Consulting Staff

Debbie Bing, Principal, is a co-leader of the Negotiation and Collaboration focus area and an expert in negotiation, mediation, and organizational change. She excels at helping organizations implement change through careful initiative design and a keen focus on building the engagement and buy-in of multiple stakeholders. She works extensively in family and owner-led businesses, health care, foundations, and academic medical centers. Debbie holds a Master's of International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.   Learn More >>

 

Barry Dornfeld, Senior  Manager, has consulted in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, focusing on negotiation, influence and persuasion, organizational change, organizational communication, and strategic planning. As a member of CFAR's Campaign Approach to Change focus area, Barry draws on his background as a media ethnographer and qualitative researcher; he is also a documentary filmmaker. His clients, including many family and owner-led businesses, benefit from his work in public broadcasting, cultural performance, and academic administration, which he uses to craft effective communication approaches in the face of change. Barry holds a Ph.D. in Communications from the Annenberg School of the University of Pennsylvania.     Learn More >>

 

Nancy Drozdow, Principal, is a CFAR founder and has, for more than 20 years, directed the firm's work with owner-led businesses, both public and private. She is also one of the founders of the Family Firm Institute. Nancy is an expert in business strategy — merging rigorous analytics with human and organizational dynamics to invent business solutions that stick-particularly around leadership transitions. She helps firms plan for the future, with effective ownership, capital, strategy and leadership structures and processes that energize and inspire.      Learn More >>

 

Jessica Geiben Lynn, Senior Manager, is co-leader of CFAR's Academic Medicine practice and a member of the firm's Collaboration and Strategy focus areas. She has extensive experience working with hospitals and academic health centers, including centers of excellence and research institutes within these centers. Jessica offers highly developed skills in helping leaders and teams collaborate more effectively to meet organizational mission and business objectives, and is a specialist at large group design and project management. She brings broad cross-industry expertise to her work in academic medicine, with experience in healthcare organizations, foundations and state agencies.. Learn More >>

 

Tom Gilmore, Vice President, consults to significant changes in complex organizations, often in connection with leadership transitions. He has written extensively, often with clients, on issues of leadership, large group engagement processes, reorganizations, downsizing and team building. Tom is an adjunct associate professor at the Wharton School in Health Care Systems, and is a founder of ISPSO (International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations) serving on its board for three years.  
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Monica Heuer, Senior Manager, joined CFAR after completing her MBA in Organizational Strategy and Marketing from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked as a consultant primarily in the nonprofit and health care sectors and has extensive experience designing and delivering executive programs. Monica’s background in Sociology and program evaluation uses a participatory approach to consulting engagements.  She focuses on building clients’ skills in an engagement to ensure sustainable change. Monica has a Master’s of Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University.

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Larry Hirschhorn, Principal, uses his expertise in economics, mathematics and psychology to help leaders balance quantitative and qualitative data in the decision-making process. He works collaboratively with clients to help them campaign for change and manage for performance. Larry tackles complex situations in a grounded and practical way, and has written extensively on the post-industrial organization.     Learn More >>

 

Jerrel Jones, Associate, draws on his background in engineering and economics to apply logical rigor and qualitative analysis in solving complex business problems. As an engineer, Jerrel acquired expertise in computational research through the study of complex mechanical systems. Understanding business as another type of complex system, he returned to school to pursue a degree in finance and organizational behavior. Jerrel then worked as an internal business strategist in several organizations implementing change against new business strategies.  His experience in economic development, strategy and organizational change helps CFAR clients prepare for their future through a deeper understanding of their culture, financial goals, and the competitive landscape. Jerrel holds an MS degree in engineering from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.      Learn More >>

 

Linda May, Principal, helps clients work through messy, complicated change efforts. She is a leader of CFAR's IT Strategy and the Campaign Approach to Change focus areas, and has consulted to a wide variety of healthcare, foundation and corporate clients. She is adept in settings where people feel overwhelmed and knows how to find the natural rhythms and drivers at an organization. Linda holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Mal O'Connor, Vice President, has worked for more than 20 years with senior executives in a broad spectrum of for-profit and non-profit organizations to help them implement systemic changes that preserve cultural values while measurably improving performance and productivity. He has worked in many industries, including health care, insurance and financial services, foundations and human services.  Mal is co-lead of CFAR’s Health and Hospital Systems practice group, and has deep experience across the health care ecology including large hospitals, integrated health systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals and health care alliances. Trained as an ethnographer, Mal has focused on the challenges related to changing organizational behavior in service of new strategic imperatives.  He co-leads CFAR’s change management group, called The Campaign Approach to Change, which offers an innovative approach to leading and managing change.  Learn More >>

 

Lynn Oppenheim, President, was one of the founders of the firm when it spun off from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She has more than 20 years of experience in consulting across a range of issues and clients. Her recent work has focused on life sciences organizations and academic medical centers whose need to respond to high demands for capital investment in a dynamic environment is often at odds with their historic pace of decisions and the need for participative governance. Lynn holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin.
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Barton Parrott, Senior Manager, joined CFAR full-time in 2003 and has more than ten years of experience as a consultant focusing on strategy and organizational change. His background includes two years of medical school and numerous consulting projects in academic medical centers. He has a solid grounding in the scientific and clinical issues in health care today. Bart holds an MBA in Health Care Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.      Learn More >>

 

Chatham Sullivan, Senior Manager, is an organizational psychologist and Senior Manager at CFAR. Drawing on his training in psychology and business experience, Chatham focuses on the intersection between economics and organizational dynamics, particularly in complex organizations addressing dilemmas relating to strategy, change and collaboration.   
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Jennifer Tomasik, Principal, leads CFAR’s Health and Hospital Systems practice. She works with her clients to solve complex strategic and organizational challenges. Her approach to consulting emphasizes communication and collaboration, supported by a blend of quantitative and qualitative analytics. Jennifer has worked in the health care sector for nearly 15 years, with expertise in public health, clinical quality measurement, strategic management, and organizational change. Her clients include some of the most prestigious hospitals, health systems and academic medical centers in the country. She has a Master's in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and is a founding member of two CFAR focus areas, Collaboration and Telling the Strategy Story.
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Nathaniel Welch, Senior Manager, helps clients solve complex strategic and organizational issues and generate sustainable value. Nat’s approach is collaborative and contextual, blending his experience in knowledge management, social network analysis, alliance management, and business development. He believes that by understanding how to support and leverage the “knowledge worker” in today’s global enterprises, organizations can create meaningful work, engaged employees, and happy clients. Nat is a member of the CFAR Collaborations group, an active member of the Network Round Table at the University of Virginia, a Fellow with the Learning Innovations Laboratory at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and also holds an MBA from Harvard.
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Analysts

Will Connor, Analyst, recently graduated from Duke University where he majored in Public Policy and German Studies. As an undergraduate, Will worked for the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution and supported organizational development projects at Mulberry Tree Consulting in Chapel Hill, NC. Will is looking to translate his experience in conflict resolution into solving complex organizational problems in his work at CFAR.

 

Zoe Fuller-Young, Analyst, graduated from Bryn Mawr College where she majored in Political Science with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies. Before joining CFAR, Zoe was a Research Fellow for an international women's nonprofit. At CFAR, she hopes to explore issues in group psychology and diverging perceptions; specifically the way organizations design and accomplish mutual goals in structures with multiple interests.

 

Alex Libson, Senior Analyst, recently graduated from Davidson College with a degree in Psychology. After working with a start-up non-profit during the summers of ’05 and ’06, he developed an interest in the way organizations and their goals can develop and transform over time. Alex utilizes these and other interests in his work at CFAR.

 

Aaron Meyerson, Senior Analyst, graduated from Syracuse University where he majored in Anthropology and minored in Science, Technology and Society. Aaron has an interest in the dynamics of various social issues and how the involved parties may view a particular topic differently. Being able to differentiate between ‘an opinion of’ vs. ‘a solution to’ is crucial to accomplishing a specified goal. Aaron uses this objective analysis in his work at CFAR.

 

Heather Turnbach, Analyst, graduated from Ursinus College where she majored in Business and Economics and Media and Communications Studies. As an undergraduate she was active in journalism in several capacities, ranging from field reporting to editing. She has also worked in the corporate communication office of an international organization. An avid travel enthusiast, Heather is interested in conceptualizing and applying business strategy and communications tools, specifically through a global framework.

 

 

Support Staff

Cathy Brundage, External Relations Coordinator, has been with CFAR for more than 20 years, moving with the firm from its start at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School through its becoming a private firm. Cathy's role focuses on client and alumni relations at CFAR.

 

Mario Fontana, Communications Assistant and Office Manager, both oversees day-to-day operations in the Cambridge office and provides editorial support to CFAR’s consulting staff. He has a Bachelor’s in Journalism from Ithaca College and a Master’s degree in Leadership from Northeastern University. Before joining CFAR, Mario was an associate editor at Retail Systems Alert Group in Newton, MA and has done freelance work for the Burlington Free Press and Varsity New England Magazine. In his free time he works to help spinal cord injury victims through the Travis Roy Foundation in Boston. 

 

Nicole D. Fousheé, Accountant, works with the accounting department handling accounts receivable and accounts payable. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Drexel University.

 

Andrew Holowka, Senior IT Specialist, maintains the CFAR desktop computing platforms and network health. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in English with a concentration in Technical Writing from the University of Delaware.  Before coming to CFAR, Andrew worked as the IT Manager for a global, bulk gas manufacturer and distributor.

 

Mary Kelly, Chief Financial Officer, has worked at CFAR since 1992. Mary manages the daily financial systems at CFAR and is responsible for CFAR's employee benefits. She has recently led CFAR's implementation of an integrated online management tool, enabling CFAR to manage relationships both internally and externally. Mary has also served as pro-bono accountant for the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations (ISPSO). She has a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Widener University and has recently passed her CPA exam.

 

Karen Sandlin Silverman, Manager, Library Services, brings her library management and technology experience to CFAR's knowledge management initiative. She has managed various types of libraries, from a professional association to an elementary school. She has held numerous leadership positions in the Special Libraries Association, presented at national library association conferences, and serves on the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship editorial board. Recent project work includes helping a foundation library evaluate and refocus its priorities. Karen earned her Master's in Library and Information Science from Drexel.

 

Jamie Leigh Sims, Communications Coordinator, manages the editorial process at CFAR. She collaborates with staff and clients to bring their ideas to life. Jamie earned a Bachelor's in Journalism from Ball State University in graphics and visual editing. Her artistic and writing skills enhance the communication of complicated ideas and projects. Before coming to CFAR, Jamie worked as a freelance designer, editor and assistant to nationally known illustrators and photographers and as a Web designer.

 

Katharine Watts, Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the firm’s Management Committee. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the professional services industry and has won several awards for her work from the Society for Marketing Professional Services. She has worked for private firms and as a freelance writer and marketing consultant. She is an affiliate member of the Boston Society of Architects and a Trustee of the St. Botolph Club Foundation. She graduated from Oberlin College with a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Phi Beta Kappa, and from Oberlin Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance.

 

Consultants

Marcia Morris, JD, MPA, serves in an of counsel capacity and as a Senior Consultant to CFAR.  She is collaborating with CFAR’s consultants to expand the firm’s network among leaders of life science companies, health and hospital systems, foundations, research universities, and family and owner-led businesses.  She has more than 30 years experience in legal, strategic and operating roles at the executive level in large, complex enterprises in a range of industries—both for profit and not for profit —including the healthcare/life sciences industry.  In the not for profit arena, Marcia served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York, and New York Presbyterian Hospital.  Among several accomplishments, she led the process of merging Presbyterian and New York Hospital to form New York Presbyterian Hospital.  Marcia holds a JD from Boston University School of Law and an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.