Rick Russell
President and CEO
American Medical ID

Rick Russell founded American Medical ID in 1995 to create and provide stylish medical identification jewelry to meet the need of people's everyday lifestyle.  As an active CEO, Mr. Russell provides leadership, vision and direction for American Medical ID.  This leadership has elevated American Medical ID as the leading provider of medical ID jewelry and a key participant in the personal health record industry.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Russell spent over a decade in the pharmaceutical industry with Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline gaining knowledge and insight to chronic diseases and allergies.

Mr. Russell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.  He resides in Houston, Texas.

William "Billy" Raines
Chief Information Officer
American Medical ID

Billy Raines joined American Medical ID in 2007 to lead the company's information systems and technology development.  He also oversees the Houston headquarters' facilities management.

Prior to joining American Medical ID, Mr. Raines served as the president of Raines Consulting, offering technology automation solutions for the medical industry.  During his 28-year career, he has also worked extensively in information systems development for the logistics and petrochemical industries, most recently at Eagle Global Logistics and Daniel Industries.

Mr. Raines holds a degree in electronics from Lamar University.  He resides in Houston, Texas.

Cyndee Smith
Vice President, Operations
American Medical ID

Cyndee Smith oversees American Medical ID's operations including Customer Service, Quality Control, Production and Shipping.  Ms. Smith joined American Medical ID in 1996 just after its inception to assist in forming the business structure and operations.

Prior to joining American Medical ID, she served in the healthcare industry in various capacities at US Marketing & Research and at Home Health.

A native of Houston, Ms. Smith studied nursing and management at the University of Houston.

Dirk Van Slyke
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
American Medical ID

Dirk Van Slyke joined American Medical ID in 2006 after serving as a company consultant for two years.  With nearly 20 years of experience, Mr. Van Slyke leads the company's advertising, marketing, public relations, sales and direct marketing initiatives.

Mr. Van Slyke honed his marketing and creative skills at global firms The Richards Group and GSD&M, where he spent 11 years leading client relationships such as Doubletree Hotels, PGA TOUR, 7-Eleven and Continental Airlines.  Later he started his own marketing consulting firm focusing on brand management and corporate positioning for clients including the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.  In this capacity, he also consulted for the high profile healthcare project Steps to a Healthier US for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A strong community volunteer, Mr. Van Slyke is a co-founder of the Texas Promise Fund, which provides college scholarships and mentoring to at-risk youth.  He has also served as a board member or advisory board member for various philanthropic entities including Caritas Austin, Humane Society, Mental Health Association of Texas and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

He is a frequent speaker, lecturer and instructor at the University of Texas at Austin (College of Communication, McCombs School of Business), Southern Methodist University and The American Marketing Association.  Mr. Van Slyke has a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.  He resides in Austin, Texas.

Matthew B. Padon
Director of Sales
American Medical ID

Matthew Padon joined American Medical ID in 2007 to initiate new relationships for the company's affiliate partnership program.  Mr. Padon focuses on key verticals to expand American Medical ID's products and services including pharmacies, hospitals, corporations and insurance companies.

Prior to joining American Medical ID, Mr. Padon served as a global accounts manager at PolyDyne Software.  Additionally, he spent five years at EDS managing a supply chain project for a major oil company.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Padon served in various capacities at PetroCosm Corporation and Boise Cascade Office Products where he created the Boise Technology team to serve select Texas and Louisiana markets generating the highest revenue of all new technology locations.

Mr. Padon holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas at Austin and attended the University of Houston College of Business.  Mr. Padon resides in Austin, Texas.

Liz Gabel
Director of Interactive Marketing
American Medical ID

Liz Gabel joined American Medical ID in 2000.  She oversees all aspects of the American Medical ID Web site www.IdentifyYourself.com such as Web site sales, content and updates as well as monitors search engine optimization and Web site traffic.

Ms. Gabel began her career in the banking industry at Bank United as a Business and Personal Banker.  In this capacity, she also served as the Spanish speaking liason for the Houston branch's new accounts and loans.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Minor in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.  A Texas native, Ms. Gabel now resides outside of Harrisburg, PA.