Senior Team

Michael Praeger

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Michael Praeger is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AvidXchange, Inc, the leading provider of on-demand accounts payables management solutions for the real estate industry. Since founding AvidXchange in 2000, Michael has been an active participant and speaker on "payables automation" at various realestate conferences and considered a thought leader within the industry in developing creative solutions and best practices for payables automation.

Michael has spent the last 20 years founding, managing, merging and selling technology and web services-related companies. Prior to establishing AvidXchange, Michael was Co-Founder of PlanetResume.com, a technology career enhancement and recruiting site that successfully completed its merger with CareerShop.com and CareerTV.net in November 1999. Prior to that, he was Co-Founder and CEO of InfoLink Partners and InfoVentures, LP. Michael also served as an Associate with Summit Partners, a Boston-based Venture Capital and Buyout partnership with more than $1 billion under management. He received a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University.

David Miller

Co-Founder, President
David has spent the last 11 years managing the development of web-based applications both as an entrepreneur and as a corporate executive. Prior to AvidXchange, he served as managing partner of AtlanticDirectory.com, a mortgage information services company, where he was responsible for technology and product development. David also founded e|Calendar, a web-based local entertainment guide and interactive calendar site that merged with Creative Loafing in 1998. David began his career with Merrill Lynch after receiving a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Chris Tinsley

Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer
Since joining AvidXchange in 2000, Chris has architected the core system infrastructure as well as building a team of highly-skilled software and system engineers. Chris previously served as the Director of Application Development for e-Netrics where he spent two years designing, developing and implementing enterprise level e-commerce applications. Chris has 12 years of experience in the information technology arena with an expertise in enterprise-level B2B e-commerce applications. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a B.S. in Computer Science. Chris also served five years in the military.

Tim Johnson

SVP of Operations and Professional Services
Tim has spent 18 years in the technology arena, the first ten years of which were at Digital Equipment Corporation, which is now HP. There, he spent his first five years in operations, then after spending six months in a full time sales training program, he spent his second five years in sales selling solutions into Fortune 10 accounts, achieving top 5% performer status. After leaving Digital, Tim took a four year hiatus from technology in the mid-90's to run a family-owned beverage manufacturing company. He then returned to technology to join Market Velocity as COO, an ASP that sells market making software to technology companies. Tim was instrumental there in taking the company from pre-revenue to $10 million. He left there post merger after four years. He then founded a consulting company focused on executive search of sales talent in the technology arena, where AvidXchange was a client, and where since, he has joined to run internal operations and to manage the acquisition of talent. Tim holds a B.S.B.A from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Boston University.

Jan Engram Skinner

Vice President of Sales
Having worked for over 20 years in the accounting software and technology arenas, Jan is a proven sales manager with a reputation for building and leading sales teams that consistently exceed quotas. Prior to AvidXchange, Jan was VP of Contractor Services for MobileHWY, an internet-based workforce solution for builders, opening up seven new markets in less than 18 months. Prior to that, Jan grew major accounts by 80% for Market Velocity, an outsourced asset recovery solution for Fortune 1000 hardware manufacturers and led the small business product strategy for CPA2Biz, the for-profit spin-off of the AICPA. Many people in the industry recognize Jan from her 10 years at Best Software, Inc., where she worked as a "utility player" in a variety of roles from Regional Sales Director to the Vice President of Strategic Alliances as the company grew to become publicly-traded and later sold to Sage Software, one of her key strategic accounts. Jan holds a B.S. in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University and later earned her CPA certification in the Commonwealth of Virginia during her employment with Ernst and Whinney.

Karen Shope

Controller
Karen joins AvidXchange with more than twenty-five years of financial experience in both the Public and Private sector. Previously, she was the Finance Manager at Softmart, Inc. and also worked over seven years with a CPA firm in West Chester, PA. Shope has held positions as CFO for a non-profit corporation and Controller for numerous privately-held companies, specializing in communications and industrial. Karen holds her Certification in Public Accounting in Pennsylvania and is working towards acquiring reciprocity in North Carolina. Shope graduated from Drexel University with a B.S. in Accounting.

Bill the Gorilla

AvidXchange Mascot
Weighing only 3.5 pounds and 6 inches in height, Bill was born on April 15, 2000 at the Odzala National Park in the Republic of the Congo. At merely 9 months old, he embarked on his education at the reputable Mascot Montessori in his home town. The youngest of five primates, Bill was a quick study, swiftly climbing to the top of his class in both social skills and crowd rousing. At 2 years old, college recruiters were taking notice of his abilities. They soon began dangling bananas in front of Bill hoping he'd relocate to the US, furthering his education. Soon thereafter and following in the footsteps of his siblings, Bill moved to the United States. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Mascot Mastery from the prestigious College of Primates. He later completed his Ph.D. in Sportsmanship at Simian University. After proving himself as a mascot in the world of sports, Bill decided to change gears and scale the corporate ladder. He knew that tearing a ligament was only a matter of time and working in business would mean less bumps and bruises. With glorious recommendations and ten rounds of interviews at AvidXchange, Bill was offered an exclusive 100-year mascot contract. With this position, Bill now has benefits of which lesser gorillas can only dream. Unlimited banana smoothies, foosball tournaments and a generous wardrobe expense are just a few of the perks he'll receive. Working as a free agent in 2008, Bill made appearances at Intuit's International User Conference in Anaheim, CA; National Multi-Housing Conference in Atlanta, GA; and IOMA Conference in San Antonio, TX. In 2009, Bill is traveling to the windy city to mingle, wine and dine attendees at Realcomm Chicago. He'll also work the crowd at the AvidXchange User Conference and then make his way to Orlando for the IOMA AP Conference & Expo.