Management Team
RepairPal is comprised of many talented and dedicated individuals. Our team of more than two dozen automotive professionals, all ASE certified and factory-trained technicians and parts specialists, has a combined 500 years of professional experience across all major car makes. Our team also includes talented software engineers, writers, designers, marketers, and analysts.
Leading the team is a group of experienced entrepreneurs:
David Sturtz
Co-Founder & CEO
As CEO, David is responsible for RepairPal’s strategy, business development, and operations. Prior to founding RepairPal, David founded a successful investment fund and worked as a technology research analyst on Wall Street. He has also held product marketing and strategy positions at several technology firms. David has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MS in Engineering from Stanford University, where he was also a PhD candidate. He has worked on cars for twenty-five years, including the Porsche he enjoys driving on local tracks.
David Esser
Co-Founder & CTO
David Esser is the Chief Technology Officer for RepairPal. David brings over twelve years of Internet and start-up leadership to the company. David has successfully launched eleven Internet products - six consumer Web sites and five business software applications. A serial entrepreneur, David is also the co-founder of DBO2 (acquired by Industrial Scientific Corp.), where he was CTO and VP of Operations. He earned a BA from Stanford University. David built his first racecar, a Porsche, when he was seventeen years old.
Aaron Tavistock
Vice President of Engineering
With over fifteen years of software development experience, Aaron Tavistock leads the development team for RepairPal. Prior to RepairPal, Aaron spent seven years at ZipRealty (Nasdaq: ZIPR), most recently as Chief Architect. Aaron is an expert in several programming languages, network infrastructure, and systems security. He is the co-author of two noted books on Java development including Essential JSP for Web Developers and Core JSP.
Matt Ellinwood
Co-Founder & Director of Product Management
Matt Ellinwood is responsible for the collection and maintenance of RepairPal’s data and content. Matt has significant experience managing a variety of technology projects, solution implementations, and product launches. Prior to RepairPal, Matt led a team of thirty-five in support of an enterprise-class content management system at AT&T. Matt holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Barbara Gnos
Director of Marketing
With over ten years of direct response marketing expertise, Barbara leads customer acquisition, customer communications, and strategic partnership efforts for the company. Prior to RepairPal, Barbara provided strategic marketing consulting for internet startups. Barbara also ran marketing for the contemporary art division of Art.com and held a variety of marketing leadership roles at Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO). Barbara holds a BA and an MBA from UCLA.