Our Team

Les Popiolek is the Chief Executive Officer for Valify and Valify Solutions Group. In addition to serving as Valify’s chief operating officer from 2017 to 2019, Les Popiolek has held prominent roles in healthcare group purchasing for over twenty-five years. Les began his sourcing career with Premier Purchasing Partners, after which he was part of the conceptualization and startup of Texas-based Broadlane GPO and launch of Broadlink, one of the industry’s early B2B eCommerce exchanges. As Broadlane’s chief technology officer, Les created and led a centralized, outsourced national procurement center. Following MedAssets’ acquisition of Broadlane in 2010, Les led the integration of the two companies’ GPO portfolios, totaling $35 billion in annual customer spend. Most recently, Les has served as Chairman and CEO of a GPO startup in the business aviation industry. Les received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jessica Burns is the Chief Operating Officer for Valify and Valify Solutions. Jessica recently joined our company in May 2023 and comes to us with having served HCA Healthcare for 23 years. Jessica has held leadership roles across HCA’s Corporate Information Technology, Sarah Cannon and most recently CereCore where she was the AVP of HCA Client Relations.  Jessica brings significant experience in business operations, strategy alignment, portfolio growth and technology management across multiple business units.  She has a passion for developing people, improving organizational health, and building and leveraging relationships.

Jessica received her MBA in Information Technology from Western Governors University in 2015. She is a Certified Healthcare CIO through CHIME and serves as a board member for Nashville Technology Council.

Matt is the Chief Technology Officer of Valify, responsible for the Valify products and the engineering organization. As a co-founder of Valify Matt served as CTO and CFO from 2014 to 2019, and was responsible for the initial design and development of the Valify products. Matt has worked in software product companies for over 23 years, with 12 of the last 15 in healthcare, has led the development of many products, and has over 15 patents to his name. In addition to his Valify experience Matt began his career in the network management space, moved into clinical technology, and most recently helped build a consumer marketplace in the home services space. Matt received his Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting and Management Information Systems, and his MBA from Baylor University.

Andy Motz is Vice President of Advisory Services for Valify Solutions Group. His experience includes serving as Chief Procurement Officer for a Midwest health system and over 10 years of Supply Chain consulting with Deloitte and Navigant at academic medical centers, community hospitals, and large IDNs. As a purchased services sourcing consultant, Motz focuses on strategically positioning his clients to negotiate contracts that achieve better pricing, service levels, and quality outcomes. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Mount St. Joseph University.

Ben Bailey is the Director of Sourcing Intelligence for Valify, where his responsibilities include Benchmarking Purchased Services through the Pinpoint and Power Benchmarking Programs and supporting the RFP module in the Valify Application. He has over 15 years experience in sourcing, leading the National Sourcing Analytics team at MedAssets and supporting Strategic Programs at Vizient. Ben is a summa cum laude graduate from Columbus State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. In his spare time he enjoys hobbies such as welding, woodworking, 3d printing and anything with power tools.

Shara Smith is the Marketing Director for Valify and Valify Solutions Group, where she leads all aspects of marketing including strategic planning, branding, digital marketing strategy, and event planning and management. Shara joined Valify in September of 2021. Prior to this, Shara held the position of Corporate Executive Director of Business Development and Marketing for one of the largest and fastest growing for profit health systems in the country, where she developed and implemented programs and service lines for 28 hospitals.

Shara began her career in business development and marketing shortly after graduating college, and worked in the promotional marketing industry on both the distributor side and the supplier side before venturing into healthcare as a marketing representative for an imaging company. Shara received her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas, and her Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.