Leadership
The people who run Clearfield Partners' lines of business.
Two managing partners founded Clearfield Partners; three managing directors lead its healthcare, talent, and go-to-market work. All five are operators who've held the roles they now advise on.
Michael Avon
Managing PartnerMichael is a seasoned operating executive and Managing Partner at Clearfield Partners, where he helps organizations solve complex business challenges, improve operational performance, and build scalable platforms for growth. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer of Kognition, a leading provider of AI-powered cyber-physical threat detection and smart-building technology.
With more than 20 years of hands-on experience across banking, consumer products, FinTech, loyalty, and SaaS, Michael has built and led operations for privately held startups, publicly traded Fortune 100 companies, and organizations at virtually every stage of growth. His leadership spans executive operations, P&L management, revenue and EBITDA growth, customer success, strategic partnerships, risk management, compliance, and large-scale project and program management, with particular expertise in highly regulated environments.
At Clearfield Partners, Michael works with leadership teams to identify and remove operational barriers and create sustainable growth strategies, leveraging Six Sigma and Lean methodology to simplify processes and strengthen execution. Earlier in his career, he held COO and senior leadership roles with PeopleLinx, Stuzo, Clutch, The Ohana Companies, Relay Network, and Portico Systems, and senior risk management and business intelligence roles with Citi, Radian Guaranty, and The Vanguard Group.
Michael holds an MBA in Finance from Drexel University's LeBow College of Business, a B.S. in Finance from Chestnut Hill College, and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Penn State University.
Rick DiMariano
Managing Partner & CofounderRick is a Managing Partner and Cofounder of Clearfield Partners, where he helps organizations solve complex business challenges, improve operational efficiency, and build the capabilities needed for sustainable growth. With more than 20 years of hands-on experience across healthcare, technology, manufacturing, homebuilding, engineering, and professional services, he brings a practical, results-oriented perspective spanning startups, middle-market organizations, and Fortune 100 companies.
At Clearfield Partners, Rick leads initiatives across operational consulting, go-to-market strategy, fractional COO services, and talent acquisition — working closely with leadership teams to identify obstacles, simplify complex problems, and develop flexible, aligned solutions.
Prior to Clearfield Partners, Rick cofounded TalentFleX Solutions and served as President of Operations, growing the company from a startup to more than $4 million in annual revenue with a six-person team before its integration into ORS Partners. He also held leadership and talent acquisition roles with ORS Partners, IntegriChain, ShopRunner, Accolade, Portico Systems, Verizon Wireless, and USA 3000 Airlines.
Rick holds a BA in Business Administration from Temple University's Fox School of Business and Management.
Robert Capobianco
Managing Director, Healthcare VerticalRobert leads the Healthcare vertical at Clearfield Partners, helping healthcare and healthcare technology organizations accelerate growth, strengthen go-to-market strategy, and build the operational foundation required to scale. A seasoned healthcare technology executive, he brings more than 20 years of experience leading growth, commercial strategy, operations, product, and client-facing organizations across the healthcare ecosystem.
Prior to Clearfield Partners, Robert served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at NeuroFlow, where he led the execution organization across product, engineering, design, data, and marketing while sustaining more than 50% year-over-year ARR growth over 24 months, contributing to the evaluation and integration of four acquisitions, and helping lead the company's expansion into behavioral health analytics. As CCO, he led a transformation of NeuroFlow's go-to-market strategy that grew pipeline fivefold to more than $50 million and lifted NPS to 80.
Earlier, Robert was Chief Marketing Officer and Payer Market President at NOCD, and held executive roles at Change Healthcare and McKesson Health Solutions, where he led the Value-Based Payment technology division and the acquisition and integration of PROMETHEUS Analytics. He was previously Chief Marketing Officer of HealthQX through its acquisition by McKesson for $30 million.
Robert holds an MBA in Marketing from Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School and a BA in Psychology with a minor in Business from Castleton University.
Kimberly Stanziani
Managing DirectorKimberly brings more than 20 years of recruiting and talent acquisition experience to Clearfield Partners, helping organizations build high-performing teams and solve complex hiring challenges. Her background spans technical, financial, corporate, retail sales, administrative, creative, and executive recruiting across corporate, agency, and consulting environments.
Before joining Clearfield Partners, Kimberly spent more than 11 years with K. Hovnanian® Homes, progressing from National Sales Recruiter to Recruiting Team Lead, where she supported large-scale recruiting initiatives across the homebuilding industry — including recruiting leadership, college recruiting, sourcing, and the development of effective hiring processes.
Earlier, Kimberly worked as an independent professional recruiter across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and national markets, and held talent and client management roles with TEEMA Solutions Group, recruitment consulting roles with Bryn Mawr Trust, and recruiting positions with CubeSmart and LA Weight Loss — where, as Recruiting Manager, she oversaw recruiting objectives across roughly 350 field locations. She began her career with Robert Half International, specializing in accounting and financial staffing.
Kimberly holds a B.S. in Finance from The College of New Jersey.
Chris Jones
Managing DirectorChris helps Clearfield Partners' clients accelerate growth through go-to-market strategy, business development, strategic partnerships, and revenue expansion. A seasoned sales and business development executive, he has a track record of driving multi-million-dollar revenue growth for early-stage, middle-market, and Fortune 500 companies across healthcare technology, SaaS, loyalty and CRM, financial services, and other enterprise markets.
Prior to Clearfield Partners, Chris was Vice President of Business Development at Astrata, the company's founding head of sales, building go-to-market, direct sales, and partnership strategy for first-to-market digital quality solutions serving health plans. Earlier, he spent nearly eight years at Clutch, rising to EVP of Business Development and opening new verticals including automotive, grocery, health and wellness, hospitality, and regional banking.
His healthcare technology experience runs deep: at McKesson Health Solutions he closed the largest provider management deal in company history, and at Portico Systems — joining as the company's first sales hire — his strategic accounts ultimately generated more than half of the company's revenue. He also led early go-to-market sales at Artisan Mobile and held sales leadership roles at EMC Corporation.
Chris holds a BA in Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.