Executive Bios

Joseph Sforzo, President
Joseph Sforzo is the founder, President and CEO of CertFocus. As founder, Mr. Sforzo implanted many of the core values of the company that remain today. Creating an environment for the most talented staff, CertFocus is now the première leader in SaaS-based Certificate of Insurance and related document management to the Fortune 500 and leading public sector organizations.

In 1999, Mr. Sforzo developed a patented web-based secure process for executing surety bonds. This system, Surety2000, is used on a daily basis by virtually every major firm in the industry, including both brokerages and sureties. Within the business plan for Surety2000 was CertFocus; which has now grown to be the world’s leading Certificate tracking and management solution.

A graduate of Hofstra University holding a BBA in Finance, Mr. Sforzo is a quarterly guest speaker at Columbia University's Construction Management and Engineering Program.

Lisa Deatherage, Chief Operations Officer
Lisa joined Surety2000 in June of 2000 as Regional Manager and quickly became Vice President of Operations. Since joining the organization, she has worked to introduce the electronic surety process to the industry by working closely with government agencies and the insurance industry to develop standards for acceptance. Her strong customer service background and over 14 years of insurance experience have directly contributed to the success of Surety2000 and the increasing acceptance of the process.

In 2005, Lisa worked directly with programmers to develop the CertFocus system. Upon completion of the initial design she worked closely with clients to evaluate the program and make necessary changes to the original design. In 2008, she successfully launched the upgraded product and has worked closely with clients to ensure success and understanding of the product. In her current role as Chief Operations Officer of CertFocus, Lisa has complete responsibility for customer service, quality assurance, data processing, training and product development.

Lisa is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with a BSBM in Business Management and a BSM in Marketing, and she is often a guest speaker on topics related to the Surety industry and Certificate management issues.