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.
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.
Ensuring that the Curaspan story is told well is Lisa Allen's responsibility. With a background that spans marketing, media and technology, Lisa leads the company's branding, marketing PR and communications activities. She gained diverse experience as an executive at Fidelity Investments companies; an analyst at Forrester Research; and online content pioneer at Microsoft Sidewalk and AT&T Interchange. While in broadcast and cable TV, she won two of her three Emmy Awards for medical reporting. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Lisa received a BA summa cum laude from Tufts University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law.
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.
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.
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.
Responsible for growing the company's product portfolio, Edwin Miller has more than 20 years of product development experience, including launches of nationally recognized technology and software-as-a-service products. He was president and COO at Artromick International and vice president of product management at athenahealth, where he managed the athenaClinicals product. An innovative and seasoned product lifecycle leader with experience across a range of health-care IT areas including EHR/EMR, eMAR, practice-management systems and claims/remittance processing EDI, Edwin also was CTO at digiChart and vice president of development at Practice Resource Network. He earned an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.
