Tim Sotos is Chairman of the Board of Clinical Reference Laboratory. He has been Chairman of the Board since 1995 and has been with CRL for over 25 years. He holds a B.S. in Economics and an M.B.A., both from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.

Robert Thompson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Clinical Reference Laboratory. Prior to joining CRL, Robert was the CEO of Emerge Diagnostics, a company focusing on its proprietary soft tissue management EFA-STM program, based on its own electrodiagnostic instrument. Prior to that, Robert spent 11 years as the CEO of eScreen as it grew into the largest provider of employment-related medical services in the country, including drug testing and pre-employment physicals. Previous experience includes roles as CEO of Orasure Technologies and CFO and COO of LabOne. Robert earned his MBA from Harvard and a BSE from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

T.J. Sotos is the Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Reference Laboratory. TJ has been with the company since 2008, serving in numerous roles in the areas of accounting/finance, supply chain, laboratory operations, customer operations, and sales and marketing. He is responsible for overseeing the core operating functions of the company, which include laboratory operations, supply chain management, facilities, and customer experience. TJ holds a BBA in Business Administration and an MBA, both from Southern Methodist University.

Dr. Fehling has been with CRL since 2008 and is a certified High Complexity Laboratory Director by the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB). Dr. Fehling serves as the Laboratory Director for CRL’s Molecular Diagnostics/Esoteric Laboratory. More broadly, Dr. Fehling provides scientific leadership across all business units at CRL with her extensive experience in laboratory management, new assay development, and business development. Prior to CRL she served as the Director of the Genomics Laboratory at Children’s Mercy Hospital, and the Director of Genomics at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Dr. Fehling earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Texas A&M University. In addition to her HCLD certification, Dr. Fehling is a certified Technical Supervisor in Molecular Diagnostics and a Clinical Consultant by the American Board of Bioanalysis (ABB).

Stephen Nixon is the Chief Financial Officer of Clinical Reference Laboratory and has over 17 years of accounting and finance experience. Prior to CRL, he was with Tyr Energy, serving as their lead accountant. Prior to Tyr Energy, Stephen was with KPMG, where he served as an audit Senior Manager, leading SEC registrant and private company audits. Stephen is a certified public accountant and holds a B.S. and a Masters in Accountancy from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dan Pichler is the Chief Information Officer of Clinical Reference Laboratory. Dan is an IT innovative career technology leader with over 25 years of leadership experience delivering creative, business-driven outcomes and value-driven solutions. He has proven leadership experience ranging from evaluating and implementing technologies, building and migrating data centers, partnering with business executives, building and executing aligned strategies, and achieving organizational objectives and goals by leveraging IT capabilities. Dan has both an MBA and a Masters of Information Systems Management.

Brian Coens leads CRL’s Insurer Services business unit, which focuses on providing risk assessment services to life and other insurance companies. He has been with CRL since 1988 and has more than 25 years of experience in the life insurance industry, specifically in risk assessment and laboratory services. Brian was also instrumental in the founding of CRL PLUS, which is CRL’s affiliate that provides underwriting automation and services to life insurance clients. Brian holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Wichita State University.

James Sotos is the Vice President of Wellness and CRL Plus. He brings 10 years of experience across diverse roles, which include leading accounting, supply chain and various operational teams. He previously served as the Chief Business Officer of FormFox, Inc., a leading digital platform for safety sensitive industries. James holds a BBA in finance from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from the University of Kansas.

Valerie Pounders joined CRL in 2022 and is the Vice President of Human Resources. In this role, she offers strategic guidance related to talent acquisition, total rewards, employee relations, workers’ compensation, and other personnel-related matters. With nearly 20 years combined prior experience as Vice President of Human Resources with Liberty Hospital and various HR & management roles with Walgreens, Valerie provides expertise in team engagement, program development, and change management. Valerie earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and holds her SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications.

Mark Magee has been with CRL since 1983 and has served as a CRL Vice President since 1988. He oversees CRL’s general laboratory operations, including the areas of chemistry, hematology, serology and urinalysis. Prior to joining CRL, he served as an Assistant Director at Enzyme Technology. Mark holds an MBA and a Masters in Physiology from the University of Kansas. He has a B.S. in Cellular Biology from the University of Kansas.

Dr. Scott serves as Scientific Director for CRL’s Toxicology Laboratory where she oversees the confirmation and research and development departments. Dr. Scott has been with CRL since 2017 and is board certified in Forensic Drug Toxicology by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology. She is a Responsible Person for CRL’s HHS-Certified laboratory and an inspector for the SAMHSA and CAP forensic drug testing programs. Dr. Scott earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Evansville and a Ph.D. in Bioanalytical Chemistry from the University of Kansas.

Michael Winkler is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Clinical Reference Laboratory. He oversees all legal and compliance functions for the company. During his legal career, Michael has practiced law as an in-house lawyer for both publicly traded and privately held companies and at large law firms. In addition to his legal credentials, Michael is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP). Michael holds a Juris Doctorate, Master of Accountancy, and Bachelor of Accountancy all from the University of Oklahoma.

Jonathan Oberg is CRL’s Vice President of Digital Innovation & Strategy. Jonathan has helped companies solve their unique business problems via CRL’s services since 1989, serving in a number of IT-related roles and as a VP since 2007. Jonathan earned his MBA from the University of Kansas, and presently focuses on leveraging CRL’s lab & digital expertise in partnership with key clients to transform business processes.

Spencer Nelson returned to CRL in 2024 as the Executive Director of Supply Chain and Operations Strategy. He brings over 10 years of experience leading supply chain and operations functions within the military and civilian sectors. Spencer holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas and an MBA from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. 

Brett Oswald serves as the Senior Director of Toxicology/RP and as an NLCP Responsible Person. He has been with CRL since 1998, bringing over 25 years of Toxicology industry experience to the organization. He also is an inspector for the SAMHSA and CAP Forensic drug-testing programs. Brett holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri- Kansas City and Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Benedictine College.