# John Priore

> John Priore is a co-founder and former CEO of Priority, now known as Priority Commerce. He led the payments business from August 2005 to December 2018, served as vice chairman through March 2021, and remained a director until his retirement effective April 1, 2025. His earlier career included American Express, First Data, NOVA and Ingenico.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO of Priority Commerce; retired from its board effective April 1, 2025
- **Organizations:** Priority Commerce / Priority Technology Holdings / Priority Payment Systems, Ingenico, NOVA, First Data, American Express, Electronic Transactions Association (historical board service), Technology Association of Georgia (reported membership), Alpharetta Technology Commission (legacy member)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in communications, University of Rhode Island
- **Known for:** Co-founded Priority in 2005 and served as CEO for approximately thirteen years., Led the company through its 2014 merger with Cynergy Data and its 2018 entry into the public markets., Priority received the Electronic Transactions Association’s ISO of the Year award in 2013 during his CEO tenure.

## Career timeline

- **1987** — University of Rhode Island graduating class of 1987.
- **Before 2005** — Held roles at American Express, First Data and NOVA; served as executive vice president of Financial Systems at Ingenico. Exact dates and sequence are not established.
- **2005** — Co-founded Priority with five other industry professionals; began serving as CEO in August.
- **2014** — Continued as president and CEO after Priority combined with Cynergy Data.
- **2015** — Led Priority when it acquired ACCPC, adding more than 9,000 merchant accounts.
- **2018** — Priority entered the public markets; John transitioned from CEO to vice chairman in December, with Tom Priore becoming CEO.
- **2021** — Vice-chairman tenure ended in March; continued as a director.
- **2025** — Retirement from the board announced February 27, effective April 1.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Priority in 2005 and served as CEO for approximately thirteen years.
- Led the company through its 2014 merger with Cynergy Data and its 2018 entry into the public markets.
- Priority received the Electronic Transactions Association’s ISO of the Year award in 2013 during his CEO tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Priority announced John’s planned board retirement and Clayton Main’s appointment, both effective April 1, 2025.
- **2025-04** — Retired from Priority’s board effective April 1; he is no longer listed on the company’s current board page.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-v-priore-54001310

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-priore
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20