Strategic consulting
Meet our consultants
(they can’t wait to meet you)
Organized. Data-driven. Reliable. Press Ganey Consulting partners to solve your biggest challenges and improve the overall Human Experience. We help you move insight to action and action to execution across consumer, patient, member, and employee experience. Our Partners lead best-in-class talent matched with proven process to hit your goals.

Aaron Fausz, Ph.D
Senior Manager

Aaron Fausz, Ph.D
Senior Manager
Aaron leads engagements for the Payer solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to find and fill the gaps in their organization and their teams, and get patients and employees more engaged. He helps clients identify and utilize their strengths to drive improvement. Aaron has more than 30 years of experience helping various healthcare organizations grow and improve.
He’s written two books: ”Leading Healthcare Improvement: A Personal & Organization Journey” and ”Healthcare Is Killing Us: The Power of Disruptive Innovation to Create a System that Cares More and Costs Less.”

Adam Higman, MS, DHA, FACHE
Partner Press Ganey Payer & Member Experience Consulting

Adam Higman, MS, DHA, FACHE
Partner Press Ganey Payer & Member Experience Consulting
Adam oversees the Payer solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients for over 15 years to improve the consumer experience and outcomes and to make operations run more smoothly.
Prior to joining the Strategic Consulting team, Adam was a Vice President of Soyring Consulting, now part of Press Ganey.

Alan Bennett, MBA, CPPS, LSSBB, PMP
Senior Manager

Alan Bennett, MBA, CPPS, LSSBB, PMP
Senior Manager
Alan leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to investigate events and conduct cause analyses. He focuses on helping healthcare organizations identify the root cause of safety events and change. He’ll help make processes better, and put workplace safety practices in place.
Before coming to us, Alan spent eight years as the Riverside Health System Director for Patient and Workforce Safety in Newport News, Virginia.

Bonnie Thompson, MSN, MBA, PMP
Senior Manager

Bonnie Thompson, MSN, MBA, PMP
Senior Manager
Bonnie leads engagements for the Payer solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with health systems and payer organizations to put patients at the center of care. She develops data-driven strategies to help clients build best practices into the initiatives they’re already implementing.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Bonnie was Director of Health System Improvements at Greater Oregon Behavioral Health. She was in charge of the services that guarantee a great experience for members.

Brad Pollins, MS, SPHR
Senior Manager

Brad Pollins, MS, SPHR
Senior Manager
Brad leads engagements for the Experience solutions team in Stratetgic Consulting, partnering with hospitals and healthcare systems for more than 20 years to become more reliable and patient-centered. He has led programs that transform culture, improve processes, and achieve better strategic outcomes.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Brad was the Executive Director at the Center for Transformation and Innovation, where he was in charge of strategic planning, physician leadership development, and executive coaching initiatives.

Brinn Leach-Wilson, MAOM
Senior Manager

Brinn Leach-Wilson, MAOM
Senior Manager
Brinn leads engagements for the Payer solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to design custom solutions to solve health plan disparities. Brinn has more than 20 years of experience in health plan administration and healthcare technology. She excels in handling large-scale business transformations that cut costs and clear the way for growth.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Brinn was the Director of Configuration and Consulting at a healthcare IT organization.

Charles Demanche, MBA
Manager

Charles Demanche, MBA
Manager
Charles leads engagements for the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to implement operational improvement initiatives including setting strategy, productivity benchmarks and expanding hospitals. With more than 25 years’ healthcare experience, he’s an expert at turning complex information into clear recommendations.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Charles was a Director of Imaging Services, Administrative Director of Support Services, Clinical Engineering Manager, and Supervisor of Biomedical Services at various healthcare organizations.

Charles Hagood, DSc
President, Press Ganey Safety & Reliability Consulting

Charles Hagood, DSc
President, Press Ganey Safety & Reliability Consulting
Charles, as president of Strategic Consulting, oversees the growth, strategy, and management of Press Ganey’s multifaceted consulting organization. He is an innovator, improvement expert, and entrepreneur that has overseen the design, introduction, and implementation of self-sustaining improvement systems within healthcare organizations.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Charles was the founder and CEO of Healthcare Performance Partners (HPP), now a Vizient company. He is the author of “Lean-Led Hospital Design: Creating the Efficient Hospital of the Future.”

Cindy Reistroffer, DSc, MBA, BSN
Senior Manager

Cindy Reistroffer, DSc, MBA, BSN
Senior Manager
Cindy leads engagements for the Payer solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with health systems and payer organizations to put patients and members at the center of care.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Cindy spent a decade helping integrated healthcare systems move from volume-based business models to value-based care models. Cindy facilitated teams in organizational risk readiness and participation in accountable care organizations, advanced payment models (APM) and Medicare Advantage (MA) contracts based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and private payer contracts.

Dave Varnes, CDR, USN (Ret.), MSAE
Director

Dave Varnes, CDR, USN (Ret.), MSAE
Director
Dave directs and leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to put best practices in place to build reliability and cut the risk of serious safety events.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Dave was part of the U.S. Navy, helping build performance and make things safer in high-pressure environments. In his more than two decades in leadership roles, he’s been Naval Training and Operations Procedures Standardization Officer, Standardization Officer, Operations Officer, Search and Rescue Officer, and Quality Assurance and Safety Officer.

Debbie Hunter, MBA
Manager

Debbie Hunter, MBA
Manager
Debbie leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to become more safe and reliable. She has over two decades of experience helping clients build stronger patient relationships, deliver better care, get processes running more smoothly, and hit new heights in performance.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Debbie was Assistant Vice President of Performance Improvement at Wake Forest Baptist Health, where she planned and ran the medical center’s performance excellence and quality improvement strategies.

Donna Cheek, MSN, MHA
Manager

Donna Cheek, MSN, MHA
Manager
Donna leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to advance their Safety journey. She leads strategy and improvements in safety and quality, which she attributes to well-defined vision and tight alignment between trustees, executive leaders, medical staff, clinical and support staff.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, she held leadership roles that included Vice President of Operations and Chief Nurse Executive at a number of state and national organizations.

Dragana Gough, MSCpE
Director

Dragana Gough, MSCpE
Director
Dragana directs and leads engagements for the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to design and implement effective trainings and tools to use for ongoing management of operations.
Prior to joining the Strategic Consulting team, Dragana was a consultant at Soyring Consulting, a leader in operational consulting. In 2017, Soyring Consulting was acquired by Press Ganey to join the Strategic Consulting team.

Edward Romero, MSN
Manager

Edward Romero, MSN
Manager
Edward leads engagements for the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to improve standard operating procedures. He understands how the staff and space an organization needs relates to the design of the facility, and is well-versed in models of patient care delivery.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Edward held titles such as a Nurse Manager, Administrative House Nurse Supervisor, Hospital Administrator On-call, and Staff Nurse Level II and III NICU.

Gary Yates, MD
Partner

Gary Yates, MD
Partner
Gary is a thought leader for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to instill robust patient safety protocols and build a culture of safety.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Gary was the President of HPI, President of the Sentara Quality Care Network and Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Sentara Healthcare.

Greg Prentiss, CAPT, USN (Ret.), MS
Director

Greg Prentiss, CAPT, USN (Ret.), MS
Director
Greg directs and leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, parntering with clients for over 25 years to reduce human error. Greg lectures and runs training programs and seminars on preventing human error, identifying the root cause of events, and improving performance.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Greg was a U.S. Navy pilot. He flew combat missions over Iraq, and racked up more than 2,800 flight hours and 780 carrier-arrested landings in the cockpit of F/A-18 jets.

Jennifer Marshall, MBA
Partner

Jennifer Marshall, MBA
Partner
Jennifer oversees Strategic Consulting operations and partners with smaller hospitals and non-acute care providers to deliver better, safer care, with patients at its heart. She builds and delivers creative healthcare solutions that enhance market position and drive greater performance.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Jennifer was a consulting leader with KPMG, Tiber Group (now Guidehouse), and Truven (now IBM Watson). She helped organizations strategize, pull off mergers and acquisitions, and operate more efficiently.

Joan Kelly, MBA, EdD
Partner, Press Ganey Consumer & Patient Experience Consulting

Joan Kelly, MBA, EdD
Partner, Press Ganey Consumer & Patient Experience Consulting
Joan oversees the Experience solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients for more than 15 years in consumer experience for the health and wellness space. Joan is known for driving innovation and engagement across large, multi-faceted organizations, and bringing valuable consumer experience ideas to fruition through the alignment of ideas, people, and processes. Joan’s passion is to transform the healthcare experience for both staff and patients.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Joan was chief experience officer at Yale New Haven Health System.

John Rodriguez, CAPT, USN (Ret.), MA
Senior Manager

John Rodriguez, CAPT, USN (Ret.), MA
Senior Manager
John leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to operate more safely and efficiently. His approach to job planning, briefing, and debriefing is supported by sound leadership practices.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, John was a safety leader in the U.S. Navy. His titles included Squadron Nuclear Safety Officer, Squadron Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization Officer, and Squadron Safety Officer.

Kathy Barry, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC
Director

Kathy Barry, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC
Director
Kathy directs and leads engagements for the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to strengthen the nursing workforce environment, transcend nursing excellence and develop nurse managers. Kathy has an extensive background in nursing practice and operations.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Kathy most recently served as the Deputy Executive Director of the Office of Nursing Services at the VA-the largest health system in the country.

Kelly Poindexter, MSN
Manager

Kelly Poindexter, MSN
Manager
Kelly leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to design complex, large-scale culture projects. She helps organizations transform, raise standards, and put patients at the center of care.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Kelly was Clinical Director of the Ambulatory Surgery and Pre-Surgical Testing Evaluation departments at Baptist Hospital.

Kerry Butler, PharmD, MBA
Manager

Kerry Butler, PharmD, MBA
Manager
Kerry leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to improve safety and reliability practices by implementing, deploying, and integrating high reliability organizing principles in systems, hospitals, and clinics throughout the country.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Kerry held the position of Quality and Medication Safety Officer at Saint Thomas Health Services, a five-hospital health ministry that is part of Ascension Health.

Lucas Higman, MBA, DSc, FACHE
Partner, Press Ganey Clinical Improvement Consulting

Lucas Higman, MBA, DSc, FACHE
Partner, Press Ganey Clinical Improvement Consulting
Lucas oversees the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to deliver analysis and implementation. He brings deep clinical optimization knowledge and expertise from his work with more than 100 U.S. healthcare facilities—from large academic centers to small rural hospitals.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Lucas was a Vice President of Soyring Consulting, now part of Press Ganey.

Marty Wright
Partner, Press Ganey Workforce Consulting

Marty Wright
Partner, Press Ganey Workforce Consulting
Marty oversees the Experience solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to improve culture, employee and physician engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. He drives improvement by reducing turnover, sustaining change, and develop tools and techniques to create an inclusive and equitable environment.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Marty was Vice President of Engagement Services at Avatar Solutions.

Mary Jo Assi, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Partner, Press Ganey Nursing & Clinical Improvement Consulting

Mary Jo Assi, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Partner, Press Ganey Nursing & Clinical Improvement Consulting
Mary Jo is an Associate Chief Nursing Officer and Partner in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to lead strategies to achieve nursing and caregiver excellence by delivering compassionate connected care, strengthening caregiver resilience and engagement, and improving the health care practice and work environment. Prior to joining Press Ganey, she has worked as a clinician, nurse educator, advanced practice registered nurse and nurse executive. More recently, Mary Jo held the position of Director of Professional Practice and Magnet Program Director for ten years in both community hospital and academic medical center settings.

Rob Douglass, CDR, USN (Ret.), MS, SRO Certified
Manager

Rob Douglass, CDR, USN (Ret.), MS, SRO Certified
Manager
Rob leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partering with clients to take methods proven to work in high-risk industries, and use them to help staff perform better in complex health systems. For over 20 years, he has been putting safety and reliability practices in place at various healthcare systems and facilities across the nation.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Rob was at FirstEnergy, where his roles included Director for Safety and Human Performance, Electrical Generation. Prior to that role, he spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Force.

Shannon Vincent, MA
Manager

Shannon Vincent, MA
Manager
Shannon leads engagments for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to set up and send out surveys, and use statistical analyses to interpret results and make informed recommendations. She quickly builds trusted partnerships with her clients, enabling productive conversations leading to tangible results.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Shannon advised organizations as varied as gaming, financial services, energy, and retail on talent, coaching, and leadership strategies.

Shelly Turner, DNP, MBA, CPHQ
Senior Manager

Shelly Turner, DNP, MBA, CPHQ
Senior Manager
Shelly leads engagements for the Clinical Improvement solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to guide policies and procedures, strategic plans, and patient care models. She restructures case management so patients and physicians are partners in planning treatment. Shelly steers clients through accreditation surveys, helping them rethink staffing and turn finance and efficiency metrics around.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Shelly was an administrative leader and held executive level positions like Chief Nursing Officer.

Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN (Ret.), MBA
Partner, Press Ganey Workforce Consulting

Steve Kreiser, CDR, USN (Ret.), MBA
Partner, Press Ganey Workforce Consulting
Steve oversees the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to build safety into their culture, protect patients, and make leaders accountable for safety in their organization. He helps clients run peer reviews and get to the bottom of why things go wrong when they do. He’s also worked with many academic medical institutions to improve cultural indicators and commitment to patient safety.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Steve was a naval officer and F/A-18 pilot, working to make naval aviation safer and more reliable. He retired as a commander with 21 years of leadership and management experience.

Susan Teman, BSN, CPPS
Senior Manager

Susan Teman, BSN, CPPS
Senior Manager
Susan leads engagements for the Safety and Reliability solutions team in Strategic Consulting, partnering with clients to improve in safety, process improvement and in-situ simulation initiatives. Susan is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of health care experience in women’s and pediatric nursing and as a leader responsible for clinical excellence, process improvement, patient relations, regulatory compliance, risk management, clinical education, and infection control.
Prior to joining Press Ganey, Susan worked to build a Simulation and Human Factors program, developing ongoing multidisciplinary simulations for each area of a health care organization. She also worked more than 10 years in critical care and management.