Copart's Executive Management Team
Jeff Liaw
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Liaw has served as CEO and a member of the board of directors of Copart since April 2024. He served as Co-CEO from March 2022 to April 2024. Jeff joined Copart in 2016 as CFO, and additionally served as President of the company from 2019-2022. Prior to Copart, Jeff served as the CFO of Fleetpride, the largest independent distributor of aftermarket truck parts in the U.S., which was owned by TPG Capital, where he was a principal investor overseeing private equity investments in the financial services and industrial sectors. Jeff earned his MBA from Harvard Business School with highest distinction as a Baker Scholar, Siebel Scholar, and co-president of his class, and received his bachelor’s degrees at the University of Texas at Austin in Finance in the Business Honors Program, and in Plan II Liberal Arts. He serves on the Development Board for the University of Texas at Austin, the President’s Advisory Board at UT Southwestern, and the Board of Directors of the Tate Lecture Series at Southern Methodist University.
David Kang
Chief Marketing and Analytics Officer
David Kang leads Copart’s product, marketing, and analytics functions, including strategic analytics, data science, digital marketing, brand, communications, member services, and global member development as well as leading our Cash for Cars business. David has extensive experience in marketing, product and data analytics, serving most recently as SVP, Data Insights as well as CMO and Head of Product, Consumer Auto Finance, at Capital One. Prior to Capital One he held various leadership positions at McKinsey & Company, supporting clients across the firm’s Travel, Transportation and Logistics practice. David holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in statistics from Harvard University.
Paul Kirkpatrick
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Paul leads Copart’s legal department and helps guide the company in all legal matters, including in the areas of corporate law, commercial contracts, real estate, compliance, litigation, and government affairs. Paul has extensive experience as a general counsel and chief legal officer, most recently at BayoTech, Inc., Omnitracs (including through its recent acquisition by Solera Global Holdings), and a decade at Commercial Metals Company, a Fortune 500 NYSE listed company. Kirkpatrick holds a law degree from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s degree in History from Baylor University. Paul joined Copart in 2022.
Steve Powers
Chief Business Development Officer
Steve Powers leads Copart’s real estate acquisition and facility development teams, as well as initiatives to drive growth across Copart’s complementary lines of business, including Purple Wave and National Powersport Auctions (NPA).
Steve began his career with Copart over 40 years ago, most recently serving as the company’s COO, a role in which he led major initiatives such as real estate acquisition and development, catastrophic event response and the development of our logistics fleet. Prior to his role as COO, Steve was VP of Operations for Copart’s Eastern Division.
Rama Prasad
Chief Technology Officer
Rama Prasad was appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in 2014, and brought more than 10 years of executive experience in the technology space. Previously, Prasad served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Gogo Inc. He also worked in various technology roles at companies like Orbitz, US Cellular, Ameritech (AT& T), and Sprint. He is a graduate of the Executive Management Program at Northwestern University, and holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Missouri – Rolla and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Osmania University
Leah Stearns
Chief Financial Officer
Leah Stearns, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Copart leads Copart’s finance and accounting functions to help enable the company’s continuing profitable growth. She is a seasoned Fortune 500 executive, serving most recently as chief financial officer of CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments, and previously in financial and operational leadership roles at American Tower. She holds an MBA from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. Leah joined Copart in 2022.
Rob Vannuccini
Chief Sales Officer
Rob Vannuccini, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) of Copart, leads one of the top sales teams in the automotive remarketing industry. Before he was appointed as CSO in 2010, he held many positions at Copart since joining in 1994, including Vice President of National Accounts and Midwest Regional Account Manager. He brought vast experience and leadership skills he gained as the Midwest Regional Manager of NER Auction Systems and the Assistant Vice President of Fleet Financial Group. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University.
Hessel Verhage
Chief Operating Officer
Hessel Verhage leads Copart’s operations across more than 200 locations, optimizing processes and technology to ensure excellent service for Copart’s sellers and members. Hessel brings extensive operational leadership experience to Copart. Most recently, he served as an executive at DB Schenker, where he led their global contract logistics operations. Hessel is a veteran of the US Army and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from East Carolina University.
