ABOUT US

At Ginger, we’re creating a world where mental health is never an obstacle.

We’re reinventing mental healthcare by coupling data science and virtual delivery to provide immediate, personal support for anyone.

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Behind
our name

When Ginger co-founder and COO, Karan Singh, was young, his mother would brew him ginger tea when she could sense that he was about to get sick. A preventative health remedy that originates from Southeast Asia, the ginger root is commonly used at the first sign of illness, before things get worse.

Similar to this approach, the Ginger system takes a preventative approach to mental health, addressing issues before they evolve into greater challenges and providing support anywhere, at any time. By bringing the power of on-demand mental health support to hundreds of thousands of people globally, we continue to advance our mission of creating a world where mental health is never an obstacle.

Our founding story

Ginger was founded in 2011 by a team of entrepreneurs and data scientists at the MIT Media Lab who sought to build the world’s first mental health technology platform. Through smartphone-based technology, the platform was designed to identify patterns of anxiety, stress and depression, and alert patients and their healthcare providers to deliver care.

For co-founder and COO, Karan Singh, this journey had deep personal ties. After learning of a loved one’s suicide attempt, Singh committed to reinventing the way mental healthcare is delivered around the world.

As Ginger grew, the team realized the enormous potential to further improve mental health outcomes, evolving from selling its insights into healthcare providers, to becoming one. By combining high-quality, human care with data science and augmented intelligence, the team at Ginger created an entirely new platform for the delivery of mental healthcare, on-demand. Today, Ginger reaches millions of people around the world in 50 countries through its partnerships with employers and health plans.

Executive Leadership Team

Russell Glass
CEO
Russell Glass
CEO
Russ is CEO at Ginger, where he leads the company with his experience as a technology entrepreneur and a passion for digital mental health, strategy, and building great cultures. Prior to Ginger, Russ led products for the marketing solutions group at LinkedIn. He is the founder and former CEO and president of Bizo, a B2B marketing and data platform, which he sold to LinkedIn in 2014. While at Bizo, Russ co-authored The Big Data-Driven Business, a guide on how big data can lead to better decision making in business. He serves on the board of Rock the Vote, where he focuses on using his experience with technology, data science, and branding tactics to increase engagement and turnout among young voters. He is also the author of the children’s book Voting with a Porpoise. Russ has a BSE in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Duke University.
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Leslie Witt
Chief Product & Design Officer
Leslie Witt
Chief Product & Design Officer
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Christine Hsu Evans
Chief Marketing Officer
Christine Hsu Evans
Chief Marketing Officer
As the Chief Marketing Officer at Ginger, Christine leads marketing, communications, and growth strategy for the company. Prior to Ginger, she spent four years at Fitbit leading marketing and communications for the Health Solutions division; prior to that, she led enterprise marketing at Castlight Health. She spent the first part of her career in the fashion industry, bringing new products to market for such brands as Swiss Army, Macy’s and Ann Taylor. Christine is a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment in the workplace; she received her BS from Cornell University and MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
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Karan Singh
Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer
Karan Singh
Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer
Karan is the co-founder and COO of Ginger, where he leads the company’s clinical operations and strategy. He has over 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry, consulting with bio-pharma clients, commercializing data analytics, and establishing research partnerships with academic medical centers. A leader in the digital health community, Karan is a frequent speaker about entrepreneurship, health innovation and new models of care. Karan has served as a scholar at the Aspen Institute, delivered keynotes at the Public Health Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health, and was recognized as a rising star in healthcare by LinkedIn's Next Wave. Karan has a BA and BS in Economics and Business Administration from UC Berkeley and an MBA from MIT Sloan, with a fellowship in entrepreneurship from the MIT Legatum Center for Development. Karan also attended the Harvard Medical School / MIT Health, Science & Technology program.
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Dana Udall, PhD
Chief Clinical Officer
Dana Udall, PhD
Chief Clinical Officer
As Chief Clinical Officer at Ginger, Dana oversees coaching, therapy and psychiatry to ensure clinical excellence in a multidisciplinary, collaborative model. She has spent the last two decades helping individuals and groups make positive and enduring changes in their lives. Dana worked in a wide range of settings before coming to Ginger, including residential treatment centers, intensive outpatient programs, university counseling centers, and private practice. At the cornerstone of Dana’s work is her belief in the power of relationships to help people heal and grow. She is a licensed Psychologist with a PhD from the University of Southern California and Pre- and Post-Doctoral training from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Alex Boisvert
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Boisvert
Chief Technology Officer
Alex is Chief Technology Officer at Ginger, where he drives engineering initiatives across the company. He has led world-class engineering teams and delivered ground-breaking products at companies such as LinkedIn, Bizo and Intalio. With more than 20 years of industry experience, Alex has held core engineering, engineering management, project leadership and product development positions. He has experience in infrastructure, application servers, databases and transaction processing, and web/distributed/cloud systems. Alex holds a MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Sherbrooke and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
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Katie DiPerna
SVP, Partnerships
Katie DiPerna
SVP, Partnerships
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Patrick Lytle
General Counsel
Patrick Lytle
General Counsel
Patrick leads the legal function at Ginger. He has 12 years of experience counseling businesses on commercial, product and compliance issues, along with risk management and corporate strategy. Prior to Ginger, Patrick served as primary counsel for Fitbit's enterprise sales division, helping it launch new services across the globe while growing to $100M in revenue. Earlier in his career, Patrick served as in-house attorney at Google and an associate at Parton Sell Rhoades. Patrick has a BA from Saint Mary's College and a JD from Golden Gate University School of Law.
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Sean Brecker
CFO
Sean Brecker
CFO
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Jodi Bryant
Chief Commercial Officer
Jodi Bryant
Chief Commercial Officer
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Wizdom Powell
Chief Purpose Officer
Wizdom Powell
Chief Purpose Officer
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Board of  Directors

Russell Glass
CEO
Russell Glass
CEO
Russ is CEO at Ginger, where he leads the company with his experience as a technology entrepreneur and a passion for digital mental health, strategy, and building great cultures. Prior to Ginger, Russ led products for the marketing solutions group at LinkedIn. He is the founder and former CEO and president of Bizo, a B2B marketing and data platform, which he sold to LinkedIn in 2014. While at Bizo, Russ co-authored The Big Data-Driven Business, a guide on how big data can lead to better decision making in business. He serves on the board of Rock the Vote, where he focuses on using his experience with technology, data science, and branding tactics to increase engagement and turnout among young voters. He is also the author of the children’s book Voting with a Porpoise. Russ has a BSE in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from Duke University.
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Julia Cheek
Founder and CEO, EverlyWell
Julia Cheek
Founder and CEO, EverlyWell
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Molly Coye
Executive-in-Residence, AVIA and independent board member
Molly Coye
Executive-in-Residence, AVIA and independent board member
Molly Joel Coye, MD is the founder and former CEO of HealthTech, a non-profit organization that became the premier forecast of emerging technologies in healthcare. She’s also served as Chief Innovation Officer for UCLA Health, she is currently Executive in Residence at AVIA and served as a member of the board of directors of Aetna, Inc. During her medical education at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Coye became passionate about providing cost-effective strategies for underserved communities. She followed that inspiration to influence both public and private sectors, serving in key positions such as the Commissioner of Health for the State of New Jersey and Director of the California Department of Health Services, as well as holding leadership roles at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and PATH. As a member of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Coye chaired the Committee on Access to Insurance for Children and was also a founding board member of The California Endowment, the largest private healthcare philanthropy in the state.
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David ibnAle
Advance Venture Partners
David ibnAle
Advance Venture Partners
David ibnAle is a Founding Partner of Advance Venture Partners (AVP), an investment firm built in partnership with Advance, a family-owned holdingcompany with a diversified portfolio of exceptional media and technology companies. David has over twenty years of experience investing in enterprise and consumer technology companies and currently sits on the boards of high-growth software companies such as Affinity, PebblePost and Morning Consult.
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Ram Jagannath
Blackstone Growth and Tactical Opportunities
Ram Jagannath
Blackstone Growth and Tactical Opportunities
Ram Jagannath is the Head of Healthcare for Blackstone Growth and Tactical Opportunities, based in New York. He is a member of the Blackstone Growth Investment Committee. Since joining Blackstone in 2019, Mr. Jagannath has led Blackstone’s investments in HealthEdge, Burgess Group, Bright Health, Cryoport (NASDAQ: CYRX), ZO Skin Health, Altruista Health, Ginger and Hydrogen Health, and was involved in Blackstone’s investments in Alnylam/inclisiran royalty (NASDAQ: ALNY) and Precision Medicine Group. Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Jagannath was a founding Partner of Navab Capital Partners (NCP), where he was Head of Healthcare and a member of NCP’s Management and Investment Committees. Prior to NCP, he was a Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, focused on healthcare investments in Carlyle’s flagship US Buyout private equity fund. During his twelve years at Carlyle, Mr. Jagannath was a member of the teams which invested in One Medical Group (NASDAQ: ONEM), Pharmaceutical Product Development (NASDAQ: PPD), X-Chem (GHO Capital), Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (NASDAQ: OCDX), Healthscope Ltd. (ASX: HSO), and HCR ManorCare (NYSE: HCP/ProMedica). Previously, he worked at Genstar Capital and Thomas Weisel Capital Partners. Mr. Jagannath currently serves on the Board of Directors of HealthEdge, Cryoport, ZO Skin Health, Ginger and Hydrogen Health. He also serves on the Board of Visitors of the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering and on the Kellogg School of Management Private Equity Advisory Council, as well as on the Board of Directors of Centering Healthcare Institute. Mr. Jagannath was previously a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Jagannath received a B.S.E. in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering with a minor in Economics from Duke University, a J.D. from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and an M.B.A. from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. After Duke, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Economic Development at the University of Zagreb in Croatia.
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Myrna Soto
Board Director, Spirit Airlines, TriNet, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
Myrna Soto
Board Director, Spirit Airlines, TriNet, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico
Myrna Soto is the Chief Strategy and Trust Officer for Forcepoint, a global cybersecurity technology company. Myrna has nearly 30 years of IT and cybersecurity experience, holding executive and senior leadership positions at Digital Hands, ForgePoint Capital, Comcast, MGM Resorts International, American Express, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Kemper Insurance. She currently serves on the boards of CMS Energy/Consumers Energy (NYSE: CMS), Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE), and Popular Inc (NASDAQ: BPOP), and is recognized as a Governance and Board Leadership Fellow by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Myrna has been recognized by dozens of internet security, diversity and female leadership awards, including SC Magazine’s Top 10 Power Players for Women in Security, CNET’s Top 20 Most Influential Technology Latinos and ALPFA’s 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Business.
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Ben Spero
Partner, Spectrum Equity
Ben Spero
Partner, Spectrum Equity
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Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President - Civic Engagement, Obama Foundation
Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President - Civic Engagement, Obama Foundation
Michael Strautmanis serves as the Obama Foundation’s Executive Vice President for Civic Engagement, building its strategy to extend President and Mrs. Obama’s legacy through the development of the Obama Presidential Center and civic engagement programming in Chicago. Through community affairs, government relations, and strategic partnerships, Michael has built the Foundation's impact agenda in Chicago to create an anchor institution that will catalyze economic renewal on the South Side of Chicago and develop the city’s next generation of leaders. In this role, he is in dialogue with Chicagoans from every walk of life who are looking to learn more about the Obama Presidential Center and participate in the Foundation’s mission to empower leaders to give back to their communities. Michael also leads the My Brother's Keeper Alliance, President Obama's signature initiative to create safe, healthy, and nurturing communities for boys and young men of color across the nation. Before joining the Obama Foundation, Michael spent over a decade in Washington, D.C., working to increase access to economic opportunity, strengthen the judicial system, and champion equity and inclusion in the White House, federal agencies, and Congress. He served in the Obama White House for four of those years as Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. After President Obama’s first term, he joined the Walt Disney Company where he led an enterprise-wide initiative to consolidate, focus, and deepen the impact of Disney’s corporate social responsibility programs. Michael began his career in government working in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He did stints at the House of Representatives and American Association for Justice before joining then-Senator Obama’s congressional staff, campaign, and subsequent transition team. An active member of Chicago’s civic community, Michael serves on the boards of Everside Health, Inc., the Lyric Opera of Chicago, City Year Chicago, the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, and the Billie Jean King Leadership Institute. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
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Cecilia Muñoz
Senior Advisor, at New America
Cecilia Muñoz
Senior Advisor, at New America
Cecilia is a national leader in public policy and public interest technology with over three decades of experience in the non-profit sector and eight years of service on former President Barack Obama’s senior team. In addition to her years of public policy and civil service experience, she is also the author of the award-winning book, “More Than Ready: Be Strong and Be You...and Other Lessons for Women of Color on the Rise,” which shares insights from her career as well as the careers of other notable women of color. She spent two decades at the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, where she won a MacArthur Fellowship for her work on immigration and civil rights. The first Latino to lead the White House Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia currently serves as a Senior Advisor at New America in Washington, D.C., and on the boards of several foundations and nonprofit organizations.
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Ginger for
Organizations

Ginger offers organizations high-quality, low-cost, on-demand mental healthcare for every employee.

Ginger for
Members

Ginger offers members convenient, confidential, affordable mental health services for every moment.