what this team has built, and excited to see where we go next!

Chris Kelly

Chris Kelly

Chairman & CEO

Ronnie Garcia

CTO

Ronnie Garcia is a San Diego native that has been working in the online marketing industry since 2000. He started his career doing mostly work as a designer and front-end web developer, but soon after transitioned into full stack development. Ronnie has done work for brands such as Sony Playstation, American Red Cross, Honeywell and RailEurope. Ronnie spends most of his free time relaxing and going on adventures with his wife, son, and daughter.

What sets NextGen apart from all other lead companies is our unique technology. We are always working on developing the next cutting edge feature to enhance the quality and conversion rates of our leads.

Ronnie Garcia

Ronnie Garcia

CTO

Cassie Scott

Vice President of Sales

Cassie Scott is a Central Coast native with a reputable history in sales achievements from various industries. After completing her education at Allan Hancock College, she ventured off to San Diego to pursue her marketing and advertising career at NextGen Leads. Cassie oversees strategic accounts and is passionate about optimizing and maximizing the sales success of her partners. Her extensive background in sales and customer service allows her to reach her goal of profitably connecting her partners with their ideal sales prospects. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the beach, chasing sunsets, traveling, trying new brunch spots, and exploring beautiful San Diego.

True, raw, transparency is a personal trait I take pride in, so you can imagine my excitement to be part of a team that also carries that core value. NextGen’s commitment to remain truly transparent provides a strong sense of authenticity and trust between our team and clients.

Cassie Scott

Cassie Scott

Vice President of Sales

Daniel Rohsler

Director of Marketing

Daniel has touched every aspect of digital advertising in his 8+ years of experience as a marketer. Primary strengths pertain to PPC management, SEO, and most importantly - analytics. Daniel began his career working alongside Gary Vaynerchuk at Vaynermedia, learning from the best in the industry for creative branding and media. Daniel joined the NextGen Leads family in June of 2019 as a media buyer, handling internal and affiliate lead-gen campaigns for the company.

Our focus on data-driven decision making is what really sets us apart from other lead-gen companies. As a media buyer, reliable and actionable data is the key to running successful campaigns which in turn means more successful campaigns for our clients.

Daniel Rohsler

Daniel Rohsler

Director of Marketing

Hunter Leum

Human Resources Manager

Hunter Leum was born and raised in Los Angeles, having moved to San Diego to pursue a degree in Psychology. He has always had an interest in helping others to achieve their fullest potential personally and professionally, which led him to continue his education and obtain a Master’s Degree in Organizational Psychology. Hunter has experience in various Human Resources functions, with a focus on employee relations and team cohesion. When he isn’t working, Hunter loves enjoying the San Diego outdoors with his family and friends. You’ll most likely find him in the ocean, cycling along the coast, or hiking the local mountains.

I was immediately drawn to NextGen Leads because of their amazing technological innovations and incredible company culture. I am very excited to be part of this team and am looking forward to growing together!

Hunter Leum

Hunter Leum

Human Resources Manager

Robert Mah

Controller

Robert Mah began his career in accounting in sunny Orange County, California after graduating from UC Irvine with a B.S. in Biology. He is a licensed CPA with public and private company experience. Robert has an affinity for new technology and is naturally drawn to startups and forward thinking companies. He appreciates working smarter and aims to leave things better than when he found them. In his spare time, Robert enjoys travel, food, and petting his two dogs.

NextGen Leads takes pride in its work-life balance and company culture. The team is knowledgeable, respectful, and always looks for ways to improve. I’m grateful to work with such good energy and excited to see the company grow!

Robert Mah

Robert Mah

Controller

Christian Welsh

Marketing Analyst

Christian Welsh is London born and San Diego raised. He began his career in Big 4 public accounting after graduating with an accounting degree from SMU’s Cox School of Business. Christian entered the digital marketing world with L.A. based company Brightcast where he focused on PPC management, data analytics, and client relations. He joined NextGen Leads in January of 2021 as a Marketing Analyst to contribute in leading marketing efforts. Christian is a scratch golfer and big wave enthusiast.

"The science of today is the technology of tomorrow”. This quote holds true with NextGen Leads as we provide unparalleled technology-driven data through which we are able to exceed expectations and grow into a greater tomorrow.

Christian Welsh

Christian Welsh

Marketing Analyst

Sarah Blanco

Account Manager

Sarah Blanco is a California central coast native who decided to take a leap of faith and move to San Diego in hopes of growing both personally and professionally. During her time on the central coast she worked at a large dental supply company where her focus was customer support and sales. She has also completed her education at Allan Hancock College. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, and going to the beach with her two Australian Shepherds.

Two things that really excite me about NextGen are the work culture and the advanced technology we use to provide outstanding support to our buyers. This combination is what sets us above and makes us go beyond on what is expected in our field.

Sarah Blanco

Sarah Blanco

Account Manager

Jan Cruz

Account Manager

Jan Cruz began his career with the U.S. Marine Corps where he participated in two campaigns in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He aided in multiple missions and provided support for hostile regions like Fallujah, AR Ramadi and Baharia. After receiving his honorable discharge, Jan attended Concorde Career College, earning his AAS in Medical Science. Post college he helped set up two satellite stores for retail store, J. Tomson. He enjoys going to the beach and spending time with family and his two dogs.

NextGen is a team full of individuals who want to change the lead industry by providing the best experience for our customers, using a combination of unique technology and personalized account support.

Jan Cruz

Jan Cruz

Account Manager

Lisa Montgomery

Medicare Lead

Lisa Montgomery moved to San Diego at 8 months old. She was homeschooled all the way through high school and has spent time in Europe, South Africa, and Australia as an exchange student. She started her professional career working for start ups in the preventive medicine space, here in San Diego. With medical administration as her background, Lisa has joined NextGen as an account manager. In her spare time she enjoys anything involving sunshine: beaches, hiking, exploring new cities, and traveling outside the country are amongst her favorite activities.

NextGen Leads has transformed the lead purchasing market! We provide a modern and seamless experience for our customers and are committed to staying true to our authenticity. I take pride in working for NextGen Leads and can’t wait to see the magnitude of impact it will continue to have in this space.

Lisa Montgomery

Lisa Montgomery

Medicare Lead

Jay Araiza

Account Manager

Jay Araiza is a San Diego native with experience in customer service and marketing. Jay's passion for being the best version of himself is the driving force of his professional growth which was prominent during his time at a San Diego startup in the alternative health care sector. Jay attended Missouri Baptist University on an athletic scholarship. In his free time, Jay is learning web development, practicing Portuguese and, exploring new parks throughout San Diego with his son.

NextGen offers a fostering culture that’s both challenging and rewarding. Driven by its modern technology and team atmosphere that allows one to passionately drive results to achieve client and company objectives.

Jay Araiza

Jay Araiza

Account Manager

Paige Calvo

Account Manager

Paige Calvo moved to Vandenberg Air Force Base when she was 2 years old and has been living in the California central coast ever since. With 8 years of dedicated sales and customer service experience, she has a passion for doing whatever it takes to exceed customers expectations. In her free time Paige enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, weight lifting, and taking her son on adventures.

What made me want to work for NextGen is the transparency and technology they provide their buyers. I take great pride in working for a company that actually cares about providing the best and being the best for its consumers.

Paige Calvo

Paige Calvo

Account Manager

Eugene Clay

Account Manager

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Eugene is a midwest kid at heart. Eugene joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base and has seen as much of the world as possible. After seeing the world from different perspectives, he began his career on the civilian side. With a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Eugene moved to San Diego and started his career in sales. Eugene's free time involves physical activities such as bike riding, traveling as much as possible, and meeting new people with new stories/perspectives.

NextGen Leads does an outstanding job of combining high-end technology with home comfort atmosphere. Expect high quality leads from high quality people.

Eugene Clay

Eugene Clay

Account Manager

Rizaldee Balza

Support Supervisor

Rizaldee Balza is a San Diego native whom’s experience in the sales industry has molded her professionalism. Starting in 1998 as a Property and Casualty Insurance Agent, Rizaldee has since been employed in various professions and excelled in all. Now, instead of selling insurance she plays a major role in connecting major health companies with a large volume of individuals who need it. Her extensive background allows her to follow her passion in sales and customer service. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, trying new eateries and going to the gym.

I love working for NextGen Leads because it allowed me to move up and around while gaining experience within the company. By promoting within, NextGen is comprised of many strong individuals that make this company enjoyable to work for.

Rizaldee Balza

Rizaldee Balza

Support Supervisor

Felicia Chastain

Sales Associate

Felicia grew up in the small town of Lone Pine California. She began competing in different sports at a young age and has medaled in the Junior Olympics twice. She started working for NextGen Leads in the call center. Starting as a live transfer agent she was quickly promoted to a Team Lead position before moving up as a Sales Associate. This experience gives Felicia excellent working knowledge of the lead to agent relationship. Over 12 years in customer service gives her the understanding and skills necessary to thrive in the sales industry. In her downtime, Felicia enjoys skiing, fishing, camping, and creating in the kitchen.

NextGen is ever-changing and constantly improving on ways to generate and deliver leads. The ever-changing environment gives me the opportunity to expand my industry knowledge and continue to grow professionally.

Felicia Chastain

Felicia Chastain

Sales Associate

Deshawn Ray

Sales Associate

Deshawn is originally from North Carolina, but moved to Boston when he was 12. Adventurous by nature, he moved to San Diego in 2019 because building snowmen lost its luster. Deshawn has always sought to provide excellent customer service throughout his professional career in home security and in insurance. When he's not reading comics, he's typically playing video games or trying to find new cuisine to try.

NextGen is full of some of the most welcoming, smart people I have had the pleasure to meet, who make every day an adventure worth exploring.

Deshawn Ray

Deshawn Ray

Sales Associate

Luis Sanchez

Senior Application Developer

Luis was born south of the San Diego border and grew up in Chula Vista, CA, a southern suburb of San Diego. He graduated from the University of California San Diego with a Computer Engineering degree in 2017. Luis' last semester was spent studying abroad in Lund, Sweden. During his time at UCSD, Luis was part of a few different research groups and worked closely with hybrid network topologies, cloud service providers and optical circuit switches. After a year of working in automation testing, using tools like Selenium, Appium and Postman, Luis turned his attention to full stack development. In his free time, when Luis is not working on his personal meal-prep/cookbook web application, he is at his parent’s house smoking ribs and pulled pork with an offset smoker he made himself.

NextGen generates high quality leads because we focus on building robust and cutting edge features. Our ability to adapt and grow speaks to our passion for technology and our clients' success.

Luis Sanchez

Luis Sanchez

Senior Application Developer

Brett Wray

Senior Marketing Engineer

Brett Wray is a San Diego native that began his career as an office assistant for a marketing and technology company where he worked alongside a team of developers each day, after only a few months working there Brett realized he had a passion for web development and began teaching himself to code, after years of moonlighting as a developer after work, Brett was ready to start his career as a Web Developer which is what brought him to NextGen Leads. When Brett is not at his computer you can find him driving his boat on the Colorado River, exploring San Diego with his girlfriend Jann, or spending time with his best friends Dozer the english bulldog and Tank the french bulldog.

NextGen has built an extremely fun and talented team of individuals that truly care about the product and the success of our clients, the modern technology that our platform is built on allows us to continuously innovate and build new features to ensure that we’re delivering the highest quality leads.

Brett Wray

Brett Wray

Senior Marketing Engineer

Josh Lapid

Sales Engineer

Born and raised in San Diego, Josh discovered his passion for web development when his family needed a website for a restaurant they opened. As his interest grew, he taught himself how to code and built out a portfolio which allowed him to land a position at a marketing agency and start his web development career. Josh joined NextGen Leads in 2019 and handles split testing and API integrations.

NextGen Leads has an awesome work atmosphere with many talented individuals. I enjoy my work at NextGen because of the focus on the most modern technologies.

Josh Lapid

Josh Lapid

Sales Engineer

Jonathan Johnson

Web Designer

Jonathan originally hails from Boston, MA, and graduated from James Madison University with his BFA in graphic design. He moved to San Diego because he never wanted to deal with another Boston winter again, and he has no regrets about the decision. He has worked as a professional graphic designer for several years, and is currently pursuing his Masters in graphic design. When he isn’t doing something design-related, he is usually out and about enjoying all the fabulous things San Diego has to offer.

NextGen has been a dream job. I couldn’t image when I started working here that I would be working with such smart and innovative people who take such passion in what they do.

Jonathan Johnson

Jonathan Johnson

Web Designer

Sean Fernandez

Full Stack Developer

Sean was born into a military family and grew up moving all around the world before calling San Diego his home. After graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering, he discovered a passion for creating products from design to production. Always up to the task, Sean found web development as the perfect medium to solve both creative and technical challenges. Sean has over 5 years of experience working at full service digital marketing agencies building a variety of apps, websites, and e-commerce stores before working at NextGen Leads. When he is not at work you can find him solving bouldering problems at the gym or on an adventure outdoors.

Working at NextGen is a blast. It’s great to work with a talented team that is passionate about the quality of their work and wants to deliver robust products that implement the most modern technologies.

Sean Fernandez

Sean Fernandez

Full Stack Developer