Lynn Morgan

Vice President

As the senior executive of Manheim Consulting, Morgan brings nearly 20 years of business management, sales, marketing, strategic alliance and enterprise start-up experience to her role. Prior to assuming the leadership of Manheim Consulting, she served as the executive director of the Manheim DRIVE (Development, Research, Innovation, Vision, Excellence) Center, a 145,000 sq. ft. "think tank" laboratory designed to serve all remarketing industry participants...

Morgan joined Manheim in 2004 after spending 14 years with Cox Enterprises, Manheim's parent company. Among her accomplishments is management of the 1996 Summer Olympics Games program for all Cox businesses, nationally and internationally. Morgan also developed and managed sales programs for all of Cox Enterprises' multiple businesses as director of sales development. In 1999, Morgan was named general manager of Cox Pro Sports and launched and managed the company's two professional sports teams -- the Atlanta Beat and the San Diego Spirit -- both members of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). Two years later, she was named president and CEO of WUSA and served in that position until joining Manheim.

Morgan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia.

Tom Webb

Chief Economist

With over 33 years of automotive experience, Webb is one of the most knowledgeable professionals in the remarketing industry. As Manheim Consulting’s chief economist, he is a primary industry source, providing insightful analysis of used car market activity based on data gathered from all of Manheim’s operating locations and associated businesses, as well as industry research. A summary of his findings is published annually in the Manheim Used Car Market Report, a document that has become an industry must-read.

In the fall of 2001, Webb introduced the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. By applying statistical analysis to Manheim’s database of over five million annual transactions, Webb developed a measure of used vehicle prices that is independent of underlying shifts in the characteristics of vehicles being sold. The Manheim Index is being increasingly recognized in industry circles as the premier indicator of pricing trends in the used vehicle market.

Prior to joining Manheim, Webb spent 26 years with the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) where he served as a spokesman and analyst for the nation’s franchised new car dealers. In 1999, Webb left NADA to become a senior manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ automotive practice. There, he developed measures to assess efficiency levels in the retail distribution of vehicles. He joined Manheim as Chief Economist in 2001.

Webb graduated with honors from the University of Wyoming where he majored in economics. He did his graduate work in economics at Georgetown University.

Consultants

Will Russell

Senior Consultant

Russell was a senior project manager at UPS for seven years. There he headed up engagements pertaining to business process improvement, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning.

As a Manheim senior consultant, Russell has led various engagements pertaining to operational efficiencies, distribution and logistics, as well as facility capacity and utilization models. He is a certified professional facilitator and specializes in helping clients develop strategic frameworks within their enterprise.

Russell has a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in project management. He holds certifications as a Six Sigma Green Belt from Villanova University and a Certified Project Manager from George Washington University.

Erik Kibler

Senior Consultant

In his position as a Manheim senior consultant, Kibler provides a number of key consulting services including custom analytics, market research, and sales performance benchmarking. These studies are used by Manheim Consulting clients to improve their remarketing performance.

Previously, Kibler was with the Manheim marketing department as manager of national account marketing. Prior to joining Manheim, he spent four years developing and executing marketing and operational programs for Nelson Automotive. He was responsible for spearheading a variety of supporting initiatives, including media placement, market research, process efficiency programs, and promotional campaign development.

Kibler holds a bachelor’s degree from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in management information systems from Oklahoma State University.

Business Strategy & Analytics

Charisse Chisolm Wilson

Director of Strategic Planning

Wilson has 13 years of combined expertise in strategic planning. She specializes in launching new business units, new products, and new services and also specializes in developing new market opportunities. Wilson spent several years in the telecommunications industry, honing her skills in product commercialization, strategic planning, business process redesign, and operations management.

Wilson joined Manheim Consulting after leaving ChoicePoint, where she was assistant vice president of strategic marketing and business development. She also served there as director of market strategy and performance improvement. In addition, Wilson has held positions with BellSouth Telecommunications as business development manager for its Strategic Management Unit where she helped oversee a product portfolio valued at $160 million in annual revenue.

Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley as well as a Master of Science in Management degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Maralee Sobotka

Director of Business Analytics

After serving for four years as controller of Manheim’s Kansas City Auto Auction and nine years in Manheim’s corporate office as director of operations and systems analysis, Sobotka joined Manheim Consulting. In her past positions, she was instrumental in the development of the company’s initial corporate reporting tools, leading to early capabilities in business analytics. Sobotka also led the design of a Manheim “smart” database by developing business logic over a pre-existing database that allowed for timely access to information linked to business decision making.

Sobotka is a Certified Public Accountant, with five years of public accounting experience in developing business plans, evaluating tax strategies, and performing extensive governmental auditing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting degree from the University of Nebraska and her Master of Business Administration degree from Baker University in Kansas.

Patrick Keating

Manager of Manheim Market Report

For 14 years, Keating was the publisher of the Manheim Market Report, a daily compilation of all transactions from Manheim auctions and, as such, a critical pricing guide for all remarketers. In his hands-on position, Keating became extremely familiar with the vast amount of data that can be effectively analyzed to reveal market trends and provide strategic insights to usedvehicle remarketers. As a part of Manheim Consulting, Keating is focusing on expanding the scope of information Manheim collects on each of the six-million-plus vehicles it registers each year. This ever-growing database is an invaluable Intelligent Remarketing tool.

Before joining Manheim, Keating had a distinguished career in publishing and brings particular skills in general management, sales, and editing.

Keating has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and did graduate work at Loyola Law School and Harvard Business School.

Research & Communications

George Largay

Director of Communications

Extensive automotive industry experience gained over a 36-year career gives Largay an invaluable understanding of marketplace dynamics. He worked for five years with the Lincoln Mercury division of Ford; 12 years in vehicle purchasing and marketing with National Car Rental; and six years with Wheels as manager of marketing and advertising and, later, as assistant vice president of vehicle purchasing and manufacturer relations.

Largay spent seven years in the auction industry with ADT Automotive and became Manheim’s Director of Communications when ADT was acquired by Manheim in October 2000. He has held numerous leadership positions with the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association as well as the National Auto Auction Association.

Largay has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a Master in Business Administration in Marketing degree from the University of Chicago. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force as a Captain after receiving the Bronze Star for meritorious service in Vietnam.

Lauren Colburn

Research Analyst

As a research analyst with Manheim Consulting, Colburn specializes in tracking industry trends and compiling competitive intelligence. She analyzes Manheim customer, auction, and consignor data primarily for internal clients and is the key researcher for the Manheim Used Car Market Report, assembling all chart data and fact checking all information for accuracy and source reliability.

Colburn joined Manheim in 2001 after a 20-year career with Cox Enterprises’ newspaper division. Most recently, she served as the newspapers’ technology liaison/database training coordinator. In this position, Colburn was responsible for managing all aspects of documentation, quality control, and design testing.

Colburn graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University with a double major. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Analysts

Jennifer Taylor

Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Taylor has had extensive experience in several important areas: data mining and problem solving, decision support modeling, graphical user interface development, and conflict resolution. In addition, she has worked as an analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and as a financial analyst in forensic accounting with W&W Consulting.

Taylor has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with concentrations in finance and decision and information analysis from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. She was named the Most Outstanding Student in Decision & Information Analysis Degree.

Nirmeet Kacheria

Areas of expertise for Kacheria include operations management, supply chain management, and data and decision analysis. Before joining Manheim Consulting, he took extensive graduate course work at Georgia Tech in statistical analysis and managerial and financial accounting. Kacheria has worked on numerous projects that call for the application of process/ continuous improvement techniques that significantly impact the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. His experience also includes time study and analysis of purchasing processes, location allocation modeling, as well as work in strategic economics, economic decision analysis, theoretical statistics, applied statistical models, and more. Kacheria is a Global Logistics Scholar who has studied the warehouse, distribution center, and manufacturing facilities of various corporations including Honda, FedEx, UPS, and Wal-Mart.

Kacheria holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Nirma Institute of Technology in India and a Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.

Wei Xu

Xu concentrates on studying data, discovering trends, and providing analytical insights. For more than ten years, Xu worked in various data analysis positions, including for the Ministry of Finance in China. There she worked closely with the International Monetary Fund, providing and analyzing Chinese government financial statistics. In 2003, she joined Manheim and recently brought her skills to Manheim Consulting.

Xu has a Master of Science in Mathematics degree with a concentration in statistics from Georgia State University and a Master of Science in Economics degree from the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, China.

Ying Wang

Wang’s area of expertise is in statistical analysis, utilizing statistical optimization and simulation techniques. She has a strong IT background in database design, database programming, and data mining. Prior to joining Manheim Consulting, Wang interned at BellSouth where she developed an inhouse supply chain inventory optimization model.

Other experience includes simulation modeling for Norfolk Southern and the development of a commercial warehouse system for a logistics company in China.

Wang holds a Doctorate in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.

Nancy Hill

With nearly seven years of concentrated experience in the remarketing industry, Hill has extensive expertise in auction operations, database management and mining, as well as report designing and analysis. She has worked with Manheim on numerous projects, including the conversion of over 60,000 auction-level seller numbers into a universal system. This project greatly increased the data integrity of Manheim’s commercial accounts. In addition, Hill was involved in designing the cost piece of an automation tool used to determine auction expense per vehicle registered by a customer.

Hill obtained a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Georgia.

Karen M. Coleman

As an analyst for AUTOFACTS, now a part of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and as an analyst with Philips Lighting, Coleman brings over 14 years of experience to her position at Manheim Consulting. She has also worked in a number of sales, operations, and marketing roles for Nissan North America. Most recently, Coleman was in sales as a Business Development Specialist with Manheim.

Coleman has a bachelor’s degree in communications and business from the University of Scranton.