Strategy and growth leader for Blaze Health, a clinical joint venture between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and North Memorial Health.

Thrilled to partner with Dan Goleman, Michele Nevarez and team to launch Dan Goleman's EI Coaching Certification program in 2018 with the first cohort of 50 coaches from around the world.

Based on more than 20 years of leadership experience providing vision and implementation roadmaps to spur the development, growth and innovative partnerships of leading healthcare organizations, I provide strategic assessment, insight, and executive coaching in three critical areas – business strategy, people strategy and patient experience.

Co-authored two chapters in American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) James A. Hamilton Book of the Year Award winner, Advancing Relationship-Based Cultures.

STRATEGIC PEOPLE PRACTICES: Concurrent responsibility for directing Park Nicollet HR strategy and operations in addition to strategy and growth leadership responsibility. Oversaw team of 80 HR professionals, employee sponsored retirement account, and self-funded health plan with multimillion-dollar annual spend.POST MERGER CULTURE INTEGRATION: Member of senior team responsible for accelerating culture integration between Park Nicollet and HealthPartners

HealthPartners, 2013-2015Park Nicollet, 2008-2013STRATEGIC PLANNING: Developed and launched an integrated strategic and operational planning process to drive integration, financial efficiency, growth and development. Created and led an analytics and business development team that ushered in a growth-focused culture.MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS: Led merger strategic analysis for Park Nicollet and facilitated many dimensions of the Park Nicollet - HealthPartners merger. Most recently led growth strategy team for newly merged HealthParterns.STRATEGIC, ORGANIC GROWTH: Directed leadership team in developing a strategic growth plan that transformed five years of new patient decline into four consecutive years of growth (2010-2014), including a 15% increase in commercial patients within the first two years. The plan drove ambulatory growth, launching three de novo primary care clinics, a $50M ambulatory specialty center and a new replacement clinic in a growing market. The plan, launched in 2010, continues to be used as a growth roadmap today.STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: Built relationships with outside groups to create the optimal continuum of patient care and service, including: partnerships with Target Corporation and UnitedHealth Group to create onsite well-being clinics for their employees, partnership with online diagnostic and treatment portal, Virtuwell, to offer patients a more affordable and convenient option for routine care needs.

INNOVATION & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: Initiated and led Lean process improvement implementation across surgery services line, the inaugural area for lean implementation at Park Nicollet. Coverage extended across all surgery clinics and inpatient/ambulatory operating rooms, which encompassed 600 staff members, 125 surgeons, and a $280M annual operating budget. Conducted 100 rapid process improvement workshops (RPIWs), 55 inventory control workshops and 30 creative design workshops. Sample results: Reduced errors in instrument processing by 80%; eliminated 85,000 instruments from monthly processing.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS & RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Reversed declining volume of patient referrals from independent physicians to Methodist Hospital by proactively building and cultivating physician relationships. Result: Delivered 10% surgical growth within a two-year period. Also had operational leadership responsibility for Rehab Services, a $45M-dollar service with 300 staff members, encompassing the areas of Physical /Occupational /Speech Therapy and PM&R physician clinic.INNOVATION: Was key developer of TRIA Orthopedic Center, a first of its kind, innovative orthopedic surgery, clinic and rehab facility.

In addition to leading national market and competitor analyses and assisting with enterprise planning process, was selected to lead the operational and strategic planning process for internal clients, including Pathology/Laboratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Mayo Clinic Administration.

One of three candidates selected, out of hundreds of applicants, for this two-year program designed around eight different rotations across a variety of areas within Mayo. Highlights included serving as Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Mayo Medical School, and Interim Leader of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center.