Why Würk

Deborah Saneman

Chief Executive Officer

Deborah Saneman is the Chief Executive Officer at Würk, the leading Human Capital Management (HCM) platform tailored for the cannabis industry. With over 25 years of experience in business operations, payroll, compliance, and strategic leadership, Deborah is passionate about building efficient, people-first organizations. She thrives on working alongside teams to identify challenges, implement solutions, and drive meaningful change.

Before being appointed CEO, Deborah served as Chief Operating Officer at Würk, where she played a pivotal role in scaling operations, strengthening internal processes, and ensuring cannabis businesses had access to workforce management solutions that prioritize compliance and efficiency. Since joining Würk, she has been deeply focused on enhancing product development, ensuring that the company’s technology and services continue to evolve to meet the unique needs of the cannabis industry. Her leadership has been instrumental in helping the company navigate the complexities of the highly regulated cannabis space, while delivering tailored HR solutions that empower businesses to succeed.

Prior to Würk, Deborah spent 27 years at Kelly Benefits Payroll (formerly known as Kelly & Associates Insurance Group, Inc.), where she rose through the ranks to become Chief Operating Officer, a role she held for over 15 years. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and past President of the Independent Payroll Providers Association, she also chaired the Business Excellence Conference in 2020, further demonstrating her commitment to advancing best practices in payroll and human capital management.

Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Salisbury University and a Health and Life Insurance license. As CEO of Würk, she remains dedicated to creating a positive, ethical, and forward-thinking workplace while expanding the company’s ability to support cannabis businesses with compliant, industry-specific HR solutions. Under her leadership, Würk continues to grow, evolve, and champion the needs of cannabis employers, ensuring they can navigate challenges with confidence and focus on building thriving businesses.

Outside of work, Deborah has been married for 30 years and has three children.

Navin Thawani

Managing Partner & Chief Financial Officer

Navin Thawani serves as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Partner at Würk, where he leads the company’s financial strategy, growth planning, and capital structure. A seasoned investor and operator, Navin brings over 15 years of experience across investment banking, equity derivatives, and private equity, with a focus on high-growth companies in technology and regulated industries.

As a Principal at Foundry Capital, Navin has been instrumental in guiding Würk’s trajectory as one of the fastest-growing software companies in the U.S.—helping secure its #73 spot on the Inc. 5000 list with 4,580% three-year growth. In addition to his role at Würk, Navin holds board and leadership positions across several Foundry portfolio companies, advising on capital deployment, operational scale, and long-term value creation.

Prior to joining Foundry, Navin held front-office roles on the equity derivatives desks at Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital in both New York and London. His ability to synthesize complex financial data, navigate global markets, and lead teams through high-pressure environments now fuels his work in scaling disruptive companies like Würk.

Navin earned his M.B.A. from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, where he served as President of the MBA Student Government Association. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Delaware. He currently serves on the Georgetown McDonough Alumni Advisory Council and is a member of YPO New York Polaris.

Known for his analytical rigor, strategic foresight, and collaborative leadership style, Navin plays a critical role in ensuring Würk’s continued financial health, investor alignment, and scalable growth in the complex cannabis payroll and HCM ecosystem. He resides in New York City.

Karen Davis

Chief Customer Officer

Karen Davis is the Chief Customer Officer at Würk, where she leads the company’s Customer Success, Support, and Onboarding functions with a sharp focus on client satisfaction, retention, and long-term partnership growth. A results-driven executive with more than 20 years of experience in SaaS, HR technology, and enterprise services, Karen has built her career around solving complex business challenges and transforming client relationships into strategic growth opportunities.

Since joining Würk in 2019, Karen has built and scaled the company’s customer success infrastructure to support the unique and fast-evolving needs of the cannabis industry. Under her leadership, Würk’s client experience has become a powerful differentiator—delivering consistently high retention rates and driving revenue expansion within the existing customer base.

Prior to Würk, Karen held executive roles at Reed Group, where she led client services and account management teams, secured 96% client retention, and consistently expanded revenue from existing accounts by double digits quarter over quarter. She also brings experience from earlier leadership roles at DoubleClick and in multiple HR and benefits-focused startups, where she honed her expertise in service delivery, engagement strategy, and change management.

Karen’s leadership style blends energy, empathy, and efficiency. She thrives on turning around difficult customer situations, mentoring high-performing teams, and building the operational backbone needed to scale customer-facing organizations. Her philosophy is simple: No problem is too big to solve, and no client is too far gone to save.

Karen earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Florida State University and participated in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea global education program. She brings a global perspective and relentless customer focus to everything she does—and remains passionate about helping clients succeed in even the most complex and regulated industries.

Melissa Erb

General Counsel

Melissa Erb is Würk’s General Counsel and a seasoned corporate attorney with more than 20 years of experience providing legal counsel across payroll, benefits, insurance, and healthcare industries. Since joining Würk in 2022, Melissa has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s legal strategy and operations—first as Director of Legal and now as General Counsel.

Melissa is entrusted with safeguarding Würk’s legal interests, managing risk, and ensuring compliance with a complex and evolving regulatory landscape. Her leadership touches every part of the organization, from commercial contracts and corporate governance to product compliance and operational oversight. Known for her proactive, solutions-driven approach, Melissa collaborates across departments to help achieve business objectives responsibly and efficiently.

Prior to Würk, Melissa served as Vice President of Corporate Compliance at Kelly & Associates Insurance Group and held legal leadership roles at KELLY Benefit Strategies and Hanover Hospital. In each role, she established strong compliance infrastructures and served as a strategic advisor to executive teams navigating change, regulation, and growth.

Melissa earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Mount St. Mary’s University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three daughters and remains committed to ethical excellence, clear communication, and empowering organizations through informed legal guidance.

Jennifer Meadows

Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Meadows serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Würk, the leading Human Capital Management (HCM) company tailored for the cannabis industry. Since joining Würk in 2020, Jennifer has leveraged over three decades of experience in business development, operations management, and leadership to drive the company’s growth and operational excellence.

Prior to her appointment as COO in June 2023, Jennifer excelled as Director of Operations at Würk, where she developed a team of implementation experts to support the company’s expansion objectives. Before entering the cannabis sector, she managed HCM Support teams across various industries and software providers, honing her expertise in streamlining operations and enhancing client services.

In her role as COO, Jennifer is responsible for leading processes across the organization, developing business strategies, and executing the company’s goals. She oversees the implementations, product, tax, money movement, and operations teams, ensuring that Würk continues to provide essential services to cannabis operators, including industry-specific human resources foundations and reliable payroll solutions.

Jennifer’s extensive HCM systems experience and dedication to operational excellence make her a pivotal leader in advancing Würk’s mission to support the unique needs of the cannabis industry.

Dan Obendorfer

Director of Product

Dan Obendorfer is the Director of Product at Würk. He brings over two decades of product leadership experience across healthcare, workforce management, and SaaS industries. As Director of Product at Würk, he leads the strategy and execution of data-driven solutions that empower clients with actionable insights—most recently advancing WurkForce Analytics with embedded AI capabilities via Microsoft Copilot.

Prior to joining Würk, Dan led business intelligence product strategy at UKG, where he managed cross-functional teams delivering analytics solutions to over 6,000 customers, processing more than 50 million reports monthly. His work laid the foundation for UKG’s next-generation data ecosystem on Google Cloud.

Earlier in his career, Dan shaped product portfolios at Truveris, Kyruus, and athenahealth—scaling BI platforms and aligning data products with customer-centric outcomes. He’s known for building high-performing teams, developing innovative analytics frameworks, and translating complex data challenges into business value.

Dan is passionate about bringing clarity and transparency to the HR, payroll, and healthcare technology spaces. Whether leading agile product teams or mentoring future leaders, he combines strategic vision with a hands-on approach to building platforms that scale.

Jillian DeHerrera

Director of Sales

Jillian DeHerrera is the Director of Sales at Würk, a leading human capital management platform tailored for the cannabis industry. Based in Denver, Colorado, she brings a dynamic blend of sales leadership, industry-specific expertise, and a passion for workforce solutions that empower cannabis businesses to thrive.

Jillian joined Würk in 2019 and has since held roles including Mid-Market Account Executive, Sales Manager, and Senior Sales Manager before stepping into her current leadership position. In her role, she oversees sales strategy and team development, focusing on delivering comprehensive solutions—from applicant tracking and onboarding to payroll and compliance—that support cannabis companies from hire to retire.

She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a focus on Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. Jillian is known for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to fostering team cohesion.

With a strong track record in enterprise SaaS sales and a deep understanding of the cannabis sector’s unique challenges, Jillian continues to drive growth and innovation at Würk, helping clients navigate the complexities of workforce management in a rapidly evolving industry