Willow Creek Kennels & Hunting is a progressive dog training kennel and breeder of German Shorthaired Pointers located near Little Falls, MN. Willow Creek is currently owned and managed by Chad & Tracy Hines. Visit willowcreekkennels.net for more information.•Operational & Strategic Leadership: Direct all facets of a leading Midwest kennel known for excellence in dog training and breeding. Managing regulatory compliance, state and association inspections and staff management. Develop and execute business strategies that have established the kennel as an industry leader, attracting national and international clients.•Financial Stewardship: Manage comprehensive financial tasks, including bookkeeping, budgeting, tax compliance, and financial statement preparation. Manage payroll, bill payments, and insurance procurement, while strategically planning for capital expenditures to promote financial stability and growth.•Human Resources Leadership: Oversee all HR operations, including recruitment, payroll and performance evaluations, establishment and management of retirement plan, boosting employee retention and financial well-being for a team of 5 full-time employees•Innovative Operations: Collaboratively implement innovative techniques and health practices, continuously adapting and refining operations to enhance the well-being and performance of our animals, demonstrating a proactive and innovative approach to business optimization.

•Improvement and Change Management: Played a key role in designing and deploying the Quality Leadership Academy across multiple not-for-profit healthcare systems, employing a cohort-based, collaborative model involving physicians, senior leadership, and frontline staff. Focused on the development and instruction of improvement methodologies based on Lean and Six Sigma principles.•Training and Leadership Development: Provided extensive training, mentorship, and coaching to physicians, executives, and team leaders, enhancing their strategic capabilities and proficiency with improvement tools and data analytics.•Strategic Consulting: Collaborated with senior leadership to develop strategic performance roadmaps and redesign organizational quality structures. Evaluated and optimized the enterprise functions and competencies of analytic and performance improvement personnel, supporting strategic steering committee functions and advancing value-based delivery.•Project Management: Led the project management for the system-wide redesign of care management functions, managing cross-functional teams to streamline processes and enhance coordination across diverse healthcare environments. This initiative significantly improved patient care continuity and operational efficiency.•Data Governance Support: Assisted in establishing a data governance framework, contributing to guidelines for data usage and report requests. Supported the creation of a streamlined process and a comprehensive data catalog for managerial and staff access.•Training, education, mentoring, coaching, capability development, capacity development •Population Health•Patient experience •Healthcare data analytics and measurement •Speaking, presenting, lecturing

•Strategic Program Leadership: Spearheaded the design and deployment of a continuous improvement program leveraging Lean/Six Sigma methodologies. Established organizational systems to foster a culture of continuous improvement and support effective change management.•Innovative Training Initiatives: Instituted a 'train the trainer' model to empower project leaders, enhancing their capability to independently drive projects through various improvement phases. Led training programs for staff at all levels, including senior leadership. Provided ongoing coaching and support, focusing on leadership development and cross-functional collaboration across service areas including business, operational, and clinical settings.•Impactful Project Management: Directed a series of successful projects, achieving over $300K in savings within the first 15 months, and managed a significant $270K grant for training programs aimed at building internal Lean capabilities.•Data-Driven Systems Development: Developed and implemented a system-wide dashboard and performance measurement system, enabling real-time performance tracking and data-driven decision-making.•Quality and Safety Strategy Enhancements: Contributed to the restructuring of quality systems to better align with organizational strategy, patient safety and value, leading to improved healthcare outcomes and compliance with safety standards.

•Project Leadership and Execution: Developed and executed comprehensive work plans for process improvement initiatives, collaborating closely with senior executives. •Strategic Process Reengineering: Led the reengineering of emergency department processes leading to significant improvements in patient flow and service quality.•Performance Improvement initiatives: Successfully guided performance improvement, process redesign, and change management activities, utilizing advanced project management skills coupled with Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.•Quantifiable Outcomes: Achieved notable results including a 100% increase in medication delivery efficiency, improved pharmacy and nursing staff satisfaction, decreased length of stay (LOS), and reduced infection rates. Additionally, initiatives led to increased effectiveness in communication and higher engagement levels across departments.

• Administrative Fellow for Main Line Health under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer and the Vice President for Planning and Business Development; designed and implemented a fellowship structure to increase national participation of top-ranked graduate programs• Functioned as Operational Engineer at Lankenau Hospital under the direction of hospital President and served as a member of the Executive Management team during major performance improvement initiatives• Utilized Six Sigma methodology within the Nursing-Pharmacy interface at Lankenau Hospital, which resulted in a significant improvement in efficiency, communication and interdepartmental satisfaction• Evaluated compliance as a member of a Super Tracer Team, analyzing system processes for clinical care• Participant in executive meetings, staff meetings, clinical meetings, and Board of Directors meetings• Served as organization expert in “Green” practices including LEED certification, waste management, and eco-friendly purchasing practices• Analyzed corporate meeting schedule of 20 Senior Vice Presidents and led implementation of organizational effectiveness plan• Completed as-needed projects in the corporate nursing office under direction of the Chief Nursing Officer• Completed active rotations with all business units and Senior Executives at Main Line Health System• Researched and completed a proposed business plan for an international patient program

•Revenue Cycle Enhancements for Infusion Therapy•Exposure and participation in high-level organizational meetings