Kenneth W. Dion RN, MSN/MBA, Founder and CEO, has over 30 years of service to the healthcare industry and has always maintained a focus on influencing the quality of patient care. Kenneth's wide-ranging experiences as a firefighter/paramedic, emergency room nurse, healthcare IT consultant, healthcare management educator and entrepreneur have all served to deepen his understanding of the regulatory, educational, employment and budgetary challenges facing today's healthcare organizations.
Before founding Decision Critical, Kenneth was account executive for the flagship client of Houston-based healthcare and IT consultancy Insource Management Group' (IMG), where he led a $10 million project implementing the healthcare industry's first high-availability clinical data repository in 1998.
Kenneth's passion and dedication to his profession have led to numerous awards, including The National Student Nurses’ Association’s Honorary Member Award, The University of Central Florida’s Professional Achievement Award for the College of Health and Public Affairs, the Florida Nurses' Association's "Nurses Who Made a Difference" award, the Austin Business Journal's Healthcare Hero award, induction into the Blue Ridge Institute for services to the non-profit sector and Sigma Theta Tau the International Nursing Honor Society. He is currently the sits on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association serving as Treasurer.
David Mehok, MBA, Chief Financial Officer, brings significant financial management expertise to Decision Critical. As a Director with Dell Computer Corporation, David is intimately familiar with all aspects of financial and cash management. His position at Dell has afforded him the opportunity to develop relationships in international technology markets. He is a recognized expert in the area of pricing model development. Prior to joining Dell, David was an equity analyst in the investment banking industry.
Richard Fletcher, MBA, Vice President of Operations, is a results-oriented leader whose 16 years of professional experience spans multiple disciplines including eBusiness, operations, marketing, process and productivity improvement and sales.
Prior to joining Decision Critical, Richard worked for the 3M Company in the Communication Markets division where he most recently held the position of Six Sigma Black Belt. During his tenure at 3M he was instrumental in leading the development of the divisional global eBusiness strategy, including the launch and management of Intranet, Internet and Extranet programs. Richard brings to Decision Critical an outstanding customer focus, a wealth of eBusiness experience and a strong process-based approach.
Daniel M. Foster, Vice President of Technology, relies on more than 19 years of IT experience as a programmer, designer, developer, architect and manager of enterprise-level computer applications to ensure the stability, usability, and innovation that Decision Critical clients have come to expect. He has designed and developed Internet-based applications since the inception of the Web, including some of the earliest implementations of on-line legal document transmission for the electric and telecommunications utility industries.
Before joining Decision Critical, Dan worked as a Dell Computer Company manager, led the development of a very successful web-based financial services application for Financial Federal Credit, Inc., designed a patented long-distance telecommunications rate optimization system, and provided IT consulting and services to numerous clients from 3M to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Dan brings a wealth of web-based marketing and e-Commerce experience and a customer first approach to Decision Critical's technical team.
Emma J. Tuel, Vice President of Client Relations, is a successful business professional with a background in management, business operations and customer relationship management.
Prior to joining Decision Critical, Emma worked with IBM where she managed the strategic relationship for IBM’s Software Group with Fortune 500 companies. During her seven year tenure at IBM she worked with many Fortune 500 accounts. Emma worked in several management positions for Utilicorp United, Inc. in Kansas City before joining IBM. Emma brings to Decision Critical a wealth of management experience and significant industry relationships.
Gary E. Rust, Vice President of Sales, has over 14 years of professional experience in healthcare and life sciences. At Decision Critical, he leads the national sales team with responsibility of building and developing strong campaign strategies backed by Decision Critical’s proven ability to deliver on exceptional customer service. Gary also explores strategic partnership opportunities that will position Decision Critical for long-term growth.
Prior to joining Decision Critical, Gary worked for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals where he held multiple leadership positions. During his tenure at Wyeth, Gary accomplished continuous product growth and profitability, while at the same time developing new product opportunities. Gary’s experience brings a wealth of healthcare experience and a focused customer-driven approach to Decision Critical. His personal drive and commitment to improving healthcare delivery through the optimization of today's healthcare technology make him a natural fit for the Decision Critical team.
Amanda LeBlanc, Director of Marketing, has over 14 years in healthcare and technology marketing and communications experience. Amanda is charged with building awareness and growth of the Decision Critical brand and its products through strategic development and execution of marketing campaigns, programs and communications. In her role, she is responsible for messaging, branding, collateral, web marketing, advertising, and product launch activities.
Prior to joining Decision Critical, Amanda served as the Marketing Director for Healthlink Incorporated. Amanda’s experience includes corporate communications, public relations, branding and positioning, sales tool development and support, market research, event planning and promotional materials.
Board of Advisors
Decision Critical is additionally supported strategically by the wealth of experience and expertise of these individuals in industry and academia:
Lloyd Arrow
E-Commerce Business Development Director, Microsoft Corporation
Martin Estill
CEO, Emlogis Inc.
David Finn
Former CIO, Texas Children’s Hospital
Diane Mancino, EdD, RN, CAE
Executive Director, National Student Nurses' Association
Betty Skaggs, RN, PhD
Director of Learning Center, College of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin
Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN
President of The Wise Group and Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
