Management Team

John B. Gibson, Jr. assumed the role of president and chief executive officer in October 2022. Under Gibson’s leadership, Paychex has continued to innovate its technology and HR advisory solutions that deliver industry leading customer experiences. Paychex is a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for more than 730,000 businesses and supports millions of employees who work for those businesses.

Combining software-as-a-service technology with customized service and advisory support, Paychex empowers business owners to focus on their success and helps them navigate the complexities of HR, payroll, and meeting the needs of their employees for quality benefits and workplace solutions.

Gibson was named president and chief operating officer in December 2021, leading the daily operations of the company, including sales, service, marketing, and product management. Under his leadership, Paychex completed its most successful fiscal year to date, surpassing more than $4.6 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2022.

Bringing more than 20 years of experience in HR solutions, technology, and business services, Gibson joined Paychex as senior vice president of service in May 2013. In that role, Gibson led the service organization to record customer satisfaction and retention, enhanced the Paychex service experience with 24/7/365 options, added a full spectrum of digital support capabilities, and expanded the relationship management and advisory support for Paychex’s enterprise and HR outsourcing clients. He was instrumental in the company’s international expansion and in growing Paychex’s digital payroll and professional employer organization (PEO) businesses.

Prior to Paychex, Gibson served in senior executive positions at HR outsourcing and technology companies, including Ameritech (now AT&T) and Convergys, where he served as president of the HR management division providing comprehensive global HR solutions to clients in 68 countries.

Gibson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University. He also earned certifications at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the international business program of INSEAD, a global graduate business school. Active in the community, Gibson has served on the community investment board for the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes and the board of directors of Hillside Family of Agencies.

Efrain Rivera joined Paychex in June 2011 as senior vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer. Rivera was formerly corporate vice president and chief financial officer at Bausch & Lomb, a global eye health company.

During his time at Bausch & Lomb, Rivera held several senior management positions, with responsibilities ranging from managing the company’s commercial operations in Latin America and Canada, to leading finance for Bausch & Lomb’s global vision care division, to overseeing the firm’s treasury operations, including management of a $600 million investment portfolio. Most recently, he served as vice president of finance and administration at Houghton College in Western New York.

Rivera holds a Doctor of Management degree from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, he earned his Master of Business Administration from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester, and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University in New York City. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Houghton College.

Mark Bottini serves as the senior vice president of sales at Paychex, a position he’s held since joining the company in October 2011. He is responsible for leading all payroll and human resource services sales. Under Bottini’s leadership, Paychex has seen steady year-over-year growth and has been named one of the top 10 companies to sell for by Selling Power magazine. Bottini is driven to maintain a culture of growth for Paychex, and, to that end, he develops leaders who are committed to company growth, employee development, and bringing value to clients.

A senior executive with close to thirty years of experience, Bottini was most recently vice president of sales for Ricoh, North America and brings with him a strong record of sales success and demonstrated leadership. At Ricoh, Bottini was responsible for a sales organization of more than 3,500 members. In previous leadership roles with the company, Bottini had responsibility for service and operations as well as sales. He assumed his last position with Ricoh in 2008 when the company acquired IKON Office Solutions, Inc. During his nearly 20 years with IKON, Bottini served in a variety of sales leadership and field management roles.

Bottini attended Long Beach State University in Long Beach, Calif., where he majored in marketing.

Mike Gioja is the senior vice president of IT and product development at Paychex. He leads the development of all Paychex applications including the company’s full-scale human capital management (HCM) offering, Paychex Flex. Committed to delivering highly available, effective, and secure solutions to help clients and Paychex employees succeed, Gioja also oversees all internal corporate applications, IT projects, and security processes. Combining innovative software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology, and a mobile-first design, with the strong culture of service at Paychex, Gioja looks to empower America’s businesses with solutions that help them do what they want – when, where, and how they want.

Gioja has more than 35 years of experience in product management and strategy, as well as software and information technology. At Paychex, he’s led his teams through the creation of product road maps and the launch of the cloud-based Paychex Flex, which offers a streamlined and integrated approach to HCM. Gioja and his team have also orchestrated an agile transformation to drive innovation and cultural change at Paychex. Throughout his career, Gioja has led the implementation of large-scale enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms, as well as best-of-breed SaaS applications. Prior to Paychex, he held senior leadership positions with companies including IBM, American Express, Fidelity, SAP, and PeopleSoft.

Gioja is a member of the board of directors for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He also serves on the advisory board for the State University of NY at Oswego, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science.

Liz Roaldsen joined Paychex in 2023 and serves as the company’s senior vice president of operations and customer experience.

Roaldsen champions the company’s focus on serving the needs of our 730,000 customers and being the best operators in the business. In addition to serving as a member of the company’s senior executive leadership team, she oversees 6,000 Paychex employees dedicated to helping business customers succeed through innovative technology, advising on the latest industry trends and challenges, and delivering an unmatched customer experience.

Roaldsen’s background includes three decades of leadership in the financial industry and most recently was head of enterprise business services for the wholesale business at HSBC. In this role, she was responsible for operations including global client service, credit and lending, and frontline tools to support clients across segments and channels. She also has spent more than a decade at State Street Corporation in Boston, where she served as executive vice president and head of global operations.

In addition, Roaldsen served on the non-profit boards of Year Up, Cradles to Crayons, and Hope and Comfort. She has an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a B.A. in Accounting from Belmont Abbey College, and has received the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Kate Boatman joined Paychex in 2022 as the company’s Vice President of Digital Sales. In this role, Kate is integral in driving the company’s end-to-end digital experience strategy. She also leads all facets of SurePayroll, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex, as well as the virtual sales organization of Paychex.

Kate is a seasoned 25-year veteran experienced in leading growth and transformation. She previously held positions of increasing scope at T-Mobile, including Vice President of Digital Consumer and Emerging Businesses and Head of Digital Strategy & Planning. She also held multiple B2B and B2C positions with Microsoft, and strategy, marketing, product, and analytics positions with various software startups.

Kate has earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Statistics from the University of Minnesota and her SAFe® Agilist certification. She is also a current member of Chief, the women’s executive network.

An accomplished senior business developer, Neal Collins joined the Paychex executive team as the vice president of corporate development in April 2018. Collins’ 25 years of expertise in mergers and acquisitions serves as a tremendous asset to a Paychex company that’s committed to further growing its global footprint.

Prior to working at Paychex, Collins was vice president of global strategy consulting for Johnson Controls, where he collaborated with senior executives and their teams to create and execute growth and performance improvement strategies and evolve their M&A strategy.

Earlier in his career, Collins was a senior executive advisor on global M&A strategy, corporate development, and operations for C Ventures, Ltd. Before that, he was vice president of strategy and corporate development for Sara Lee Corporation, where, among other responsibilities, he led the development of global, regional, and local M&A growth strategies.

Collins holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

John Connors joined Paychex in 1990 as a programmer. Within three years, he rose to manager of the corporate applications group and later assumed the development responsibilities for the then newly formed Human Resources Services (HRS) division. John guided a 20-person team as the architects of HRS products such as Section 125, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Health & Benefits Insurance, COBRA, and 401(k) Retirement – all of which led to the creation of the benefits database (BENDB), the company’s first implemented concept of a shared client and employee record for multiple products.

His approach to software development is collaborative, demonstrated by the growth of HRS to 50 members by 2000, and in 2008 John took on the responsibilities for ENS and was promoted to director and eventually senior director by 2015 when he was overseeing all product development at Paychex. His emphasis on continuous delivery, best practices, and sound architecture over the years led his team to introduce single sign-on, centralized reporting, mobile apps, and HTML Flex.

John oversees nearly 1,000 employees now, including contractors and statement of work (SOW) team members. This highly engaged team, under John’s leadership, is world-class in terms of Agile SDLC, architecture, automation, security, delivery, and quality.

As the vice president of service excellence and operations, Chris DeSalvo oversees the continued growth and evolution of the company’s integrated, omni-channel service model, providing strategic vision and a strong customer focus to the proactive service organization at Paychex. Committed to giving clients choice and flexibility in their service experience, Chris is passionate about leading by example and spending as much time as possible in the field.

Prior to joining Paychex, Chris spent 24 years with Wells Fargo, most recently as the business’ shared services executive and, before that, as the chief administration officer of mortgage and retail credit. Earlier in his career, Chris served as the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Wachovia’s business banking and small business capital divisions.

Chris studied business administration at James Madison University and earned a certificate of completion from the BB&T Leadership Institute’s executive leadership program. Chris also served as chairman of the investment and finance board for United Way of the Central Carolinas for 11 years.

Frank Fiorille is the vice president of risk management, compliance, and data analytics at Paychex. Fiorille currently serves as one of the chief stewards of risk for the company, and he leads the implementation of all aspects of the risk function, including processes, tools, and systems to identify, assess, measure, manage, monitor, and report risks. In addition to his overall risk management responsibilities and heading the compliance and data science functions, he oversees the government relations and operating risk functions for Paychex.

Fiorille joined Paychex in 2002, bringing with him several years of experience from previous risk management leadership roles at Citigroup and PNC Bank. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury & Risk magazine in 2008 and 2009, and he’s credited with leading successful projects to build the first risk and retention models in both the educational lending and payroll outsourcing industries.

Fiorille holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, as well as a certificate in advanced risk management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently chair of the Enterprise Risk Management Committee for the Risk Management Society (RIMS), one of the world’s largest risk management organizations, and a board member for the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). Fiorille is a frequent speaker both domestically and internationally on the topic of risk management and is an adjunct professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Tom Hammond assumed the role of vice president of corporate strategy and product management in January 2017 with more than 25 years of experience at Paychex.

He leads an organization that develops strong, intuitive, and relevant Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions for small and mid-size businesses, embracing the challenge of remaining cutting-edge in an increasingly competitive market. He also shapes and directs the execution of the company’s strategic vision.

Earlier in his Paychex career, Hammond spent six years as the senior director of product and program management, putting his stamp on Paychex software development initiatives. He oversaw the creation of Paychex’s flagship payroll application, CORE Advanced, and has since played an integral role in its evolution into what is now Paychex Flex, the company’s full suite of HCM solutions.

A graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. Hammond earned his Bachelor of Science degree in marketing in 1990.

Michael Jeffrey serves as the vice president of major market services sales. In this role, he provides leadership and strategic direction to a sales organization that delivers solutions that help mid-market businesses meet their human capital management needs.

Previously, Jeffrey served as the vice president of SMB Solutions East Sales, leading revenue growth for the company’s SMB market sales organization. In his more than 15 years at Paychex, he has achieved success in a variety of sales leadership roles in both the small-business and mid-market segments.

Jeffrey is known as a strong change leader who delivers results through strategic planning, a passion for helping others grow their skills and careers, and a relentless focus on execution. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Ted Jordan assumed his role as vice president of service at Paychex in 2017. Today, he’s responsible for client onboarding and service operations for businesses with fewer than 50 employees, which comprise more than 70 percent of the company’s client base. Jordan’s goal for Paychex is to lead the industry in client satisfaction by maintaining a strategic focus on the client experience, operational excellence, and a multi-channel service delivery. Moreover, his vision is to attract, develop, and retain a diverse and engaged workforce that delivers high-value service to Paychex clients.

Boasting more than two decades of experience leading service in high-transaction business, Jordan joined Paychex after nearly six years at the vice president level for Nationwide Insurance where he led two major service model transformations for one of the largest insurance and financial service companies in the world. Prior to his time at Nationwide, Jordan served as an assistant VP of customer service at The Hartford and VP of operations at Prudential.

Jordan was the executive chair of the Paychex 2017 campaign for United Way of Greater Rochester. He received the 2017 Senior Champion Award from United Way and serves on the organization’s 100^th anniversary campaign cabinet. Jordan also serves on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester. Jordan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

Maureen Lally assumed the role of vice president of marketing for Paychex in November 2017. In this position, she leads a group of marketing professionals working to drive customer understanding, and improved go-to-market strategies with our sales teams, including the development of consistent sales and marketing brand touchpoints.

Lally possesses a deep understanding of digital marketing, a key attribute as Paychex continues to focus on cutting edge initiatives and meeting today’s clients and prospects where they are – online. She and the team will build brand awareness and lead generation through new and innovative programs.

Lally is a Fortune 100 marketing executive with more than 25 years of experience building, launching, and leading marketing teams and go-to-market strategies throughout the U.S. and internationally. Most recently, she served as the vice president of marketing and communications for Johnson Controls/Tyco Integrated Solutions and Services (JCI/Tyco), a world leader in building products and technology, integrated solutions, and services. In that role, Lally identified new market opportunities, developed and executed a market share expansion strategy, and directed advertising, branding, and digital marketing and demand generation. Prior to her time at JCI/Tyco, she also held leadership positions at Danfoss, Ingersoll Rand, Trane and AT&T.

Lally holds a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Syracuse University, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from Northeastern University.

Michael Majors is the Vice President of Human Resource Services (HRS) Sales, a role he assumed in December 2021. As the leader of HRS Sales, Majors is responsible for strategic planning, revenue attainment, and cost control for two distinct business lines – HR outsourcing and retirement services.

Majors joined Paychex in 2005 and has held various leadership roles within the sales organization. In 2019, he was promoted to Senior Director of National Retirement Sales, leading the sales team that has propelled Paychex to rank as the largest 401(k) recordkeeper by total number of plans, according to PLANSPONSOR magazine.  

An accomplished and proven leader, Majors is a firm believer that each of us has no limits other than the ones we place on ourselves.

Prior to Paychex, Majors spent 14 years working in sales roles for various tech startups, most recently as CEO at US Computer Solutions in Southern California. As CEO, Majors made strategic business operations improvements while increasing annual sales.

Majors grew up in Montana where he developed a love for the outdoors. He has had his airplane pilot’s license since he was 16, is an avid camper and fly-fisherman, and is a life-long pianist.

Karen McClendon joined Paychex in April 2021 and serves as the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer.

McClendon delivers an exemplary employee experience as the CHRO while maintaining the company’s position as an industry leader in competitive compensation and benefits—attracting, recruiting, and retaining highly sought-after talent.

She is committed to championing and modeling Paychex’s company values and integrating strategies that focus on evolving human capital needs, including expanding initiatives for development, diversity, inclusion, and engagement.

Before Paychex, McClendon spent 25 years in human resources and organizational development, directing, designing, and developing critical HR functions. She recently served as vice president of human resources for Comcast Xfinity Consumer Sales where she led national HR initiatives and served as a liaison to stakeholders for a 15,000 person sales force. McClendon has also held senior leadership roles in organizations such as the Children’s Television Workshop, Exelon, and Aramark.

McClendon holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and an MBA from Temple University. She has previously served on several boards, including the Philadelphia Achievability Board, the Career Wardrobe Board, and the Southern New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Board.

Stephanie Schaeffer has been vice president and chief legal officer at Paychex since 2006. She was named corporate secretary in 2011 and chief ethics officer in 2019. As Paychex grows and changes to meet new regulatory and market demands, Schaeffer strives to protect the company and make sure it acts as a responsible corporate citizen. She leads a team of lawyers and professionals responsible for all Paychex legal functions, partners with other members of the executive team to develop and execute corporate strategies for growth and maximization of shareholder value, and develops and manages the Paychex legal department. Schaeffer points to Paychex being consistently recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute as evidence that the company’s culture drives its success.

Schaeffer joined Paychex in 2000 as corporate counsel and was appointed director of legal affairs in 2004. She was named one of Rochester’s “Forty Under 40” by the Rochester Business Journal in 2008, and she won the Daily Record’s Top Counsel award in 2012. She earned a certification in executive management from the University of Notre Dame in 2014. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and international relations and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Notre Dame. She was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in August 1995.

Schaeffer is the current president of the board of directors for Catholic Family Center. Additionally, she’s a founding member of the Paychex Charitable Foundation and Paychex Corporate Social Responsibility steering committees. She’s also part of the Women’s Leadership Council for United Way of Greater Rochester.

Bradley Schaufenbuel joined Paychex as vice president and chief information security officer in September 2019. In this role, his primary objective is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information assets that Paychex manages. Bradley is driven by the belief that a well-managed information security program can serve as both a business enabler and a driver of competitive differentiation in the marketplace.

Bradley has over two decades of experience in information security. Prior to joining Paychex, he served as vice president and chief information security officer at Paylocity Corporation. Before that, Bradley held security leadership positions at several banks, insurance companies, and professional services firms.

Bradley’s academic accomplishments include earning Master of Laws and Juris Doctor degrees from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, a Master of Business Administration degree from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He is a licensed attorney and a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar. Bradley is a certified chief information security officer and holds more than a dozen other information security certifications. He regularly speaks at cybersecurity conferences and has written numerous books and professional journal articles on topics related to information security management and IT governance.

With more than 20 years of leadership experience in corporate finance and public accounting, Bob Schrader was named vice president and controller in July 2019. In this role, he is responsible for leading the company’s accounting, external reporting, and financial planning and analysis. For Bob, success starts with three simple tenants: try your hardest, do what’s right, and maintain a positive attitude.

Previously, Bob was the senior director of financial planning and analysis at Paychex. He joined the company in 2014 as director of internal audit. Prior to that, Bob was the chief financial officer for Unither Manufacturing, LLC, and held several positions in his ten-year career with Bausch & Lomb, including vice president of finance and controller of global quality and operations. He is also a former manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.

A certified public accountant (CPA), Bob earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School, as well as a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The College at Brockport, State University of New York. Bob serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York, a non-profit organization that fosters work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills in children grades K-12.

Christopher Simmons is vice president and treasurer for Paychex, a role he assumed in August 2022. As a senior finance executive, Simmons oversees the corporate treasury and tax functions for the company with responsibilities for bank and capital markets relationships, corporate liquidity, investment management, tax policy, tax planning, and tax audit and defense.

Simmons joined Paychex in 2014 and has held various leadership roles within the corporate finance department, most recently as senior director of tax and assistant treasurer. He brings extensive experience in leading teams, creating value, and managing risk.

Prior to joining Paychex, Simmons held various senior management positions, including vice president of corporate taxes and director of external tax reporting at Bausch & Lomb. Before joining Bausch & Lomb, he held leadership roles with the tax consulting practice of a global public accounting firm.

Simmons earned a B.S. in accounting from Roberts Wesleyan College, a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University, and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Treasury Professional.

Terry Sukalski is the vice president of PEO and Insurance at Paychex, as well as the president of Oasis, assuming both roles in December 2021. In this position, he leads the efforts to drive growth through enhanced focus and specialization for the company’s professional employer organization (PEO) and insurance business.

Serving 1.7 million worksite employees through HR outsourcing (ASO and PEO), Paychex is the industry’s second largest PEO. In addition, the Paychex Insurance Agency is among the 30 largest insurance agencies in the U.S., based on revenue, according to Business Insurance magazine.      

Sukalski joined Paychex in January 2013 as vice president of Core Payroll Sales for the central U.S. and was elevated to vice president of Human Resource Services Sales in March 2017, where he was responsible for strategic planning and revenue growth for the company’s HR outsourcing and retirement lines of business.

Sukalski came to Paychex with more than 15 years in sales management roles with Ricoh Americas Corporation, most recently as vice president of U.S. field sales. In that position, Sukalski was responsible for the management and results of Ricoh’s direct sales organization in the United States.

Sukalski holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and marketing from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Penn.

Mick Whittemore joined Paychex in March 2016 as the vice president of information technology enterprise operations. Mick came to Paychex from serving as the chief technology officer for GE Power & Water, a $30 billion business with 60,000 employees and over 400 locations. He left GE after more than 18 years of leadership experience with the company.

Mick is an accomplished information technology leader whose extensive experience spans all aspects of IT, including data center, network, enterprise cloud, shared Web/business platforms, solution architecture, database management, and ERP technology.

Mick holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with a concentration in information systems, from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY.

Jeff Williams joined Paychex in November of 2021 and serves as the company’s vice president of enterprise and HRO service.

Williams leads the service teams that provide proactive advice-driven services to Paychex clients that are looking to navigate complex legislation as well as the evolving employee expectations employers face. He also helps drive best-in-class account management and customer experience practices across the Paychex service organization.

As a seasoned senior executive and general manager, Williams brings significant leadership experience in tech-enabled service businesses and high-growth environments to Paychex. Prior to joining Paychex, Williams was the president of Alliance-One Services, a DXC Company. He also served as president of DXC Canada entities and was the chair of the company’s inclusion and diversity efforts in the Americas. Williams has also held senior leadership roles for Alight Solutions, AON Hewitt, and ADP.

Williams is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, earned his Master of Business Administration from The Ivey School of Western University, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Political Science from Brock University. He has previously served on several boards, including Habitat for Humanity of Halton/Mississauga, St. Mildred’s Lightbourn School, JVS Toronto, and Canadian Cancer Society – North York Chapter.