Employee Spotlight: JB Coles, Head of Business Operations and Strategy, and Avid Surfer!

What’s your title/role at BrightInsight? 

Head of Business Operations (BizOps) and Strategy

Can you share a bit of background on yourself?

I’m a Bay Area native currently living in Oakland, CA. I joined BrightInsight when it was a strategic initiative within Flex and was so sold on the mission and team that I’ve stayed ever since. Prior to my career in Strategy and Operations, I was a Systems Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, CA working on system and mission design and operations. I hold an MBA and SM in Engineering Systems from MIT, and BS and MS in Electrical Engineering and Photonics from UC San Diego.

What is your favorite food?

Popcorn, not the movie theater kind.

Where is your favorite place on earth?

Honolulu, HI for the family, food, and ocean.

Which of BrightInsight’s Values most resonates with you and why?

Passionate about transforming care and patient outcomes.

The potential to drive dramatic positive change in the patient experience at scale is the reason I work at BrightInsight. At the core, I’m still an engineer with a natural leaning toward user-centered design and design thinking, ultimately concerned with how the cool new tech will improve the world. Placing an emphasis on the impact our work will have on the ultimate end-user, the patient, keeps me motivated and focused on the right priorities in my day-to-day: from mundane daily tasks to high visibility initiatives!

What is your favorite part about working at BrightInsight?

I’m so refreshed that values actually matter here. I’ve seen so many values statements that read more like an advertisement than a guiding set of principles and framework for decision making within a company, but that isn’t the case here. Our values were formed through a focused, collaborative effort of the full team, and they’re constantly reflected on whether in all company events like BI Week, or as the underpinnings of strategic plans. I love that we also hire to these values, ensuring our BI culture is consistent where it counts, yet diverse wherever possible as we continue to grow!

What are your hobbies outside of work?

I’m a father to a 2-year-old son, so anything he’s currently exploring instantly becomes my hobby as well. This currently includes running down the steepest hills we can find, picking up garbage with his trucks, and cooking breakfast on the weekends. When I take time for myself, I’m usually trying to cook (and eat) something new, running the trails to various Bay Area peaks, or longing for another beach trip on a good surf day.