HealthTeacher

Casey West

Casey West is a General Partner at SSM Partners, a leading growth equity investor in the business, healthcare and consumer services sectors. With over $300 million under management, SSM has invested in more than 50 companies since its inception.

West's focus is on healthcare services and healthcare information technology companies. He has represented or currently represents SSM in its investments in Passport Health Communications, Bloodhound Technologies, RemitDATA, Senior Whole Health and FrontStream Payments.

Prior to joining SSM in 2004, Mr. West spent several years with Petra Capital Partners as an investment principal and in the healthcare investment banking group of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation. Mr. West received a B.A. with honors in History from the Virginia Military Institute and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Ted Dacko

Ted Dacko, the founder, has more than 36 years of experience in executive-level management and leadership, including Sales, Marketing, M&A and the Chief Executive Office, principally in the area of software applications and solutions. His career has primarily been spent following the founder where, as CEO, he has been credited with taking great ideas and turning them into great companies.

Most recently, Ted was CEO of HealthMedia® Inc., which he took from a small, near-death company to a $30M annual SaaS business. Ted has an extensive background with early stage tech companies. Prior to HealthMedia®, Ted served as President and CEO at Centromine, an Internet-based behavioral health firm, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Orion Micro Systems, which was based in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was the VP of Sales and Marketing for two other early stage companies that had successful exits. He has also worked in larger organizations including Hyperion Software, Comshare and General Electric and has held a full range of positions across the company including software development, finance, client services, sales, marketing, strategy development, M&A and CEO.

Ted serves on several advisory committees, including the Senior Leadership Development Council of Health Promotion Advocates, Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Think Tank, the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) and Disease Management Association of America (DMAA). Ted holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and a Master's Degree in Mathematics from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Gary Facente

Gary Facente currently serves as Chairman of EMC Publishing Co. in St. Paul, MN, which serves the K-12, College, and consumer markets with products in foreign languages, literature, social studies, office education, health careers and career planning. The company is focused on specialized niches and increasingly on delivering content electronically. Facente was the Chairman and CEO of Delta Education, a company he acquired in 2001 with his financial partner The Wicks Group, and which was sold to School Specialty Inc in 2005.. Facente led Delta to become a leader in K-12 science and reading curriculum. Facente is also a Director of Penn Foster Schools, a distance education provider, and Carus Publishing Company, a family-owned publisher of magazines for children.

Previously Facente was CEO of NTC/Contemporary Publishing Co., division of Tribune Co., and Vice President and General Manager of World Book Encyclopedia Inc. Active in many publishing industry and education groups, Facente is a former Chair of the International Group of Educational Publishers.

Koleman Karleski

Koleman Karleski is Managing Director of Chrysalis Ventures, a leading source of equity capital for young growth companies in Mid-America. Chrysalis invests primarily in early-stage and expansion-stage companies in Healthcare and Technology. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Chrysalis has approximately $400 million under management and has invested in over 60 companies.

In addition to working with numerous Chrysalis portfolio companies, Karleski led Chrysalis' investment in HealthMedia, the innovative behavioral sciences company that provides digital health coaching, which sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2008. Karleski currently serves on the Board of AfterBOT, Cervilenz, Chronicity, HealthTeacher, Foundation Radiology Group, and MedServe. He also spearheads Chrysalis' fundraising efforts.

Prior to joining Chrysalis in 1997, Karleski worked for Providian Corporation's Capital Management business unit with a focus on strategic planning and business development. He earned a BSE from Princeton University where he concentrated on operations research and financial engineering.

Scott McQuigg

Scott McQuigg is the chief executive officer of HealthTeacher. McQuigg partnered with Louisville-Ky.-based Chrysalis Ventures and Petra Capital Partners of Nashville, Tenn., in summer of 2007 to acquire HealthTeacher. McQuigg brings more than 20 years of health care information and media experience to HealthTeacher.

Prior to HealthTeacher, McQuigg was co-founder and CEO of Nashville-based HealthLeaders Inc, a leading health care business media and information company. HealthLeaders was widely recognized by industry for its award-winning magazine and website along with its market analytics and data. McQuigg led the completion of four acquisitions and the subsequent sale of HealthLeaders to Decision Resources, Waltham, Mass., in November 2004.

Previously McQuigg spent 10 years with American City Business Journals-the nation's largest publisher of local business news-as president and publisher of the Nashville Business Journal and as advertising director of the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Jon Vice

Jon E. Vice served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Children's Hospital and Health System, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and its subsidiaries for 25 years until he retired in January 2009. Under Vice's leadership Children's experienced unprecedented expansion, becoming one of the nation's largest and most respected regional pediatric medical centers. Vice joined Children's Hospital of Wisconsin as Executive Vice President in 1979.

Previously Vice was the Administrator of the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, and served as Administrative Resident, Assistant Administrator and Associate Administrator for Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Vice holds a Master's Degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham, where he currently serves as an adjunct professor . Vice is also a Director of Children's Miracle Network, and is the former Chairman of the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI).

Jeff Andrews, MD

Jeff Andrews, MD, FRCSC, FACOG is an associate clinical professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. He is also the medical director of quality improvement and patient safety for Women's Patient Care Center, as well as medical director of ambulatory services. He is the senior physician in the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Dr. Andrews received his undergraduate degree, medical degree, and specialty training in OB/GYN from the University of Toronto. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.

Becky Smith

Dr. Becky J. Smith has directed a wide diversity of projects in health education and health promotion funded by government, corporation, and foundation sources. She has served on more than 20 national advisory committees, and is the author of numerous publications and papers presented at national and international meetings. Smith served 24 years as the Executive Director of the American Association for Health Education and as a Vice President of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Previous experience includes 12 years of teaching within health education professional preparation at institutions of higher education and nine years of public school teaching. She has held appointments at Ohio University, Illinois State University, and Indiana State University.

Smith completed both a Bachelors and Masters degree at the New York State University at Brockport. Her doctoral studies were completed at the University of Illinois with a major in Health and Safety Studies and minors in Labor and Industrial Relations and History and Philosophy of Education.

John Herbold

John Herbold John is our Vice President of Product responsible for all of HealthTeacher's product strategy. Put another way, he's in charge of defining and building products that help kids live life well. Prior to joining HealthTeacher, John was a Senior Product Manager at Apple Inc., where he helped define, market and ship a variety of products for iCloud, MobileMe and .Mac. When he is not creating or marketing new products, you can find him spending time with his family, hanging out with friends or playing the guitar. He is originally from St. Louis, MO, and now resides in Nashville with his wife, 2 year-old son and neurotic dog Foster.

David Hanzlik

David is the Health Education Coordinator for Minneapolis/St. Paul. He is originally from St. Francis, MN and a graduate of St. Cloud State University with degrees in Health Education and Community Health. He brings experience working as a Public Health Educator for Isanti and Chisago Counties, along with High School teaching experience. He enjoys watching and playing just about any sport, and is currently coaching girls' basketball at Elk River High School. Additionally, he is a huge Minnesota sports fans, and bleeds purple and gold. SKOL VIKINGS! (Sorry Barb)

Barb Yahnian

Barb is our Senior Vice President of Sales responsible for growing HealthTeacher community partnerships and leading the sales team. Prior to joining HealthTeacher, Barb was on the senior leadership team of FISI-Madison. Her division was responsible for managing relationships and growing revenue with the company’s 4700 financial institutions clients. Barb grew up in Wisconsin and is an avid Green Bay Packer fan. Barb holds a B.S. degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

Carrie Wrubel

Carrie is one of our Health Education Coordinator's in Colorado. Carrie is a former kindergarten and second grade teacher. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from Arizona State University and also holds an associate's degree from the Art Institute of Colorado. A Colorado native, Carrie recently moved back to Colorado from Arizona with her husband and is enjoying spending as much time as possible outdoors.

Chris Stowers

Chris Stowers is our Vice President of Development responsible for helping our healthcare partner organizations secure philanthropic gifts to support their youth health & wellness programs. Prior to joining HealthTeacher, Chris was the Executive Director of the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation as well as the Chief Communications Officer, overseeing the fund raising and marketing efforts for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando, FL.

Chris is a native of Orlando and when he is not thinking of ways to help HealthTeacher’s partners raise money, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Tracy, and kids Megan & Caleb (and their dog, a Sheltie named Paisley!) He enjoys reading, running, golf and basketball – although not necessarily in that order. Chris earned his B.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Florida and his Master of Public Health from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Debra Hopkins

Debra Hopkins Debra is Regional Vice President for Community & Learning Solutions for HealthTeacher. She has been a teacher, curriculum developer, and educational consultant for over 20 years, and has worked with teachers in 30+ states and several foreign countries. Her role at HealthTeacher involves working closely with school districts, helping to get teachers and students fired up about making healthy choices, and arming them with the tools and skills they need to live healthy lives. Debra especially loves the great outdoors; when not at her laptop, you'll likely find her looking for opportunities (excuses?!) to get outside for fresh air and exercise.

Ed Fitzgerald

Ed is Regional Vice President of Community and Learning Solutions for HealthTeacher. He manages training, education, and business development related to the online health curriculum. Prior to joining HealthTeacher, Ed served as Client Support Services Director at Learning Technology Systems in Knoxville, TN. He has been instrumental in implementing information management systems in numerous school districts across the country, including the Houston Independent School Districts where he personally oversaw the development and implementation of the districts’ first electronic grade reporting system. Ed has also served as a principal and teacher for 15 years.

Jessica Lawrence

Jessica is our Regional Vice President, Community & Learning Solutions responsible for the Western part of the United States. With a BS in Health Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, and a Masters of Science in Education/Curriculum and Instruction from Portland State University, Jessica began her career as a middle school health teacher in Portland, Oregon.

She became the Health Education Curriculum Specialist at the Department of Education and worked closely with a team of specialists from both the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to implement coordinated school health. In 2005, she was selected to be one of 17 people nationally to help revise and develop the National Health Education Standards, which were published early in 2007.

Greg George

Greg is HealthTeacher's Vice President of Operations. Greg brings to HealthTeacher a drive to achieve deadlines and product specifications of technology to meet user/customer needs, ability to problem solve and develop streamlined processes, demonstrated experience in operating a high-growth business, a strong work ethic, and a good sense of humor. Greg lives in the Nashville area and is the father of two sons, one in high school, the other in middle school.

Jan Tilinski

Jan is our Regional Vice President responsible for building community partnerships in the South East, and is committed to working with community stakeholders to improve child and youth health. With two school-aged children, Jan understands that instilling healthy lifestyle habits means far more than negotiating vegetable consumption at the dinner table. Jan's interests include running, serving on an Atlanta area non-profit board and traveling. Jan is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and long-standing UCONN basketball fan, and received an MBA from the American University, Washington, DC.

Julie McKinley-Reed

Julie is the Health Education Coordinator for the Silicon Valley Region in California. She has been working in early childhood education for the past three years. She teachers child development and parenting classes to adults as well as English to non-native english speakers. Prior to her career in education, Julie spent twelve years in marketing communications. Julie holds a B.A. in Sociology from San Jose State University, and M.S. in Information Systems from the University of San Francisco and a M.A. in Liberal Studies from Saint Mary's College of California. Julie spends her free time with her husband, son and their menagerie of animals enjoying the beautiful outdoors of California while swimming, hiking and going to the beach.

Kellie Flannery

Kellie is the Health Education Coordinator for Central Florida. This includes conducting in-service trainings and presentations to various school district groups; and maintaining communication with community sponsors. Prior to HealthTeacher, Kellie was a high school health teacher and community health educator - helping teens stop smoking and preventing the spread of HIV. She received her degree in Health Education from Florida State University. She lives in Orlando and actually does go to Disney World occasionally. When she's not watching the Seminoles play, she can be found scrapbooking or spending time with her awesome daughter, Devon.

Kim Johnson

Kim is our Community Engagement Manager responsible for new client implementation and assisting current clients. She lives in Murfreesboro and enjoys hiking and spending time with Radley, her 95 lb GoldenDoodle. Kim's background includes client and product development / management roles in the financial services industry.

Layne Baxter

Layne is the Health Education Coordinator for Arkansas. Returning from teaching English for a year in Argentina, she currently lives in Little Rock. She is a graduate from the University of Arkansas majoring in both Political Science and Spanish. She currently attends the University for Medical Sciences where she is receiving a Master's in Public Health with a specialty in Health Education and Health Behavior. She enjoys traveling and playing with her toy poodle, Lucy, during her free time.

Nate Tallman

Nate Tallman is one of the software developers at HealthTeacher. He has lived in five states, but has been in the Nashville area for 13 years. Nate's wife, Lacy, is a 4th grade teacher. Together, they live with their two dogs, Luke and Lana, who require constant attention or else they chew up shoes.

Sarah Toth

Sarah is the Health Education Coordinator for North Alabama and brings to us over ten years of teaching experience. She is a graduate of Auburn University (B.S.) and Alabama A&M University (M.Ed). In 2007, she was awarded a Japan Memorial Fulbright Fund scholarship to travel to Japan and study its educational system. She resides in the "Rocket City" with her husband, two children, Great Dane (sometimes mistaken for a horse), Golden Retriever, and cat.

Scott McQuigg

Scott is our CEO, responsible for figuring out how HealthTeacher can impact every child in America, and beyond. He and his wife work hard to get their 7 year-old son and 4 year-old daughter to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Prior to joining HealthTeacher, Scott was CEO and co-founder of HealthLeaders, an award-winning media and information company focused on the business of health care. Scott’s background includes leadership positions in business media.

Todd Ricotta

Todd is our Regional Vice President and is responsible for developing community partnerships in the Western United States. Todd and his wife Gina have three children and reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. He enjoys coaching youth sports, listening to and playing music, fitness, and cheering (and weeping) for the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and San Diego Padres. Todd holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, an M.B.A. from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a M.H.S.A., also from Xavier University.

Tracy Coats

Tracy is our Community Engagement Manager. She was Operations Manager for almost 9 years at HealthLeaders, prior to joining HealthTeacher in Oct. of 2010. She has experience in catering and event planning, web design and content management. She even managed a well know singer/songwriter here in Nashville for 5 years. She lives on Coats Mountain with her husband, Tim and 2 sons, 10 and 7. She grew up in Washington, DC, and loves living in Nashville. She is on the board of Learning Matters, an educational based non-profit that provides tutoring and diagnostic testing to kids on a sliding scale. She also volunteers for Christian Women's Job Corp as a Job for Life teacher, teaching life skills to women who just received their GEDs. She loves weight lifting, working out, her family and has over 60 pairs of shoes. Not including boots.

Veronica Waldrop

Veronica is a graduate of Texas Tech University (B.A.) and University of Florida (M.A.). Prior to HealthTeacher, Veronica was a Sales Rep for Pearson Higher Education. She also taught middle school Spanish and Health Education. She lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her husband, Will, and their two Doberman Pinschers, Jackson and Jordan.