OUR TEAM
Jeff Conlon – Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Conlon Is An Accomplished education and technology founder, CEO, and board member with decades of higher education experience and a strong operational track record. Previously, he served as the CEO and founder of Everspring, a company that helps universities design, build, and digitally deliver master’s degree programs. Before his time at Everspring, Jeff acted as the CEO of Kaplan Higher Education. Throughout his career, Jeff has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead complex organizations, build industry-leading management teams, and deliver quality education to tens of thousands of students. Jeff received a B.A. degree from Brown University and an M.B.A, with distinction, from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Sara Cramlet is a Human Resources professional with over 20 years of experience in identifying top talent and in implementing creative programs to improve performance and engage key employees in the Financial, Software, Architecture, and Retail industries. She is passionate about aligning employee skills with the needs of the organization and in partnering with middle-to-executive-level managers to reach tactical and strategic outcomes regarding people. Her previous work experience includes employment with Startup companies, medium-sized businesses, and global organizations. In addition, Sara holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (S.P.H.R) certification.
Phillip Quintana — General Counsel
Phillip Quintana has over 17 years of experience in higher education law. His previous experience includes serving as Senior Corporate Counsel /Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs at the University of Phoenix with responsibility for the multi-state regulatory authorization of campuses and programs. As Assistant General Counsel at West Coast University he provided guidance on a broad range of institutional, academic, and business matters as a working partner with University leadership to reduce risk and promote a general atmosphere of compliance. He is a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Dr. Jean Watson, PhD
Dr. Jean Watson is Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita, University of Colorado Denver, College of Nursing Anschutz Medical Center. She is founder of the original Center for Human Caring in Colorado, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and a past president of the National League for Nursing. In 2013, Dr. Watson was inducted as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing, its highest honor. She is a widely published author and recipient of many national and international awards and honors. She holds 15 Honorary Doctoral Degrees, including 12 International Honorary Doctorates. Dr. Watson’s caring philosophy is used to guide transformative models of caring education and professional caring-healing practices. She is the author/co-author of over 30 books on postmodern philosophies of caring and healing, and received the American Journal of Nursing’s “Book of the Year” award.
Dale Beatty, PhD, DNP, RN
With two decades of experience as a Chief Nursing Officer, Dr. Dale Beatty focuses on ensuring continuous quality of care while fostering a supportive practice environment for nurses, clinicians, and providers. In 2021, Dr. Beatty was recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s Top 15 Hospital Chief Nursing Officers. He was also recognized by the University of Illinois Chicago as a 2021 Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award recipient. He carries extensive experience with ANCC Magnet and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a Congressionally-established recognition designed to promote improved quality of goods and services in U.S. companies and organizations. Dr. Beatty earned a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Master of Nursing Administration degree from DePaul University, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is board certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and a Watson Caring Science Institute Caritas Coach.
Jim D’Alfonso, DNP, PhD(h), RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN
Dr. Jim D’Alfonso serves as Executive Director for Professional Excellence with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and is the Founding Executive Director of the KP Scholars Academy based in Oakland. Jim leads award winning academic partnership and degree programs, nursing research, professional development, and community health outreach programs focused on the future of nursing, mental health, and allied health professions. Dr. D’Alfonso received his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a focus in executive leadership from the University of San Francisco (USF). He received an honorary doctorate in Caring Science (2015) and the distinguished Visionary Caring Science Leadership Award (2019). He is a board-certified nurse executive (NEA-BC), Certified Caritas Coach®, Master HeartMath Executive Trainer (HMET), a Distinguished Fellow of the Nursing Academies of Practice (FNAP), and Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). He has published extensively and lectured across the US and internationally for over 30 years.
Deirdre M. Baggot, PhD, MBA, RN
Dr. Deirdre Baggot serves as partner with the Oliver Wyman Health & Life Sciences Practice. She specializes in developing strategies to help providers reconceive their business and care models via strategic cost transformation, operating model redesign, human capital planning, and consumer-centric delivery models. She spends a considerable amount of time at the intersection of provider and payers. Dr. Baggot, a former hospital executive, spent 10 years in academic healthcare at both Northwestern Memorial Hospital and The University of Michigan Health System. She holds a PhD from the University of Colorado, an MBA from Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), summa cum laude, from Southern Illinois University. In addition, she received a certificate in healthcare executive leadership from The Wharton School and LEAN certification from The University of Michigan. Dr. Baggot and her husband Ted have two children, Harry and Emily, and reside in Denver, Colorado.
Sara L. Horton-Deutsch, PhD
Dr. Sara Horton-Deutsch serves as the director of the Kaiser Permanente/USF Partnership where she mentors the next generation of nursing leaders through the lens of Caring Science. Her work in reflective practice is published in two books coedited with Dr. Gwen Sherwood: Reflective Practice: Transforming Education and Improving Outcomes (Sigma Theta Tau International, 2012 & 2017) and Reflective Organizations: On the Front Lines of QSEN & Reflective Practice Implementation (Sigma Theta Tau International, 2015). It was through the iterative process of reflection that Dr. Horton-Deutsch deepened her own work in reflective practice, resulting in the integration of Caring Science. In spring 2018, she co-edited the textbook, Caritas Coaching: A Journey Toward Transpersonal Caring for Informed Moral Action in Healthcare with Dr. Jan Anderson.
Fran Roberts, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Fran Roberts is the executive leader of the Fran Roberts Group, a consulting practice providing expertise on healthcare leadership and higher education. Dr. Roberts previously served as Vice President for Strategic Alliances for the DeVry Healthcare Group, Vice President of Strategic Business Alliances for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Grand Canyon University, and Executive Director of the Arizona State Board of Nursing. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing and psychology from Elmhurst College. She later received her Master of Science degree from Arizona State University in community mental health/psychiatric nursing. Dr. Roberts’ Ph.D. in nursing is from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She serves on the boards of directors of the Health Record Banking Alliance National Advisory Board and the Presbyterian Central New Mexico Health Services Board. Dr. Roberts is a vocal proponent of addressing the nursing shortage and frequently presents on a state and national basis.
Jennifer Maxwell
As co-founder and CEO of MHA and strategic advisor to Medalogix, Jennifer not only works hand in hand with clients to help them achieve new heights of operational, technological, regulatory and financial efficiency, but also guides MHA’s long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies.
Before dedicating herself full-time to MHA, Jennifer held positions as CEO and executive director of the Minnesota Homecare Association and as an executive account manager at a top home health and hospice consulting firm. There, she designed and coordinated multiple client service engagements focused on staff augmentation, acquisition, due diligence, compliance reviews as well as billing/collections, and revenue cycle management.
Jennifer has also worked with the aging population from a different lens, running adult community services programs at the Mesa County Department of Human Services. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and was an adjunct professor of psychology and sociology at Colorado Christian University.
Dawna L. Cato — Chief Executive Officer
Dawna L. Cato PhD., RN, NPD-BC currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Nurses Association/Arizona Foundation for the Future of Nursing and Vice-Chair of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation for Practice Transition Accreditation.
Dr. Cato has 22 years of nursing experience in the U.S and 3 years in China, where she served as Chief Nursing Officer of a 650-bed specialty hospital. Her background includes a variety of nursing specialties in clinical and leadership roles. She obtained her BSN and Master’s in the Science of Nursing with a specialization in Nursing Education from Grand Canyon University. In 2013, Dr. Cato received PhD with a specialization in Nursing Education from Capella University. In 2019 she obtained her certification in Nursing Professional Development. Dr. Cato has held leadership positions as well as voluntary advisory and board positions at local, state, national, and international levels. She is also engaged in presenting and publishing for local, state, national, and international audiences. Dr. Cato’s passion is organizational transformation to advance professional nursing. Her work is focused on implementing best-practice strategies for improved patient outcomes and nurse’s professional growth. These include development and implementation of Nurse Residency Programs, Perioperative Specialty Fellowship Programs and Cardiovascular Specialty Fellowship Programs utilizing the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accreditation standards. Internationally, Dr. Cato She has facilitated frontline leadership workshops and China’s participation in an International Nurse Job Satisfaction Study.
Gay Landstrom, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE
Gay Landstrom is responsible for advancing our journey as a people-centered health system, moving forward our goals of top ten quality, zero harm, and exceptional experience across the care continuum.
Previously, Landstrom served as CNO for Trinity Health prior to the merger with Catholic Health East and then serving as CNO for the West/Midwest Division until 2014.
Landstrom also served as executive vice president and CNO for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System in New Hampshire for three years and as interim CEO for one of its five hospitals.
Prior to returning to Trinity Health, Landstrom served as System CNO for Ascension St. John Providence Health System and eventually CNO for Ascension Michigan.
Landstrom has published numerous research papers and is active in several professional organizations. She is member of EBSCO CINAHL Dynamic Health’s Executive Board, serves on the board of the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and sits on the AvaSure Nursing Advisory Board.
Landstrom holds a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s in nursing administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Kelli Wray DNP, APRN, CPHQ
Kelli Wray, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-C, CPHQ, is an esteemed Chief Nursing Officer at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, California, where she leads nursing operations for a 474-bed facility. Her leadership has notably decreased RN vacancy rates by 53%, reduced premium pay by $3.3 million, and improved the hospital’s Leapfrog rating to an A. Previously, she served at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center, enhancing engagement and patient care, and at Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center, where she played a key role in COVID-19 response efforts.
Kelli earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Vanderbilt University, her MSN from the University of Cincinnati, and her BSN from Belmont University. Her military service as a Flight Nurse in the United States Air Force Reserves exemplifies her commitment to healthcare.
Her scholarly work includes contributions to wound care and nanotechnology, underscoring her commitment to advancing nursing practice. Kelli’s professional affiliations and community service further highlight her dedication to the nursing profession and healthcare excellence.
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7000+
Enrolled Students Each Year
22
Nursing & Allied Health Programs
6
Accrediting Organizations
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