“Our health system is messy and complex, but I embrace that part of it because I get the opportunity to bring order to pockets of chaos in valuable ways. In the messiness there is a sense of possibility that I find very appealing.”—Lindsey Alexander, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Lindsey is project director of Rippel’s FORESIGHT initiative, overseeing all aspects of its development and implementation. She contributes intervention portfolio expertise to the ReThink Health initiative’s Regional Portfolio Design project.

Career: Lindsey guided the ReThink Health initiative’s place-based partnership with Michigan’s THRIVE Health Initiative and served as financing content lead for Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project. She also co-authored and managed the development of Beyond the Grant: A Sustainable Financing Workbook. Previously, Lindsey led her own consulting practice for 10 years that focused on designing and implementing catalytic local processes. She was also an analyst with the City of Minneapolis finance department.

More about Lindsey: Lindsey loves to spend time with her husband and three kids and is learning to “enjoy” camping in Minnesota, where the (unofficial) state bird is the mosquito.

Education: University of Minnesota (MPP), Iowa State University (BA)

“At Rippel, we pursue an inspiring, yet daunting transformative agenda for equitable health and well-being; it’s about a lot more than health care. We’re willing to strategically tackle the big issues, but with a sober sense of what is doable.”—Ella D. Auchincloss, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2011

Current Roles: Ella is a key contributor to the ReThink Health initiative’s Hospital Systems in Transition and Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions projects.

Career: Ella has spearheaded many resident engagement efforts for Rippel’s ReThink Health initiative, coaching a wide variety of partner organizations and teams in change leadership, and developing Community Activation for System Stewardship, in which she and her team advised the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Quality Improvement Organization Leadership, Organizing in Action program. She also directed a research project exploring tax credits’ potential as a source of sustainable financing for population health. Before joining Rippel, she founded The Leadership Development Initiative, a faith-based teaching and coaching program for resident outreach. She is also a fellow of the Leading Change Network at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.  Prior to her work in resident engagement, Ella worked in the financial services sector.

More about Ella: In 2015, Ella was awarded the Barbara C. Harris Award for Social Justice by the Episcopal City Mission in Boston, Massachusetts for her founding of The Leadership Development Initiative. Ella is a recovering Wall Street professional, and is most at home in drafty church basements and other community settings, leading story slams and singing freedom songs. She is at her best when she is near the ocean in the company of her beloved dog.

Education: Harvard Divinity School (MTS), Babson College (BS)

“I love that Rippel emphasizes the great importance of community building and interconnectivity to overall health and well-being.”—Molly Belsky, Program Coordinator for FORESIGHT

Joined Rippel: 2019

Current Roles: Molly coordinates logistics and research for the many branches of the FORESIGHT team, and acts as a catch-all support system for the Implementation Team.

Career: Molly held a number of different roles before coming to Rippel, all with the same through line of fostering communication and empathy between groups of people. She taught middle school history and theatre for two years before working as a canvass director for Planned Parenthood—two jobs that bore a striking resemblance to each other in terms of helping people discover and articulate causes that they believe in. Her love of storytelling and human connection is what drives her in all endeavors.

More about Molly: As a formerly hour-plus commuter—as well as being generally uncomfortable with silence while she does things like cleaning the bathroom or cooking dinner—Molly regularly listens to many podcasts, on topics as broad as women in business and politics, and as narrow as Harry Potter being read as a sacred text.

Education: Trinity College (BA)

“I love that Rippel is a place where challenging the status quo is the status quo.”—Nina Burke, Senior Program Associate

Joined Rippel: 2016

Current Roles: Nina contributes design, content, project management, evaluation, and more to the ReThink Health initiative’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions and Amplifying Stewardship Together projects. She also plays a key role in developing and implementing Rippel’s internal organizational learning and evaluation function.

Career: Nina has coordinated, developed content for, and evaluated multiple projects for Rippel’s ReThink Health initiative, including advising the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) on distributed leadership and leadership transitions, Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project, and R&D. She contributed to the team that advised the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Quality Improvement Organization Leadership, Organizing in Action Program and developed Community Activation for System Stewardship. As part of a research project exploring tax credits’ potential as a source of sustainable financing for population health, she co-authored a paper for the National Academy of Medicine (2018). She previously was project manager of a homeless prevention and re-housing project for a Boston-area nonprofit.

More about Nina: Outside of her formal roles, Nina tries to keep up with the literature on alternative, just, and inclusive economies. In 2018, Nina volunteered on two successful cause campaigns to help lift Massachusetts individuals and families out of poverty. A proud generalist, Nina’s interests include yoga, rock climbing, traveling, and political organizing. Talk to her about anything from her love of public libraries and public transportation to why it’s taking her so long to learn French.

Education: Boston University (BS, MPH)

“Chickens like me can help stewards understand systems thinking, including how overreliance on investments in urgent services so often causes us to drop the ball on pursuing the vital conditions that are so necessary to real success in bringing about equitable health and well-being.”—Chicken

Joined Rippel: 2008

Current Role: At The Rippel Foundation, Chicken helps stewards think about their work to improve health and well-being, helping them see the difference between traditional thinking and systems thinking. Chicken is part of an exercise called “Group Juggle,” in which Rippel staff ask stewards (who are working together to transform the ecosystem that produces health and well-being in their region) to stand in a circle and maximize the number of balls in the air. The only rule is that each person must always throw the ball to the same person in an endless process. Stewards slowly get the hang of it and begin to make progress in improving their performance, and then there is a major breakdown as the team begins to drop balls as they reach their capacity and the whole exercise collapses completely. The game concludes when Rippel staff toss in Chicken, right at the time when the team’s performance has devolved enough to make the desired point.

At this time, Rippel asks stewards to reflect on their performance. They agree it was not stellar, and start talking about how they could improve if they were to try again. What usually happens is that stewards brainstorm, and then they decide to vote to identify the best course of action.

Their brainstorm focuses in on one or both of two bright, shiny objects that immediately come to mind as the cause of all their problems. The first is often a single person, usually the person who first gets the balls from the facilitator. This person represents a choke point because they see the most balls at the same time. They get blamed for being “bad” and in need of even more training than the rest of the team members. The second shiny object is Chicken. Chicken is thrown in at the end of the game as a bit of humor, but it also distracts from the real systemic problem driving the failure of the system. The team is quick to blame the chicken or the various balls for their poor performance. The team says that if they were to try again, they would recommend replacing people, training more, or changing up their response to Chicken. Then they vote, they do one of them, and they fail again.

Chicken finds great relief when Rippel staff then points out that maybe the team is using traditional thinking in how they look at the problem. When the stewards do a more in-depth system analysis, they uncover that something else was truly at fault. Individual team members, of their own accord, invariably drop balls, and they invariably decide to pick them up. This action of picking up the balls leaves them unavailable for catching balls—and the ultimate demise of the process occurs. A systemic approach can highlight this and allow for an entirely different intervention to be considered, avoiding the urge to pick up dropped balls and, instead, focusing on actually keeping the existing balls in the air. Chicken is proud and humbled to be a part of the stewards’ journey in bringing about health and well-being.

More About Chicken: In its spare time, Chicken is collaborating on an effort to “make classical music relevant to the modern generation through fun, humor, and simplicity.”

It is also helping families come together and have fun. People regularly invoke its full name, Rubber Chicken, to mock the food they are served at large conferences and weddings.

“Momentum is building in the movement toward a more equitable and sustainable future for health and well-being, which creates so many opportunities for collaboration and distributed leadership in all sectors—and at Rippel I get to bring that inspiration to action.”—Maggie Cooke, Strategic Partnerships Associate

Joined Rippel: 2016

Current Roles: Maggie Cooke provides Rippel with project management, grants administration, proposal development, and high-level support around the development and cultivation of new partners and emerging projects. Working side by side with Rippel President and CEO Laura Landy, Maggie has helped lead the significant fundraising and strategic partnerships efforts of FORESIGHT.

Career: As part of a research project exploring tax credits’ potential as a source of sustainable financing for population health, Maggie co-authored a paper for the National Academy of Medicine (2018). This work also earned her an award of distinction for her practicum project at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. Before joining Rippel, Maggie worked at Johnson & Johnson for 10 years, most recently as the senior executive assistant to the chief strategy and business transformation officer, and was a service coordinator at the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation before that, where she assisted residents by connecting them to critical resources in order to empower them in maintaining independent housing.

More about Maggie: Maggie enjoys living on the Delaware River with her family and is an active member of her community, participating in the Hunterdon County Anti-Racism Coalition, and serving on both the Frenchtown School Advisory Council and the Frenchtown Planning Board.

Education: Dartmouth College (MPH), University of Alaska Fairbanks (BA)

“My experience working in a part of Brooklyn where the life expectancy is 11 years shorter than in the neighboring Financial District—and infant mortality rates almost double NYC’s rate as a whole—made me want to change the system at the regional level to help improve these disparities.”—Anna Marie Creegan, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2014

Current Roles: Anna is project director of the ReThink Health initiative’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions project.

Career: Anna led design and implementation for Rippel’s enterprise-wide evaluation framework, and has contributed to many R&D and place-based projects for the ReThink Health initiative. She also led the development of an assessment tool to measure regional progress along ReThink Health’s Pathway for Transforming Regional Health. Anna has over ten years of experience working with local and international health efforts across the US and Latin America, including as program manager for Community Planning and Health at nonprofit Community Solutions, where she led a health impact assessment and developed plans for revitalization, sustainability, and care coordination.

More about Anna: Anna loves traveling and the outdoors—especially hiking and skiing in her native Colorado Rocky Mountains—and seeing her young children growing to love it as well.

Education: University of Denver (MA), Fordham University (BA)

“It’s an exciting time to be part of the movement to transform health and well-being—new approaches to multisector collaboration are emerging, stewards are sharing ideas, and many are beginning to unify around a shared purpose for their regions.”—Jane Erickson, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2013

Current Roles: Jane is project director of the ReThink Health initiative’s Amplifying Stewardship Together team. She also leads Rippel’s Organizational Learning and Evaluation team.

Career: Jane has worked with national philanthropies to advance social change for over a decade. Jane oversaw strategy and implementation of Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project (2016-2018), a large-scale project that advanced multisector stewardship approaches for health transformation. She also led numerous nation-wide research efforts to transform health, including the ReThink Health Pulse Check and research published in Health Affairs. Before that, Jane led Rippel’s communications and special projects with the executive team.

Prior to joining Rippel, she established and ran the grants department at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Jane has also conducted research and led efforts to build civic engagement across communities in the US and internationally, including as a Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia and with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, her undergraduate alma mater.

More about Jane: Jane played varsity lacrosse in college, which brought her out east from her home state of Colorado. One of her favorite guilty pleasures is watching science fiction television shows, especially Battlestar Galactica.

Education: Syracuse University (MPA, MAIR), Hobart and William Smith Colleges (BA)

“FORESIGHT has the potential to change how philanthropy does business to bring about a new future for health.”—Katy Evans Pritchard, Project Manager

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Katy is project manager of Rippel’s FORESIGHT initiative. In this role, she keeps things running on time and on budget by developing and overseeing workplans, managing the project budget, coordinating across the team and partners, and managing key meetings and events.

Career: Previously, Katy was senior program associate for Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project. She helped lead a collaborative and transparent process to articulate what was learned from the project and its significance for regional leaders and catalyzing organizations across the country. The products produced include toolkits to help leaders strengthen their resident engagement, public narrative, and value propositions—all critical for successful regional transformation efforts. Katy came to Rippel from the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, where she ran communications and programming for a large-scale project on institutional corruption.

More about Katy: Katy’s doctoral dissertation looks at the writings of a group of American women who lived, worked, and wrote from the Western Front during the First World War such as Elizabeth Shepley Sergeant, who reported on changing professional opportunities for women for The New Republic, before being severely injured on a tour of a French battlefield.

Education: Boston University (doctoral candidate), Kings College London (MA), Boston College (BA)

“The Rippel Foundation’s commitment to health equity and health innovation is amazing to be a part of—it influences the work I do in both my personal and professional life.”—Bethlihem Gebremedhin, Administrative Associate 

Joined Rippel: 2019 

Current Roles: Bethlihem provides high level support to two Rippel directors as well as managing the Cambridge office. She also helps to support the Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions team and the Communications team. 

Career: Bethlihem previously worked as an administrative/project specialist for the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She supported over five faculty members within the Therapeutics Research and Infectious Disease Epidemiology (TIDE) group, and provided administrative support for multiple project submissions. As an undergraduate, she majored in public health with a minor in afro-american studies. She is currently pursuing her masters in public health with a concentration in health services management and policy. 

More about Bethlihem: Bethlihem loves to read, and a few of her favorite authors include Toni Morrison, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Bell Hooks. She is extremely passionate about holistic health, traveling, and learning about different cultures. Her dream vacation destination is Bali, Indonesia. 

Education: University of Massachusetts Amherst (BS), Tufts University (MPH candidate)

“ReThinking is the most practical thing any of us can do to change the future. It helps us see where we fit in a common system and shifts our own roles as change agents within a dynamic and democratic world.”—Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy

Joined Rippel: 2011

Current Roles: Bobby directs Rippel’s work on System Strategy, is a member of Rippel’s Strategy and Management Team, and is a Visiting Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Bobby is a principal contributor to the ReThink Health initiative’s projects Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions and Amplifying Stewardship Together. He also leads a suite of nationwide influence activities and coordinates ongoing development of the ReThink Health Dynamics Model, the Well-Being Portfolio Design Calculator , and other simulation tools that let leaders play out the consequences of their scenarios for change. In 2018, Bobby and four co-authors wrote the official brief that defines “health and well-being” as the central focus for the Healthy People 2030 Framework for the United States.

Career: Before joining Rippel, Bobby spent 20 years planning and evaluating system-oriented initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was the principal architect of CDC’s framework for program evaluation. He received CDC’s Honor Award for Excellence in Innovation, the Applications Award from the System Dynamics Society, and Article of the Year awards for papers published in Health Affairs and Health Promotion Practice.

More about Bobby: Bobby once was a documentary filmmaker whose work was used by PBS to spotlight challenges of racism on college campuses. He also contributed storylines for The West Wing on how to get beyond zero-sum thinking when setting health priorities.

Education: Union Institute and University (PhD), Emory University (MPH), University of Michigan (BA)

“What’s most invigorating about Rippel is the passion and energy that everyone brings to the work, every day. It means we can do anything we set our minds to.”—Krishna Patel, Program Associate

Joined Rippel: 2016

Current Roles: Krishna provides critical support to Rippel’s FORESIGHT initiative and the ReThink Health initiative’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions project. She assists the FORESIGHT Advisory Committee and leads the process to choose and implement tools to support regional engagement. For the Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions team, she is a jane-of-all-trades, with contributions ranging from logistical support to project design and management. Living the philosophy of servant leadership, Krishna’s earnest, helpful approach has resulted in growth, positive responses, and better collaboration and outcomes for Rippel’s internal teams and external partners.

Career: Krishna previously supported Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project, and worked closely with its coaching staff to coordinate three of the participating sites (Central Oregon; Sonoma, CA; and Bernalillo County, NM). During her time at Northeastern University, she held several professional positions in its library system.

More about Krishna: Krishna found her studies in public health to be an intersection of her interest in science and her passion for social justice and service. She continues to foster that passion by volunteering at a local shelter that serves homeless and low-income women.

Education: Northeastern University (MPH, BS)

“After many years in international work, I find Rippel brings me to focus on the local issues around health and well-being, for a better future for all humanity—locally and internationally.”—Sarah Rial, Program Coordinator

Joined Rippel: 2017

Current Roles: Sarah provides Rippel’s staff with high-level support as program coordinator for Catalysts, Learning & Evaluation, Amplifying Stewardship Together, and Hospital Systems in Transition.

Career: Sarah was previously program director for the nonprofit My Sister’s Keeper and served as senior executive assistant at Management Sciences for Health. Sarah is founder and president of Global Partnership for Peace in South Sudan, which engages South Sudanese communities across the globe in working collectively for peace and social justice.

More about Sarah: Sarah has received numerous awards for her work as a community organizer, activist, and advocate, including the 2010 Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights. Her activist colleagues have described her as, “A warrior sister with a quiet wisdom.”

Education: The American University in Cairo (MA); University of Massachusetts (GradCert), University of Juba (BS)

“I believe that the health of communities is ultimately shaped by who is and isn’t at ‘the table.’ I’m excited to be part of a team that is boldly imagining a more equitable future while also developing tangible steps to take towards that future.”—Iueh Castro Soh, Project Manager

Joined Rippel: 2019

Current Roles: Iueh leads one of ReThink Health’s partnerships as part of the Hospital Systems in Transition project. He also contributes to ReThink Health’s Amplifying Stewardship Together project.

Career: Iueh cares about building healthy communities and developing leaders. He was previously a management consultant at Oliver Wyman where he advised C-suite executives in the provider, payer, and life science space. He focused primarily on helping health systems develop and pursue a population health strategy amid shifting competitive and reimbursement pressures. In 2018, he worked in the Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, a civic innovation team. There, he pioneered Rebuilding Together, an ongoing meeting group and advisory council that aims to develop returning citizen (formerly incarcerated) leaders and reshape their image in Boston. Iueh has also served as a volunteer community organizer on racial and economic justice campaigns in Oakland and Boston. At Rethink Health, he is currently authoring a report investigating the role of community organizing on shaping the role of local healthcare systems.

More about Iueh: Iueh loves to hunt for tasty street foods—especially tacos. You can often find him at a park playing pick-up basketball to decompress and get to know his neighbors.

Education: Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley (BS), Harvard University Kennedy School of Government (MPP)

“Our work is about how people and communities could reach their full potential for health and well-being. Not some people, but all the people. Not some communities, but all communities. This is what gets me excited about Rippel.”—Pedja Stojicic, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Pedja is project director for the ReThink Health initiative’s Hospital Systems in Transition project.

Career: Pedja previously led the ReThink Health’s initiative’s resident engagement work, including an R&D project that studied and documented how different organizations engage residents and communities to participate in health system transformation. He also served on the Community Activation for System Stewardship team that advised the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Quality Improvement Organization Leadership, Organizing in Action program. The research work that Pedja co-created with the Resident Engagement Team is published in a second edition of The Practical Playbook: Public Health and Primary Care Together published by the DeBeaumont Foundation, Center for Disease Control, and Duke University. Pedja is an advisory board member of the Leading Change Network, and he taught community organizing at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government with Professor Marshall Ganz, one of the ReThink Health pioneers. In the past, Pedja has served as president and executive director of Youth of JAZAS, a large Serbian NGO fighting HIV/AIDS, and as a World Bank Consultant to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia supporting health care financing reform. 

More about Pedja: Pedja describes himself as a radical optimist, which he practices whenever he organizes people to fight for social justice or prepares a cup of Ichibancha Japanese green tea for his partner. He has a passion for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods and flavors and is a big believer in community, science, and dogs (especially Jack Russell Terriers).

Education: University of Belgrade School of Medicine (MD), Harvard School of Public Health (MPH)

“Before joining Rippel, my work was confined to individual nutrition and health interventions with specific populations, funded solely by grants. At Rippel, I get to be part of work that breaks through the silos to help stewards move down the path towards sustainability—both of their finances and their mission.”—Katherine Wright, Senior Program Associate

Joined Rippel: 2016

Current Roles: Katherine leads the cross-coordination of Rippel’s three ReThink Health initiative project teams focused on jumpstarting transformative change, and provides high-level research and content support to ReThink Health’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions and Hospital Systems in Transition teams. She also continues to promote and present on Beyond the Grant: A Sustainable Financing Workbook (published in 2018).   

Career: Katherine previously worked on multiple sustainable financing and R&D projects for Rippel’s ReThink Health initiative, where she explored topics like social impact investing, resident engagement, and the potential of tax credits as a source of sustainable financing for population health. Notably, she co-authored Beyond the Grant: A Sustainable Financing Workbook. Katherine led the design of the workbook’s Financing Wizard that lets users create and practice the art of financial planning for their collaborative population health work. Before joining Rippel, Katherine coordinated and provided research and evaluation support for interventions focused on healthy eating, SNAP-ED, and women’s heart health with Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, and Michigan State University Extension. 

More about Katherine: Katherine was ranked second in the Indiana SkillsUSA Commercial Baking competition, which helped inspire her career path to health and nutrition work.

Education: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University (MS), Michigan State University (BS)

“I love that Rippel is a place where challenging the status quo is the status quo.”—Nina Burke, Senior Program Associate

Joined Rippel: 2016

Current Roles: Nina contributes design, content, project management, evaluation, and more to the ReThink Health initiative’s Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions and Amplifying Stewardship Together projects. She also plays a key role in developing and implementing Rippel’s internal organizational learning and evaluation function.

Career: Nina has coordinated, developed content for, and evaluated multiple projects for Rippel’s ReThink Health initiative, including advising the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) on distributed leadership and leadership transitions, Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project, and R&D. She contributed to the team that advised the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Quality Improvement Organization Leadership, Organizing in Action Program and developed Community Activation for System Stewardship. As part of a research project exploring tax credits’ potential as a source of sustainable financing for population health, she co-authored a paper for the National Academy of Medicine (2018). She previously was project manager of a homeless prevention and re-housing project for a Boston-area nonprofit.

More about Nina: Outside of her formal roles, Nina tries to keep up with the literature on alternative, just, and inclusive economies. In 2018, Nina volunteered on two successful cause campaigns to help lift Massachusetts individuals and families out of poverty. A proud generalist, Nina’s interests include yoga, rock climbing, traveling, and political organizing. Talk to her about anything from her love of public libraries and public transportation to why it’s taking her so long to learn French.

Education: Boston University (BS, MPH)

“It’s an exciting time to be part of the movement to transform health and well-being—new approaches to multisector collaboration are emerging, stewards are sharing ideas, and many are beginning to unify around a shared purpose for their regions.”—Jane Erickson, Project Director

Joined Rippel: 2013

Current Roles: Jane is project director of the ReThink Health initiative’s Amplifying Stewardship Together team. She also leads Rippel’s Organizational Learning and Evaluation team.

Career: Jane has worked with national philanthropies to advance social change for over a decade. Jane oversaw strategy and implementation of Rippel’s ReThink Health Ventures project (2016-2018), a large-scale project that advanced multisector stewardship approaches for health transformation. She also led numerous nation-wide research efforts to transform health, including the ReThink Health Pulse Check and research published in Health Affairs. Before that, Jane led Rippel’s communications and special projects with the executive team.

Prior to joining Rippel, she established and ran the grants department at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Jane has also conducted research and led efforts to build civic engagement across communities in the US and internationally, including as a Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia and with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, her undergraduate alma mater.

More about Jane: Jane played varsity lacrosse in college, which brought her out east from her home state of Colorado. One of her favorite guilty pleasures is watching science fiction television shows, especially Battlestar Galactica.

Education: Syracuse University (MPA, MAIR), Hobart and William Smith Colleges (BA)

“The Rippel Foundation’s commitment to health equity and health innovation is amazing to be a part of—it influences the work I do in both my personal and professional life.”—Bethlihem Gebremedhin, Administrative Associate 

Joined Rippel: 2019 

Current Roles: Bethlihem provides high level support to two Rippel directors as well as managing the Cambridge office. She also helps to support the Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions team and the Communications team. 

Career: Bethlihem previously worked as an administrative/project specialist for the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She supported over five faculty members within the Therapeutics Research and Infectious Disease Epidemiology (TIDE) group, and provided administrative support for multiple project submissions. As an undergraduate, she majored in public health with a minor in afro-american studies. She is currently pursuing her masters in public health with a concentration in health services management and policy. 

More about Bethlihem: Bethlihem loves to read, and a few of her favorite authors include Toni Morrison, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Bell Hooks. She is extremely passionate about holistic health, traveling, and learning about different cultures. Her dream vacation destination is Bali, Indonesia. 

Education: University of Massachusetts Amherst (BS), Tufts University (MPH candidate)

“It’s a privilege to work with such a passionate, committed group of people who aren’t afraid to take bold steps towards transforming our health system.”—Kimberly Hines Hart, Corporate Counsel

Joined Rippel: 2014

Current Roles: Kim is responsible for leading all legal matters for Rippel, which includes negotiating and managing contracts, providing guidance on intellectual property, data privacy, and other issues, as well as advising the strategy and management team on legal risks.

Career: Since joining Rippel, Kim has been integral in bringing awareness of different legal risks to the strategy and management team, and implementing infrastructures to manage and minimize those risks. Kim spent six years as a litigation associate with McCarter & English in Newark after clerking for the Hon. Herbert Friend in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Post 9/11 when tensions were high, Kim argued and won an international parenting time issue at the New Jersey Appellate Division on behalf of her client who wished to exercise his visitation rights in the Middle East (see Abouzahr v. Matera Abouzahr).

More about Kim: For more than five years, Kim served on the board of trustees, including as co-president, for her children’s schools, and continues to do other volunteer work in her community. Kim is an amateur photographer who always has a camera with her (even if it’s just her iPhone), and whose work has recently been exhibited in three galleries.

Education: Wake Forest School of Law (JD), Boston University (BS and BA)

“It is gratifying to work for such a passionate organization and help lay the groundwork for our team to succeed.”—Jane Novak, Finance Associate

Joined Rippel: 2014

Current Roles: Jane is responsible for managing Rippel’s payroll, investments, payables, receivables, and other financial transactions.

Career: Jane has two decades of experience as an accountant for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She worked in the manufacturing industry as well as real estate. Her nonprofit experience includes nine years with the Easter Seal Society of New Jersey.

More about Jane: Jane was born in St. Petersburg, and is fluent in Russian. She loves animals both great and small, and is obsessed with tiny tea cup dogs.

Education: Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (BS)

“With our team blazing so many trails, there are a lot of balls in the air. I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to keep the juggling calm and enjoyable.”—Farida O’Neill, Executive Associate

Joined Rippel: 2017

Current Roles: Farida provides executive support to Rippel’s President and CEO Laura Landy, and also supports staff and key initiatives in a variety of ways, including serving as the organization’s first point-of-contact and assisting with multiple projects, meetings, conferences, and workshops.

Career: Farida worked for 25 years as an executive and legal assistant in the pharmaceutical industry, where she supported high-level executives and served as liaison for their direct reports.

More about Farida: Her love for animals has driven Farida to rescue and care for cats, dogs, foxes, birds, rabbits, and turtles—as she often says, “nothing can make my heart smile more than to see an animal in need happy again.”

“I’m pleased to support Rippel teams so they can efficiently and effectively do important work, especially in helping regional partners accelerate the transformation of their health ecosystems.”—Ed Rosen, IT Contractor

Joined Rippel: 2014

Current Roles: As president of ROLE services, Ed provides Rippel with information technology consulting. He develops, customizes, maintains, and improves information systems that are capable of supporting Rippel’s rapidly expanding portfolio.

Career: Previously, Ed held a variety of leadership positions at global medical technology company Becton, Dickinson & Co. in a wide variety of disciplines, including product development, manufacturing, customer service, and quality assurance.

More about Ed: Ed holds eight patents for medical products, such as insulin syringe and pen needle designs. He enjoys traveling to Europe with his wife to taste wines, particularly in France, where he lived, worked, and enjoyed himself for four years.

Education: Farleigh Dickinson University (MBA), Rutgers University (BS)

“I’m proud to support the entire Rippel team and its projects by making budgeting and other administrative processes smooth, freeing everyone up to focus on making an impact on health and well-being.”—Audrey Wells, Director of Finance and Administration

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Audrey leads Rippel’s financial and investment activities, including budgeting, financial planning and analysis, compliance, grants, contracts, and accounting. She also oversees Rippel’s human resources function as well as its information technology and facilities operations.

Career: Recently at Rippel, Audrey created a simple framework for budget proposals and monitoring project costs, which upgraded their consistency and completeness and allowed project staff to maintain a hands-on understanding of—and accountability for—project spending. Before joining Rippel, Audrey was CFO at Cornerstone Family Programs, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, where she played a significant role in the acquisition of another agency, procurement of grants and new contracts, and procedure streamlining. Audrey’s 30 years of experience also includes positions in accounting, finance, and audit with Customized Distribution Services, Lever Brothers Company, and Ernst & Young.

More about Audrey: In her spare time, Audrey is a dedicated singer. She has performed for 15 years in a mixed a cappella quartet, singing everything from barbershop, to doo-wop, to modern popular music. She’s also in a local community chorus (and serves as its treasurer).

Education: Binghamton University (BS)

“I am the latest in a long line of attorneys from our firm to be involved in The Rippel Foundation. We have been privileged to honor the legacy and wishes of our founder Julius E. Rippel, and in doing so, to help to improve life in the United States by assisting others to have better health, better care, and lower costs.”—Edward W. Ahart, JD (Chair)

Mr. Ahart was elected to The Rippel Foundation Board of Trustees in 2010. He currently serves as chair of corporate and nonprofit practice groups in the law firm of Schenk, Price, Smith & King LLP in Florham Park, New Jersey, previously having served as the firm’s chairman, and as its managing partner and chair of its Management Committee for nearly twenty years.

Mr. Ahart has extensive experience in business counseling, having represented a wide range of corporate and nonprofit entities, and is a frequent speaker on corporate governance, transactional, and financing matters. He has had numerous community leadership positions including as chair of the Lafayette College Board of Trustees, chair of the Board of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey. After graduating with honors from Lafayette College in 1969, Mr. Ahart attended the Cornell Law School—receiving his law degree in 1972—and served as law secretary to the Honorable Joseph Halpern, Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

“There is tremendous room for improvement in health care and broader health and well-being. I love Rippel because we have both an amazing team and the freedom to focus on high-leverage initiatives through which we can shape the field.” —Elliott S. Fisher, MD, MPH

Dr. Fisher was elected to The Rippel Foundation Board of Trustees in 2011. He is director of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and the John E. Wennberg Distinguished Professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Fisher’s groundbreaking research focuses on advancing the understanding of the causes of the dramatic differences in spending and quality observed across US regions and health care systems, and identifying opportunities to improve health system performance. He has long been active in national health care reform initiatives and was one of the originators of the now widely implemented policy approach to doing so—accountable care organizations.

Dr. Fisher has served on major national committees and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Washington, where he also was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and received his Master’s in Public Health. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and editorials.

“I was attracted to The Rippel Foundation’s unique combination of the aspirational—transforming health and well-being to offer more equitable opportunities—with the pragmatic—figuring out how to pay for it.” —Michael W. Harris

Mr. Harris was elected to The Rippel Foundation Board of Trustees in 2017. He is a managing Director and chief marketing officer of PFM Asset Management, where he oversees the firm’s strategic market development efforts and serves as a member of PFM’s Board of Directors. Mr. Harris is a nationally recognized expert in the structuring and procurement of financial products and has advised a number of governmental and not-for-profit entities on the development of investment management strategies for grant funds, tax-exempt bond proceeds, and other operational and reserve funds.

Mr. Harris has served as a career coach for the National Urban Fellows Leadership Conference and has guest lectured at events for Baruch College of the City University of New York and Spelman College. Mr. Harris has served in leadership positions on community and industry boards and interest groups working on educational and career opportunities for underprivileged students and access to healthcare for underserved populations. Mr. Harris is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Economics and Political Science.

“Many of us at Rippel have always sensed there must be a better way. Together, we can find that way, and overcome the barriers to actually reach a healthier future for all.”—Laura Landy, President and CEO; Trustee

Joined Rippel: 2007

Current Roles: As Rippel’s president and CEO, Laura steers the organization’s vision and strategic direction. She gathers the right people and leads them in creating and guiding groundbreaking initiatives like ReThink Health and FORESIGHT. Laura has continually expanded Rippel’s vision and mission step-by-step, inspired by J.S. Rippel’s own writings from over 60 years ago. With her leadership, the foundation has shifted from being a small grantmaker bringing about micro-level impacts to pioneering the transformation of health and well-being across the nation.

Career: A Rippel board trustee since 1998, Laura began her career as a grantmaker for federal poverty and unemployment funds, and subsequently worked with the Ford Foundation, Pfizer, Bell Labs, and New Jersey’s public health system—notably designing an integrated medical system for the city of Newark. She also built strategic plans for organizations like Delphi University and the YMCA as president of her own consulting firm, Applied Concepts. She created the Institute for Nonprofit Entrepreneurship at NYU’s Stern School of Business (the only such program at any business school), where she also taught and served as associate director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She has also been a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon, the New School, and Fairleigh Dickinson. Laura serves as a trustee of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a board member of Grantmakers in Health.

More About Laura: Laura is passionate about the impact of trends on work and life; she’s perpetually curious about how the world is changing, and how we can prepare for it.

Education: New York University (MBA), Washington University in St. Louis (BA), University of California Berkeley (Certificate in Urban Education)

“Being a part of The Rippel Foundation is a highlight of my day! The cutting edge thinking that the group does to solve our nation’s health system woes is amazing. I always come away from our Board meetings believing that if anyone can achieve this goal, it’s the team at Rippel and the organizations they partner with.”—James R. Sonneborn, CFP®, CFA, CDFA, MBA

Mr. Sonneborn was elected to The Rippel Foundation Board of Trustees in 2017. He is a partner and wealth advisor at RegentAtlantic, a financial and wealth management company, where he specializes in providing financial advice to nonprofits. He has previously held financial management positions with the US Trust Company of New York (Florham Park), Wachovia Bank, Chase Manhattan, SLH Asset Management, and Mellon Bank.

Mr. Sonneborn is currently on the Investment Committee of Jersey Battered Women’s Service, and the Finance Committee for Preschool Advantage; he was previously a member of the boards of both organizations, and chaired those respective committees as a board member. He was also previously a board member and president for the Estate Planning Council of Northern New Jersey. Deeply committed to his community, Sonneborn has been on the boards of a number of organizations in northern New Jersey and provided pro bono financial counseling at area women’s agencies. Mr. Sonneborn holds a BA in Business from Western State College of Colorado and an MBA in Finance from Drexel University.

“There is an urgent need for the transformation of our health system. Rippel has had a long-term commitment to exploring the frontiers of health system innovation, testing those innovations in practical health settings, and sharing them as broadly as possible.”—David S. Surrenda

Dr. Surrenda was elected to The Rippel Foundation Board of Trustees in 2007. He is director of The Leadership Edge, a consulting firm that works creatively with leaders to generate sustainable solutions to complex organizational challenges. As a licensed psychologist, he has been engaged in executive-level, organizational consultation and coaching with health systems, business, government, and education for 30 years. He also recently served as the CEO of the Kripalu Center.

Dr. Surrenda is the founder of the Graduate School of Holistic Studies at John F. Kennedy University, where he developed the first accredited graduate program in holistic health education. He served as the co-CEO of a training and research corporation, developing innovations in conflict resolution and crisis intervention. He also served as the executive director of The Natural Step, an environmental organization that provides consultation to major industries about the efficient utilization of natural resources as part of a strategy for business development. He is the co-author of three books.

“Communications makes a movement loud, by putting everyone who is a part of it in the position to confidently use their voice to spread change. At Rippel, we are increasing our capacity to make bold, new, and often very complex thinking and action accessible for pioneering stewards working to transform health and well-being”—Kim Farris-Berg, Director of Communications

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Kim directs Rippel’s Communications Team, leading the design and execution of strategic communications for Rippel and its initiatives. She and her team are advancing Rippel’s capacities in storytelling, visual design for understanding, traditional and new media, and the principles of movement-building and strategic leadership.

Career: Kim was a senior project director of Rippel’s sustainable financing team and was a contributing author and creative developer of Beyond the Grant: A Sustainable Financing Workbook. Before joining Rippel she spent 18 years as a strategy consultant with an array of clients, including the Center for Policy Studies and The McKnight Foundation.

Kim is lead author of Trusting Teachers with School Success and co-creator of the Teacher-Powered School Initiative, which formed the foundation for a growing movement of teachers who design and run their public schools. A frequent keynote speaker and writer, Kim’s work has been published and acknowledged in many outlets including PBS NewsHour, US News, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Stanford Social Innovation Review, American Educator, Kappan Magazine, Huffington Post, and more.

More about Kim: A firm believer that not all wanderers are lost, Kim’s greatest love is camping with her family—and enjoying the quite solitude of the sunrise while they sleep in. She is game for anything involving creative design, from furniture to costumes!

Education: University of Minnesota (MPP), University of San Diego (BA)

“Many of us at Rippel have always sensed there must be a better way. Together, we can find that way, and overcome the barriers to actually reach a healthier future for all.”—Laura Landy, President and CEO; Trustee

Joined Rippel: 2007

Current Roles: As Rippel’s president and CEO, Laura steers the organization’s vision and strategic direction. She gathers the right people and leads them in creating and guiding groundbreaking initiatives like ReThink Health and FORESIGHT. Laura has continually expanded Rippel’s vision and mission step-by-step, inspired by J.S. Rippel’s own writings from over 60 years ago. With her leadership, the foundation has shifted from being a small grantmaker bringing about micro-level impacts to pioneering the transformation of health and well-being across the nation.

Career: A Rippel board trustee since 1998, Laura began her career as a grantmaker for federal poverty and unemployment funds, and subsequently worked with the Ford Foundation, Pfizer, Bell Labs, and New Jersey’s public health system—notably designing an integrated medical system for the city of Newark. She also built strategic plans for organizations like Delphi University and the YMCA as president of her own consulting firm, Applied Concepts. She created the Institute for Nonprofit Entrepreneurship at NYU’s Stern School of Business (the only such program at any business school), where she also taught and served as associate director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. She has also been a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon, the New School, and Fairleigh Dickinson. Laura serves as a trustee of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a board member of Grantmakers in Health.

More About Laura: Laura is passionate about the impact of trends on work and life; she’s perpetually curious about how the world is changing, and how we can prepare for it.

Education: New York University (MBA), Washington University in St. Louis (BA), University of California Berkeley (Certificate in Urban Education)

“ReThinking is the most practical thing any of us can do to change the future. It helps us see where we fit in a common system and shifts our own roles as change agents within a dynamic and democratic world.”—Bobby Milstein, Director of System Strategy

Joined Rippel: 2011

Current Roles: Bobby directs Rippel’s work on System Strategy, is a member of Rippel’s Strategy and Management Team, and is a Visiting Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Bobby is a principal contributor to the ReThink Health initiative’s projects Portfolio Design for Healthier Regions and Amplifying Stewardship Together. He also leads a suite of nationwide influence activities and coordinates ongoing development of the ReThink Health Dynamics Model, the Well-Being Portfolio Design Calculator , and other simulation tools that let leaders play out the consequences of their scenarios for change. In 2018, Bobby and four co-authors wrote the official brief that defines “health and well-being” as the central focus for the Healthy People 2030 Framework for the United States.

Career: Before joining Rippel, Bobby spent 20 years planning and evaluating system-oriented initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was the principal architect of CDC’s framework for program evaluation. He received CDC’s Honor Award for Excellence in Innovation, the Applications Award from the System Dynamics Society, and Article of the Year awards for papers published in Health Affairs and Health Promotion Practice.

More about Bobby: Bobby once was a documentary filmmaker whose work was used by PBS to spotlight challenges of racism on college campuses. He also contributed storylines for The West Wing on how to get beyond zero-sum thinking when setting health priorities.

Education: Union Institute and University (PhD), Emory University (MPH), University of Michigan (BA)

“I’m proud to support the entire Rippel team and its projects by making budgeting and other administrative processes smooth, freeing everyone up to focus on making an impact on health and well-being.”—Audrey Wells, Director of Finance and Administration

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Audrey leads Rippel’s financial and investment activities, including budgeting, financial planning and analysis, compliance, grants, contracts, and accounting. She also oversees Rippel’s human resources function as well as its information technology and facilities operations.

Career: Recently at Rippel, Audrey created a simple framework for budget proposals and monitoring project costs, which upgraded their consistency and completeness and allowed project staff to maintain a hands-on understanding of—and accountability for—project spending. Before joining Rippel, Audrey was CFO at Cornerstone Family Programs, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, where she played a significant role in the acquisition of another agency, procurement of grants and new contracts, and procedure streamlining. Audrey’s 30 years of experience also includes positions in accounting, finance, and audit with Customized Distribution Services, Lever Brothers Company, and Ernst & Young.

More about Audrey: In her spare time, Audrey is a dedicated singer. She has performed for 15 years in a mixed a cappella quartet, singing everything from barbershop, to doo-wop, to modern popular music. She’s also in a local community chorus (and serves as its treasurer).

Education: Binghamton University (BS)

“Communications makes a movement loud, by putting everyone who is a part of it in the position to confidently use their voice to spread change. At Rippel, we are increasing our capacity to make bold, new, and often very complex thinking and action accessible for pioneering stewards working to transform health and well-being”—Kim Farris-Berg, Director of Communications

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Kim directs Rippel’s Communications Team, leading the design and execution of strategic communications for Rippel and its initiatives. She and her team are advancing Rippel’s capacities in storytelling, visual design for understanding, traditional and new media, and the principles of movement-building and strategic leadership.

Career: Kim was a senior project director of Rippel’s sustainable financing team and was a contributing author and creative developer of Beyond the Grant: A Sustainable Financing Workbook. Before joining Rippel she spent 18 years as a strategy consultant with an array of clients, including the Center for Policy Studies and The McKnight Foundation.

Kim is lead author of Trusting Teachers with School Success and co-creator of the Teacher-Powered School Initiative, which formed the foundation for a growing movement of teachers who design and run their public schools. A frequent keynote speaker and writer, Kim’s work has been published and acknowledged in many outlets including PBS NewsHour, US News, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Stanford Social Innovation Review, American Educator, Kappan Magazine, Huffington Post, and more.

More about Kim: A firm believer that not all wanderers are lost, Kim’s greatest love is camping with her family—and enjoying the quite solitude of the sunrise while they sleep in. She is game for anything involving creative design, from furniture to costumes!

Education: University of Minnesota (MPP), University of San Diego (BA)

“The good work Rippel does to improve health and well-being drives me to make our messages visually effective and cohesive so everyone can easily absorb them.”—Bradley Girard, Senior Creative

Joined Rippel: 2017

Current Roles: Brad leads visual branding as well as visual identity and messaging as part of Rippel’s Communications Team. He designs visuals to make complex concepts easier for all to understand.

Career: Brad has provided Rippel with branding and visual design support for years as principal of his own award-winning boutique agency. In his 28 years as a professional designer, photographer, and marketer, Brad has worked with a variety of large brands—including Kaiser Permanente, Toshiba, Verio Healthcare, and the San Francisco 49ers—and received multiple international awards for design, print, and marketing.

More about Brad: Brad serves on portfolio review boards for AIGA, Cal State Fullerton, and Chapman University, mentoring students as they ready themselves for professional careers. Most weekends, Brad can be found cheering on his daughter’s club court and beach volleyball teams. On his off-time he and his family love to relax on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

“Rippel is solutions-oriented; for instance, instead of lamenting the lack of funds and resources for health and well-being, we find streams that already exist and just need to be unlocked, redirected, and approached creatively—and then we spread the word about them.”—Amanda McIntosh, Senior Communications Associate

Joined Rippel: 2015

Current Roles: Amanda manages Rippel’s editorial and visual production as well as its social media efforts. She also leads Rippel’s work to measure its outreach effectiveness and serves as a member of FORESIGHT‘s Implementation Team.

Career: Amanda has provided critical research, design, and project management support to national-level Rippel projects, including the Convening of Catalysts leadership group that brings together health system transformation trailblazers.  As part of a ReThink Health initiative project exploring tax credits’ potential as a source of sustainable financing for population health, she co-authored a paper for the National Academy of Medicine (2018) and contributed greatly to advancing high-level conversation and interest in the topic via various platforms and mediums. Amanda formerly worked to support nationwide programs and outreach campaigns for consumer health advocacy organizations, serving as program associate to Community Catalyst’s Roadmaps to Health project and as statewide coordinator at Health Care For All.

More about Amanda: Amanda grew up on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, not as a summer resident, but as a third-generation “year-rounder.” She had some of the same teachers that had taught her father when he went through the island’s school system, decades before. On a recent visit, she found a rare fossilized Megalodon tooth.

Education: Drexel University (MPH), College of Charleston (BA)