Our Team

Kim Barnas

CEO

Kim Barnas currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Catalysis, in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Prior to her role at Catalysis, Kim served as a senior vice president for ThedaCare, and president of Appleton Medical Center and Theda Clark Medical Center. While in that role she enjoyed the opportunity to learn about LEAN and implement this work in hospital operations.  The ThedaCare Improvement System (LEAN) path started in 2003, with value stream mapping followed by improvement events, and projects.  She was involved in leading two of the initial value streams for OB and cancer services.

As the journey continued, a new challenge emerged—the need for a systematic method to sustain improvement, clarify daily continuous improvement opportunities and deliver on strategic deployment.  To meet this need, Kim and her team led the development of a management system.  This lean management system is designed to deliver improved performance through a predictable process that develops leaders, identifies defects, solves problems and develops people.  In 2014, Kim authored a book titled Beyond Heroes, A Lean Management System for Healthcare, based on this journey.

Today, Kim is actively teaching and supporting healthcare executive teams around the world.  Her current focus expands the management system to the executive leadership team, with a principle based approach to leadership.

Kim has a Master of Science degree in Health Care Administration.

Heidi Betzinger

Project Manager

Heidi Betzinger is project manager at Catalysis. Heidi works with customers, consultants and peers to identify scope, objectives and resources needed to complete transformation journey projects and to ensure they are completed on time and within budget. Prior to joining Catalysis, Heidi supported a broad spectrum of improvement work across ThedaCare as a lean facilitator for the ThedaCare Improvement System (TIS). She also served as Project Manager for the system-wide spread of the Inpatient Collaborative Care Model and for the construction of a new hospital, among others. Heidi earned her bachelor’s degree from Lakeland College in 2012 in Business Management and Marketing. She also received her Masters of Business and Project Management from Lakeland in 2013.

Angela Brubacher

Education Coordinator

Angela is responsible for designing and improving educational experiences including custom and public programs for healthcare leaders. She also completes a variety of operational and financial support functions to aid in organizational efficiency. Prior to joining Catalysis, Angela worked in banking and higher education holding various positions relating to customer service and writing instruction. Angela received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in English. She also received her master’s degree in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Michelle Bushner

Executive Assistant

Michelle is responsible for providing administrative support to the Executive Team at Catalysis. Michelle works with internal and external customers in arranging meetings, travel, and communications. She assists all areas of Catalysis in administrative and logistical support.

Prior to joining the Catalysis staff, Michelle worked for Ciox Health (formerly IOD Incorporated) for 12 years with experience in the ROI organization. Her ability to multitask and manage multiple calendars and activities brings a benefit to our Senior staff and educators to allow more client focus and less administrative worry. Michelle is a former CNA, went to school for Surgical Technology and is currently pursuing her Associate’s degree in Forensic Science. 

Nicole Christensen

Network Coordinator

Nicole is responsible for the coordination of the Healthcare Value Network in support of the over-arching goals for peer-to-peer relationship building, sharing knowledge, conducting real-world experiments and accessing the best resources to accelerate an organization’s lean transformation. She organizes the event logistics for hospital tours, as well as assisting in affinity groups and being a resource for her customer. Nicole has over eight years of experience in event coordination and management. She previously worked for Integrated Health Network of Wisconsin, the state’s largest Accountable Care Organization as the Executive Coordinator, and the Hilton Corporation as a Business Travel Sales Manager. In 2006, Nicole received a Bachelor of Arts-Speech with a public relations emphasis and a minor in marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Thomas Hartman

Executive Coach

Thomas Hartman is an executive coach at Catalysis. His responsibilities include helping coach healthcare leaders and payers to radically improve healthcare quality and outcomes for patients and families, while reducing healthcare costs. Prior to joining Catalysis, Tom spent 19 years as a senior executive with Autoliv, the world’s largest producer of automotive safety products. He brings 29 years of experience on the lean journey, leading and mentoring organizations through the implementation and deployment of the Autoliv Production System — based on the Toyota System and culture — including three years working directly with a TPS Sensei (1998-2000). From 1997 through 2004, Tom was President of Autoliv’s global Airbag Inflator Division with annual sales of $850 million. Tom also served as senior director of Autoliv Lean Consulting, a venture he co-founded in 2007, resulting in the Autoliv Culture of Continuous Improvement being shared with over 100 companies. From 2006 through 2011, Tom mentored local management in the establishment of Autoliv’s AME and Shingo-Prize winning lean culture in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Since 2005, Tom has served as a member of the Shingo Prize Board of Governors and in 2007 was inducted into the Shingo Academy in 2010 and the AME Hall of Fame in 2013. Tom has served on advisory boards for Economic Development, Healthcare, and Manufacturing organizations.

Peter Mariahazy

Chief Administrative Officer

Peter is responsible, in collaboration with the President and Chief Development Officer, for developing the strategy in support of the mission, administrative execution of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the organization. Specifically, his areas of responsibility are financial administration, human resources, operational activity and support, succession planning, talent management, organizational and performance management, training and development, and compensation. Peter ensures Catalysis is compliant with all Federal, State and local regulations.  Peter acts in the absence of the President and exercises management responsibility over Catalysis operations.

Prior to joining Catalysis, Peter worked overseeing technology and human resources, as well as operations management. Most recently, he managed these areas at Modern Business Machines, A Xerox Company (MBM). In his tenure at MBM, Peter implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, fostered an evolution of employee benefits and maintained compliance with HR regulations. Peter is an avid volunteer in leadership positions with multiple non-profit organizations locally and nationwide.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Peter earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Administration.

Linda Mirkes

Network Manager

Linda is a network manager for the Catalysis Healthcare Value Network where she is responsible for the planning and execution of shared learning events, building Network member relationships and overall contributing to the acceleration of the lean implementation for assigned members.

Linda comes to Catalysis from ThedaCare.  She started her career in the clinical laboratory and then spent fifteen years working in a variety of information technology roles including analyst, project manager, team leader and finally manager of clinical applications.  During this time, her teams implemented Epic and other clinical systems for ThedaCare and independent affiliates.  As manager of clinical applications, she co-led the IT value stream.  In 2012, Linda returned to the clinical laboratory as the laboratory business unit manager and operational leader of the Epic Beaker application implementation for the ThedaCare system. The lab value stream approach and laboratory lean management systems provided results which far exceeded the expected ROI for the Epic Beaker implementation.  Most recently, she served as Laboratory Director for all fourteen ThedaCare system laboratories.

Linda holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.  In 2006, she achieved certification from HIMSS as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information Management Systems (CPHIMS).  Linda has a strong interest in improving business analytics processes and the use of data in operational improvement.

Theresa Moore

Senior Manager of Education Development

Theresa is the Senior Manager of Education Development where she is responsible for the development of curriculum and educational services. Theresa joined Catalysis after 10 years at ThedaCare. She started with ThedaCare as an Improvement Facilitator and later transitioned to operations where she was the Director of ThedaCare’s System Laboratories.  While Director, she lead the strategic improvement initiative to optimize the laboratory value stream.  Partnering with the information technology department,  she leveraged the installation of a new information system to create business informatics that supported the lean improvement journey.  Theresa returned to the ThedaCare Improvement Consultant role where she was responsible for coaching ThedaCare senior leaders, as well as improvement facilitators in lean principles and methodologies.   Prior to ThedaCare, Theresa held numerous plant and quality management positions for a variety of manufacturers including Alcoa, PolyOne and General Electric. Theresa received a MBA from Brenau University, Gainesville, Georgia and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY.

Paul Pejsa

Director

Paul is director of the Healthcare Value Network, a peer-to-peer learning group which helps member organizations across North America learn, share, and connect on the application of lean healthcare principles. Paul brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare operations to HVN, as well as experience as a Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt and lean leader. As director, he is responsible for the planning, operation and improvement of the Network. Prior to joining Catalysis, he served as executive director for continuous improvement at the BloodCenter of Wisconsin, where he led the organization in the development and deployment of continuous improvement systems including Strategy Deployment, Visual Management, and Daily Problem Solving. Paul joined the BloodCenter after having served as director of Lean Strategy Deployment in the Healthcare Division of General Electric, where he implemented lean strategies for the global supply chain business. Paul earned his MBA in Operations and Finance from Marquette University in 2009. Since 2008, Paul has been a lean instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also serves in lean instructor and educational advisory roles at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Rachel Regan

Director, Events and Payment Initiatives

Rachel is Catalysis’ chief engineer of summits in the US and Europe. Additionally, Rachel is responsible for the payment initiatives value stream, which focuses on exploring payment systems that reward health outcomes instead of volume. Prior to joining Catalysis, Rachel held various roles during her ten-year tenure at the Lean Enterprise Institute, including Director of Events and Community Support, Operations Director, and Education Manager. Before LEI, Rachel supported numerous lean transformation initiatives in a wide variety of industries as a lean consultant through education and onsite support. She started her lean journey as a Quality Engineer with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in 1993. Rachel is a Shingo Prize Examiner and received a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Sara Thompson

Communications Manager

Sara is responsible for helping Catalysis create connections with customers by streamlining and coordinating all external and internal communications. She works with senior leadership to develop both the communications and marketing strategies for the organization. In addition, she manages all Catalysis’ social media platforms. Sara uses her lean knowledge to develop and continuously improve communication processes for the entire organization.

Prior to joining Catalysis, Sara worked in energy efficiency marketing for Xcel Energy, the country’s fifth largest utility company. She has also worked as a medical claims representative for a Workers’ Compensation company in Denver, Colorado. Sara received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 2003 in Journalism and Speech Communication. She also received her Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Regis University in 2011.

Stephanie Van Vreede

Project Manager

Stephanie’s focus is on website administration and customer-focused projects, including support of the Catalysis executive forums.

Before joining Catalysis in 2010, Stephanie worked in both the paper industry and high tech, in roles that included executive support for CEOs and directors, and shareholder relations. Within these organizations, she also held positions that included public relations, marketing, software training and travel management.

Stephanie is a graduate of University of Wisconsin Colleges, with an Associate’s degree in Arts & Sciences.

Brian Veara

Program Director

Brian has been helping our Catalysis Healthcare Value Network members accelerate their Lean and Analytics journeys for  five years.  He has personally coached leaders in all aspects of their Clinical Business Intelligence program management to include their analytics maturity assessment, data governance and skills matrix development.  Brian came to Catalysis from ThedaCare, where he provided Clinical Business Intelligence program leadership throughout its’ Lean journey. Before joining ThedaCare, he spent over four years as a national Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse consultant and five years as an IT Director for a Fortune 500 retail chain.  Brian has experience working in healthcare and also in the retail and manufacturing sectors.  Brian has presented Business Intelligence subjects at the National Retail Federation (NRF) the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and various Data Governance conferences.

Chris Weisbrod

Network Manager

Chris works closely with Healthcare Value Network member organizations to develop learning opportunities, plan education events, identify affinity groups, and support lean healthcare initiatives. Chris has a background in communications and business operations. He previously was the lean six sigma deployment director at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, where he implemented several projects and programs to instill a culture of continuous process improvement throughout the organization. A graduate of the University of Toledo, Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. He also received masters’ degrees in business administration and business operational excellence from Ashland University and the Ohio State University, respectively.

Sara Woerishofer

Accountant

Sara joined the Catalysis team in May of 2018.  She is responsible for performing financial accounting procedures and office operations.  Sara previously worked for an accounting firm for 11 years, gaining experience in business accounting, personal tax preparation, different accounting procedures and software, and customer relations. Sara is a graduate of Fox Valley Technical College, with an Associate’s degree in Accounting.

Helen Zak

President, Europe

Helen oversees Catalysis European initiatives, including the CEO Forum.  Helen has 33 years of lean leadership experience in a wide range of industries, including automotive, capital equipment and high tech. Formerly, COO of the Lean Enterprise Institute for 11 years, Helen worked with Jim Womack to spread the topic of lean throughout the world and to every industry.

Helen has contributed to 15 published works on the topic of lean, as well as numerous educational programs and events. She helped to establish the Lean Education Academic Network, The Lean Global Network and the Healthcare Value Network and the Center for Lean Engagement and Research (CLEAR).

Helen is on the board of advisors of the Shingo Institute, board of directors for Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP) and a steering committee member of the Lean Education Academic Network. She is faculty for the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, and faculty and coach for the MBOE Program at Fisher College of Business at Ohio State.  Helen was inducted into the AME Hall of Fame in 2017.

Helen received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University, an MS in Operations Management, and an MS in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University.