Chief Executive Officer

Sherri Turpin is CEO of ZVRS and Purple Communications (ZP), a leading provider of communications solutions, including video relay technology and interpretation services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. She is a signatory to CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She serves as board member for the New York School for the Deaf, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Foundation and Avita Pharmacy. Under Sherri, ZP has been recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion (2020, 2021), earning a score of 100% on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), an initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability: IN. One of few hearing CEOs proficient in American Sign Language, Sherri is among the bold social impact leaders today, advocating to advance equity and inclusion for the deaf community. She is deeply committed to bringing increased awareness of communication access and equity, and the power and value of the deaf and hard of hearing community – all for greater inclusion and well-being in the workplace and beyond. Sherri previously served as EarthLink’s Channel Chief responsible for all aspects of the company’s indirect distribution channel, including full profit and loss, sales and revenue growth, and EBITDA contribution. Sherri also served as Executive in Residence for Kinderhook Industries and with XO Communications in varying leadership roles. She has been recognized with several awards for her leadership and innovation, including the CRN Women of the Channel/Circle of Excellence. She has been featured in prominent media including The Hill, Forbes, the Austin Business Journal and Medium’s Inspirational Women Leaders of Tech and was selected to present at SXSW 2022 on “Big Bold, Brave Ideas for a More Inclusive World.”

Chief Information Officer

Bill joined ZVRS in 2017 where he is responsible for technology strategy, architecture, operations, governance, and product development. He is a recognized enterprise change agent and business leader, known for developing a strategic vision and executing business transformation initiatives.
 
Prior to joining Z, Bill was Chief Security Officer for EarthLink.  In addition to his role as CSO, Bill served EarthLink as Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Engineering, and Vice President of IT Development where he led multiple global initiatives that were instrumental to EarthLink’s successful transformation to a hosted technology and telecommunications services provider. 

Bill earned his degree in Computer Science from Florida Atlantic University. As a licensed ship’s captain, Bill enjoys boats, and he along with his family are involved in the community and supporting local animal shelters.

Chief Marketing and Experience Officer

Chris has been a member of the ZVRS Executive team since 2007, where he oversaw multiple teams, including marketing, sales, Enterprise solutions, field operations and customer experience. He brings over 25 years of management experience to ZVRS and is a nationally recognized leader in organizational management and board development. Chris served as president of the National Association of the Deaf, a civil rights organization for Deaf and hard of hearing Americans from 2012 to 2016, as well as Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Board of Trustees and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Foundation Board.
 
Chris received his degree in Social Work from Rochester Institute of Technology and his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Colorado State University. During his free time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family on the Florida beaches and is working toward his goal to build a retreat cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains.

Vice President, Application Systems, Product and PMO

Driven, results oriented executive with a proven ability to develop highly productive cross functional teams. Successfully identified, planned, developed, and executed the product roadmap, resulting in several new products in the marketplace. Uniquely skilled in business process vision, identifying and streamlining “white spaces” between individual functional processes. Understands symbiotic relationship between IT and operational organization, delivering value through innovation and profitable growth. Analytical thinker from big picture concepts down to finely-tuned execution. Pragmatic approach in addressing operational issues that affect value of effort or revenue potential

Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York College at Oswego.

Chief Technology Officer

Zarko holds a 20-year professional career in technology, which does not include the years he spent reverse engineering anything within reach going all the way back to his first toy.

The past ten years of his career have been spent in the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) and Video Relay Services (VRS) industry holding a variety of technical and managerial positions from overseeing the Network Operations Center, to heading System Architecture, and most recently leading the Development and Test teams.
 
Zarko enjoys leading a team of talented and passionate engineers through success but even more so through the challenges where his leadership and out of the box thinking provides the highest value to the team and product development.  He thrives in the ability to get into the bits and bytes of a technical problem and promote business strategy and technical deliverables that optimize the customer experience. Zarko enjoys the outdoor California lifestyle with his wife and two children. 

Chief Administrative Officer

Caryn joined the Z family in 2015, and brings over 20 years of experience in the Telecommunications industry. Prior to ZVRS, she worked with Earthlink for 10+ years supporting various leadership roles in different areas of the telecommunications industry-including Operations, Service Delivery, Account Management and Sales Support.  
 
As Chief Administrative Officer, Caryn oversees the administration of company policies, procedures and quality assurance and leads Human Resources and Marketing. Since joining ZVRS, Caryn has learned American Sign Language. Caryn relocated from Florida to Rocklin, CA and in her free time enjoys exploring with her husband Cleveland, all that the west coast has to offer in nature, music and art.

Executive Services Administrator to the Office of the CEO

Kama joined the ZVRS family in 2013 and has worked in the profession of interpreting for over 17 years. Prior to joining ZVRS, Kama was a staff interpreter at Arizona State University. She is a nationally certified interpreter and brings experience in leadership and interpreting in the business, education, community and video relay service industry. She previously served as an Operations Manager responsible for ZVRS Video Interpreters; recruiting, hiring and managing all activities related to operations.  As the Executive Services Administrator to the Office of the CEO, Kama works closely with Sherri Turpin and the Executive Team. Kama is a child of deaf adults (CODA) and enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.

Chief Legal Officer

Greg joined ZVRS in 2016 following his position as the Chief of Disability Rights at the Federal Communications Commission. He was responsible for administering a wide array of disability rulemaking proceedings and policy matters, including advancements of relay service and various issues on accessibility of communication technologies.
 
Greg holds a BA in Government from Gallaudet University and a JD from Hofstra University School of Law. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Lexington School for the Deaf and Center as well as Gallaudet University. He is known for his leadership role during the Deaf President Now movement at Gallaudet University in 1988. Greg lives in Ellicott City, MD with his wife, Charmaine and four children. Greg manages to make time out of his busy schedule to enjoy traveling with his family- camping and scuba diving, and attending as the #1 fan at his kids’ sports games/concerts.

Vice President, Inside Sales

Tim joined ZVRS in 2006 and has enjoyed a 20+ career combining his love for advocacy with business. He comes from four generations of deaf family members and is known for his leadership and support of Deaf President Now (DPN). Prior to joining ZVRS, he worked with Communication Services for the Deaf (CSD) as vice president supporting community interpreting and video relay services. He currently leads residential sales with focus on expanding access for deaf people nationwide through video services.
 
Tim received his B.S. degree in Government from Gallaudet and began his first career as a staff assistant advising Senator John McCain on disability and ADA issues. During his leisure time, he enjoys cooking, navigating the waters and traveling internationally. Tim along with his wife Brandi and their four children reside in Austin, TX.

Vice President, Residential Sales

Norman joined the leadership team in 2018 where he is responsible for leading and supporting a nationwide sales team. With over 10+ years in VRS industry, he has a track record of successfully leading teams through strategic planning initiatives to drive maximization on revenue, productivity and execution. Prior to his current role, Norman worked with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Resources Analyst. 

Norman holds his B.A. degree from Gallaudet University in Communication Studies. When not on the computer or videophone, Norman and his family enjoy adventures especially traveling, camping, and exploring nature. He currently lives in Roseville, CA with his wife and two children.

Vice President, Product Strategy and Innovation

In his position with ZVRS, Phil focuses on the next “big thing” in communication technology for deaf and hard of hearing people.  He helped pioneer the development of CSD’s (Communication Service for the Deaf) video relay service.  He previously served as president and chief executive officer of the National Captioning Institute and worked for IBM for nearly 25 years in a variety of technical, management and marketing positions.
 
Phil holds a bachelor’s degree from Gallaudet University. He has served on Gallaudet University Board of Trustees for over 20 years, serving as chairman from 1988–1994. He is also a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University.  He and his wife Judy reside in Chester, Vermont and take every minute to spend time with their children and grandchildren as well as traveling, snowshoeing and hiking. 

Chief Operations Officer, VI Operations

Fran joined the Purple Communications team in 2008 and brings extensive experience in Operations Management, Business Development and Project Management.  Fran is a collaborative executive leader who is driven by her commitment to service and passion to provide growth opportunities for her team through education, program offerings and director mentoring.  Fran currently leads Video Relay Services, Video Remote Interpreting, Community & CART operations along with Community Business Development and Sales.
 
Prior to joining Purple Communications, Fran spent over 20 years in senior and executive positions in the health care, pharmacy and hospice industry.  Fran holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from St. Mary’s College.  Fran and her family who reside in Alamo, CA dedicate their time in supporting organizations such as Catholic Charities, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Down Syndrome Connection.  When not participating in community efforts, they enjoy concerts, theater and traveling.

Vice President, VI Operations

Greg has been with Purple Communications since the inception of the company.  Prior to his tenure with Purple, Greg served as the Director of Virginia Operations for Purple legacy company Sign Language Associates.  In addition, Greg taught in the ASL and Interpreter Preparation Program at Reynolds Community College and served in variety of leadership roles with Virginia RID and RID Region Two.   Greg embraces a leadership philosophy of “Keep moving forward,” seeking opportunities to advance interpreters as they commit to connecting people across cultures, languages, and experiences.
 
Greg has more than 28 years of professional interpreting experience after having been raised in the Deaf and interpreting communities.   He holds a degree in Linguistics from Virginia Commonwealth University and has studied extensively with Dr. Carol Patrie and her Effective Interpreting Series.  Greg currently lives outside of Richmond, Virginia with Ben, his partner of 25 plus years.  Most weekends you can find the two of them out picking furniture and décor for their mid-century modern antique business.