OUR STORY
Research-backed immigration documentation — purpose-driven since 2019.
ProfVal — a conjunction of Professional and Evaluations — was founded by Zachary Johnson, PhD, a former tenured professor and Associate Dean, whose personal experience with the U.S. immigration system shaped everything the company became.
He met his wife, Diana, while she was working in the United States on an employment visa. Navigating the immigration process together gave him firsthand insight into what talented international professionals face — and what the system needs to work well.
Image: Zach, Diana, and their son — whose story contributed to the founding of ProfVal.
THE STORY THAT LED TO PROFVAL
Built from a love story — and professional conviction.
As a professor and Associate Dean, I saw the challenges that my international students faced when trying to find employment in the United States.
At the same time, I had fallen in love with someone who was working in the U.S. through an employment visa. Until she became my wife, we had to learn how to navigate the immigration process ourselves. My goal in starting a company was to help people I cared deeply for.
ProfVal was borne from this — I wanted to use my skills as a researcher to help people who had stories just like the people I care about.
Zachary Johnson, PhD — Founder, ProfVal
In the years since its founding, ProfVal has evolved into a highly capable team that works tirelessly to develop services that support the work of immigration attorneys. Our team is motivated by the human stories behind each evaluation produced — dreams, aspirations, and in many cases, meaningful professional and personal relationships between a job candidate and a sponsoring employer.
Those stories are personal to the entire ProfVal team — and they align with a founding commitment to promoting equality of opportunity. That commitment isn't an arbitrary do-gooder concept. Doing this work effectively leads to a profound and tangible strengthening of the United States of America.
Attorneys regularly share that ProfVal's services lead to better outcomes for their clients. In turn, the clients ProfVal helps do remarkable things in the United States.
BY THE NUMBERS
Purpose-driven work since 2019
2019
Year founded
1,000+
Immigration attorneys served
200+
U.S.-based experts
95%
Of cases from returning clients
WHY THIS WORK MATTERS
When our clients succeed, the United States benefits.
In 1848, Horace Mann (pictured) described education as "the great equalizer of the conditions of men."
ProfVal believes that education and effort promote equality for men and women — but only if employment and educational opportunities are also equal for talented people.
Every petition we support is a step toward that.
Save lives and improve health
ProfVal works with talented nurses, doctors, and health professionals who have contributed to the health and wellbeing of communities across the United States.
Create jobs
Many clients require immigration business plans — their investments in the U.S. create new opportunities and jobs. On average, each approved H-1B petition leads to the creation of approximately 1.8 U.S. jobs.
Educate and produce new knowledge
Many clients are researchers, professors, and professionals of exceptional ability who bring their expertise to the United States — educating others and transferring knowledge through their work.
Strengthen U.S. companies
ProfVal has supported successful evaluations for Fortune 500 corporations, nonprofits, and small businesses — all strengthened by the contributions of talented people we help.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY & GIVING
Built on a greater purpose.
ProfVal was built on the belief that business and purpose are not in conflict. Making a difference is a structural part of how the company operates.
Profit giving
A portion of ProfVal's profits is donated to educational nonprofits — annually, as part of how the business operates.
Donation matching
ProfVal matches qualifying donations made by clients to educational nonprofits.
Nonprofit discounts
Registered nonprofits receive discounts on ProfVal's services.
Pledge 1% member since 2019 — a portion of every dollar goes to charity. Read more on Pledge1%
SELECT MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM
Some of the people behind ProfVal.
Each member of the ProfVal team shares two things: a genuine passion for promoting equality of opportunity — for the real people behind every petition — and a commitment to excellence in their work. Some of our team members are shown below.
Zachary J., PhD
Founder
Zachary Johnson, PhD is the founder of ProfVal and a former tenured professor and Associate Dean at an AACSB-accredited business school. His research in social responsibility, consumer psychology, branding, and business education — published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Brand Management, and others — combined with years of assessing students, evaluating faculty, and consulting with employers, created a natural foundation for ProfVal's work: evaluating professional qualifications, communicating expertise to non-specialist audiences, and understanding what makes a compelling case.
ProfVal was built with the goal of helping people, with minimal aspirations of growth. However, ProfVal grew quickly through word of mouth, as immigration attorneys found that their clients were more likely to succeed with ProfVal's services as compared to working with competitors. The firm's ethical and research-based foundation provided more compelling products.
Beyond ProfVal, Zach is co-founder of ImmiBlocks and a member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) New Jersey. He has served as a judge and co-manager of Adelphi University's annual Business Plan Competition, along with a similar competition for EO New Jersey. He is recognized as one of New Jersey's Innovate100, a listing of NJ's most innovating leaders sponsored by Rutgers University, Nokia Bell Labs, and Middlesex County NJ, among others.
His expertise has been cited in Zippia, U.S. News & World Report, MSN Money, Newsday, Pledge it Forward, the AACSB Blog, H1Bexpert.com, and Credit Donkey.
Federico H.
Advisor & Quality Control
Federico brings a unique perspective as a former ProfVal client — a paralegal and attorney who managed immigration cases at a Washington D.C. law firm before joining the team.
With a background in tax, civil, and corporate law from Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, he now reviews and adapts services across ProfVal and ImmiBlocks from the practitioner's point of view.
Katya M.
Account Coordination Lead & Intern Supervisor
Katya graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College with a degree in Writing. She joined ProfVal as a technical writing intern before growing into her current role coordinating accounts, supervising interns, and contributing to Expert Opinion Letters..
Her background spans publishing, journalism, technical writing, and marketing.
Maialen H., MBA
Business & Professional Plan Lead
Maialen manages ProfVal's business plan and professional plan practice, having supported over 1,000 cases.
She worked alongside Zach at Adelphi University's Business Plan Competition before joining ProfVal full time. A former semi-professional athlete, she brings discipline and precision to every engagement.
Katherine D., MA
Operations Design Advisor
atherine ensures client processes run smoothly across ProfVal's services.
She brings over a decade of experience managing global teams, marketing, and special projects — alongside experience as a co-founder of a retail startup. Her background in operations, project management, and process design keeps the team running efficiently.
Jaume G. O., MS
Business Advisor | Operational & Intake Lead
Jaume manages client flow and post-intake operations — ensuring that attorneys and petitioners move through the process smoothly from first contact to final delivery.
His background spans business strategy and international affairs, and he brings a firsthand understanding of what immigration documentation means to the people behind each case.
Diana S., MBA
Advisor
Diana brings nearly two decades of corporate consulting experience across supply chain transformation, strategic planning, and global operations — including roles as Partner and Vice President at Genpact, and a decade at Accenture. She is a co-founder of ImmiBlocks and continues to advise select companies and national governments in the semiconductor sector on strategy and supply chain resilience.