Tom Ferry in 1999 demonstrated the vision to found Curaspan and today generates the strategic direction that guides the company. It was a family emergency — a hospitalized relative awaiting discharge — that served as the catalyst for Tom's commitment to creating technology that can help manage patient transitions. Responsible for the overall management of the company, Tom blends his entrepreneurial expertise with extensive corporate experience. Before founding Curaspan, he led several acquisitions as vice president of business development for American Hearing Centers. At a subsidiary of Thermo Electron Corporation, Tom also served in a senior business-development role, assessing the commercial potential for new technologies. While running a division of Monsanto, Tom led the international sales team, generating substantial revenue growth. He earned a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Leadership Team
Thomas R. Ferry, President & CEO
Ken Manning, Chief Operating Officer
A versatile executive, Ken Manning was the first person founder Tom Ferry turned to when establishing Curaspan. Ken's ability to balance big-picture goals while attending to never-ending details is the hallmark of his leadership of the company's business operations, technology, service and support groups. His accomplishments in solving complex process and technology problems are noteworthy. Ken led a major turnaround program for the U.S. division of a global merchant bank facing operational issues after a poorly executed merger; for another financial-services company, he built a world-class insurance backroom. Formerly with CSC Index and Deloitte & Touche, Ken has also authored articles for the Journal of Business Strategy and Management Accounting. At Duke University, Ken earned a BS in electrical engineering and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business.
Joe Alea, CTO & Senior Vice President, Development
With more than 20 years of experience building complex and innovative enterprise health-care products, Joe Alea heads the Curaspan technology and product teams. He had been vice president of development at Oracle Health Sciences, which acquired Phase Forward, whose development efforts Joe also led. Previously, he held senior executive positions at Princeton Softech, Davox, and McKesson, which had acquired Health Payment Review. There Joe led development of the industry’s first integrated rules-based disease-management system and delivered a new product line enabling providers to manage the total care of patients, from clinical triaging to utilization management. He holds an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a BS from the University of Pittsburgh.
Jackie Birmingham, VP, Emeritus, Clinical Leadership
As a former director of discharge planning, clinical nurse specialist and critical-care instructor, Jackie Birmingham has provided input to the development of Curaspan products since the company was created. A popular speaker and author, Jackie serves on the editorial board of Professional Case Management, the journal of the Case Management Society of America, and on the legislative and advocacy committee of the American Case Management Association. Honored by numerous organizations, Jackie earned advanced certification in continuity of care and case management administrator certification. She has a BS in nursing from Niagara University College of Nursing and an MS in administration and supervision from the University of Hartford.
Kevin Cook, Vice President, Business Development
An accomplished sales leader in building motivated, high-performing teams and replicable processes, Kevin Cook heads a team of regional sales managers focused on the post-acute and community-hospital markets. Kevin has extensive sales, training and implementation expertise that reflects a rich blend of corporate and start-up experience. Before joining Curaspan as director of network development, he was director of business development for Target Teams, sales manager for TimePayment Corp. and vice president of dental sales for GE Healthcare Financial Services (formerly HPSC). Kevin holds an MBA from Boston College and a BS from Providence College.
Rob Fisher, Vice President, Payer Solutions
Developing a new market segment for Curaspan, Rob Fisher leads the sales and business-development efforts for ReviewCentral™ and other payer products and services. Before joining the company, Rob spent several years at RelayHealth, a division of McKesson, where most recently he was the director of payer services. He’s also been responsible for relationship management and market development at Per-Se Technologies and held engineering positions at AT&T and Nortel Networks. A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Rob earned a BS in Industrial Engineering and is based in Atlanta.
Mike Kutrik, Vice President, Sales
Mike Kutrik manages national sales directors focused on IDN and hospital accounts and is responsible for channel relationships. A seasoned health-care IT sales professional who joined Curaspan in 2005, Mike has also served as sales director and vice president of business development. He began his career in account management with Smithkline Beecham Clinical Laboratories and Quest Diagnostics. With his extensive sales experience, which includes engagements at Avitar Technologies, ChoicePoint and DrFirst, Mike is known for his ability to design solutions for complex projects and to forge strong relationships. He earned a BA from Hampden-Sydney College and is based in Baltimore.
