About | Spero Institute

About Our Team

At Spero Institute, we're proud to have assembled a team of diverse, highly skilled professionals who are not just experts in their respective fields but also share a deep commitment to revolutionizing mental healthcare. Our team's unique blend of experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship, data science, technology, and beyond positions us at the forefront of innovative mental health solutions

CEO

Dana Pierce

With a background in entrepreneurship and mental health advocacy, Dana brings invaluable insights into the healthcare system's gaps and needs. Her visionary leadership is the driving force behind Spero's mission to streamline and enhance mental health services.

COO

Johanne Xiong

Johanne's diverse experience across multiple industries and global markets equips her with a unique perspective on business development and operational excellence. Her expertise is pivotal in steering Spero's strategic growth and operational efficiency.

Senior Technical Advisor

Khalid Ashraf

His Ph.D. in EECS from UC Berkeley, the founding of DeepScale and Semion, and expertise in developing scalable and efficient healthcare technology systems and high-performance computation and deep learning applications make him an invaluable asset in advancing our telemedicine capabilities.

Advisory Board

Christian Del’Aune

As the Founding CTO of Better Life Partners, a virtual behavioral health and addiction treatment provider, his technological expertise, innovative thinking, and a track record of successful business exits are valuable to shaping the company's technical strategy.

Advisory Board

Parshva Bavishi

He brings experience in technology, mental healthcare, and social impact-focused business strategy to Spero Institute. He has a proven record for scaling non-profits in roles at The Headstrong Project, Older Adult Technology Services, and Society for Science. As a 2022 Presidential Scholar via The Bush Institute, he demonstrated a passion for improving digital literacy for marginalized groups.

Clinical Consultant Therapist

Kate Haznaw

As an LCSW, with experience in acute psychiatric care and teletherapy, Kate's insight helps us solve the shortcomings of current teletherapy options and recreate the collaborative clinical environments needed for intensive treatment. She enriches our product development with a trauma-informed perspective, and her expertise in evidence-based modalities like ACT and CBT has been instrumental in developing features for effective crisis management and behavior tracking.

Advisory Board

Flory Siedel

With a Psy.D and MBA Flory has a unique perspective of the core problem Spero is solving and a keen understanding of the target market. His experience in cyber security governance at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center adds knowledge of data security and expertise in handling electronic health records.