OPEN MINDS Growth Continues Through Third Quarter; Announces 12 New Team Members
Gettysburg, Pa. (October 7, 2018) — OPEN MINDS, an award-winning information source, executive education provider, and consultation firm specializing in the complex health care markets, continued its recent expansion in the second half of the 2018 calendar year – the organization’s 30th year in operation. During the third quarter, OPEN MINDS added 12 new employees to its national team of senior associates, market analysts, and subject matter experts focused on the health and human service industry sectors serving complex consumers.The additions were specific to three divisions:
Consulting Practice:
Dale Anderson,M.B.A., Senior Associate
Daniel Dow, Senior Associate, Subject Matter Expert
David Wawrzynek, M.B.A., Senior Associate, Subject Matter Expert
Margaret Conner-Levin, M.S.W., Senior Associate
Ray Wolfe, J.D., Senior Associate
Robert Kreider, Senior Associate, Subject Matter Expert
William Wood, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Subject Matter Expert
Solution Development:
Monique Hales-Slaughter, Director
Market Research:
Colleen Christian, Market Research Assistant
Dennis Robinson, Market Research Assistant
Liam Moore, Market Research Assistant
Morgan Brennan, Market Research Assistant
Stacy DiStefano
“It’s been exciting to add new talent to all levels of our team this quarter.” remarked Stacy DiStefano, Chief Operating Officer at OPEN MINDS. “With new complexities in the market, we’ve experienced an increase in demand for strategic consulting and curated market intelligence. OPEN MINDS has a deep bench strength with the right mix of bright young professionals, seasoned executives and subject matter experts to best serve our clients.”
OPEN MINDS also released the team member biographies associated with each new addition to its consulting practice. A summary of each was provided in the third quarter announcement:
Dale Anderson, M.B.A., will serve as a Senior Associate on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. Mr. Anderson brings over 30 years of experience in executive management of health and human service organizations, working with new service line development, payer relations, strategic planning, business development, and training/education. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Anderson served as the Executive Vice President for Resources for Human Development (RHD) for over two decades, where he was responsible for overseeing RHD’s New England operations, managing all programs across five states, securing new contracts, developing payer relationships, overseeing the implementation of state regulations for licensing, as well as managing teams amassing over 800 employees.
Daniel Dow will serve as a Senior Associate and Subject Matter Expert on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. Mr. Dow brings over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, content creation, media relations, marketing campaign development and social media integration. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Dow served as the Director of Marketing for the International Institute for Restorative Practices. Some of his duties included directing ongoing efforts across all marketing platforms while ensuring brand consistency, supervision of all event sales and ecommerce staff to achieve successful metrics, and the development of an organic social media strategy, which resulted in a 51% increase in followers and an overall 212% increase in web traffic from social media sources.
David Wawrzynek, M.B.A., will serve as a Senior Associate and Subject Matter Expert on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. Mr. Wawrzynek brings more than 40 years of experience in public behavioral health to the OPEN MINDS team. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Wawrzynek served as the Senior Vice Present for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Spectrum Human Services in New York.
William Wood, Ph. D., will serve as a Senior Associate and Subject Matter Expert on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice, bringing over 30 years of senior leadership in public and private behavioral healthcare experience. Prior joining the OPEN MINDS team, Mr. Wood was the Managing Medical Director at Anthem, in Tennessee, where he was responsible for providing leadership for the Medical Behavioral Health division, specifically for Quality and Utilization Management for Medicaid and Medicare Programs.
Ray Wolfe, J.D., will serve as a Senior Associate on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. He brings over 40 years of experience in the health and human services sector to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Wolfe recently finished a 22-year tenure with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, acting as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. He was responsible for oversight of all system operations, strategic planning and performance management. Under his direction, Pittsburgh Mercy achieved over $850,000 in value-based reimbursement contract quality bonus awards, integrated three organizations through merger/acquisitions and adopted a new performance management program for managers.
Robert Kreider will serve as a Senior Associate and Subject Matter Expert on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. Mr. Kreider is famously known for his time as the CEO of Devereux, where he just recently ended a 23-year tenure. Recruited in 1994 during extreme financial trouble for the company, Mr. Kreider was able to bring Devereux to financial stability by the end of 1995. He was quickly hired as CFO and only four years later was named president and CEO. In the 23 years at Devereux, Mr. Kreider kept the company safe through economic turbulence and managed its safe expansion.
Margaret Conner-Levin, M.S.W., will serve as a Senior Associate on the OPEN MINDS consulting practice, bringing over 20 years of experience. She has held positions in a myriad of management settings, including: executive management, consultation, education, direct clinical work, as well as payer relations. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Conner-Levin served as the Chief Operating Officer of Archway Programs, where she successfully executed a turnaround initiative, generating and increasing a fiscal surplus for the first time in 10 years through program expansion.
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence and strategic advisory firm focused on the sectors of the health and human service field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. Founded in 1987 and based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the 175+ associates provide market insights and innovative management solutions designed to improve operational and strategic performance. Learn more at www.openminds.com.
