Charlie Krozek, MN, RN, FAAN
Managing Partner
For almost three decades, Charlie Krozek has been devoted to improving the quality of patient care as a clinician, preceptor, mentor, educator, administrator, and entrepreneur. Early in his career, he recognized the critical need for improving retention of RNs, particularly among new graduates where turnover rates were tremendous and posed direct risk to a hospital’s mission of providing quality patient care. In 1999, while serving as Executive Director of Education and Research at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Mr. Krozek lead the creation of an outcome-based RN residency pilot to support the transition of new graduates into the workplace and to improve retention rates. As a result, new graduate nurse turnover was reduced from 36% to 8% at twelve months and from 56% to 16% at 24 months; and, when compared to comparison group participants with two years experience, the residents of the program demonstrated comparable or better outcomes in skills competency and self-confidence.
The success of the CHLA residency program underscored the need for a national residency. Mr. Krozek tirelessly educated and influenced public agencies and private donors and secured $4.5 million in funding for continued development and replication of the program. In 2004, he founded Versant®, a corporation with the mission to provide the Versant RN Residency® to hospitals nationwide. By August, 2010, the Versant RN Residency had been adopted by more than 80 hospitals nationwide, and more than 7500 new graduate nurses had completed the RN Residency. Hospitals implementing the Versant RN Residency have seen their first-year new graduate turnover decline from an average of 30% to under 7%. Even more important, the five-year cumulative new graduate turnover has averaged 39%, only slightly more than many clients’ first-year new graduate turnover prior to implementing the Versant RN Residency.
Coupled with the Versant RN Residency, Mr. Krozek oversaw the development of a web-based technology, entitled Voyager®, to manage all aspects of the Versant RN Residency. This innovative approach to merging technology and outreach training efforts was recognized with an award from the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG).
Mr. Krozek received his bachelor’s of science degree in nursing and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Humboldt State University and his master’s degree in nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and received the Association of California Nurse Leaders’ award for Excellence in Advancement of Clinical Practice in 2005 in recognition of his significant contribution to nursing education and research.
Mr. Krozek is a nationally recognized expert and spokesman in the transition of new graduate nurses as evidenced by publications in peer reviewed journals, conference presentations, and media articles. Mr. Krozek recently co-authored two chapters in the book 101 Global Leadership Lessons for Nurses: Shared Legacies From Leaders and Their Mentors with Versant colleagues - The New Graduate RN Residency: Effectively Transitioning the Novice Nurse Into Today’s Complex Healthcare Environment (with Larissa Africa) and Negotiation II: Strategies to Reach Desired Outcomes (with Cherilyn Ashlock).
Michael L. Carman, JD, MBA, AB
Managing Partner
Michael Carman is a business leader with over 27 years experience as a business executive and advisor in the aerospace, health care, pharmaceutical, automation, and process industries.
Mr. Carman is a graduate of Cornell University Law School, the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, and Bowdoin College. He has served as President of Invensys Process Systems, and as Vice President and General Manager of several AlliedSignal and Honeywell Subsidiaries, including Avionics and Turbocharging Systems. During his 10 year association with the management consulting firm Arthur D. Little, Inc. Mr. Carman played a significant role in leadership of the firm's domestic and international business in addition to his professional consulting activities.
In 2001, after leaving the corporate world, Mr. Carman formed The Telemetry Group, LLC (TTG) in order to assist not-for-profit organizations. He first met Mr. Krozek and learned of Versant as a direct result of his work with TTG. Along with Mr. Krozek, he wrote the original business plan which provided the pathway to taking CHLA's internal, departmental-based residency program outside of CHLA and making it available to hospitals nationwide. He advised CHLA leadership on the formation of Versant Advantage, Inc. (Advantage) in 2004 and served as Advantage's pro bono chairman from its inception until 2008. In 2009, Mr. Krozek and Mr. Carman formed Versant Holdings, LLC in order to continue Versant's mission to enhance patient safety through developing and sustaining professional nursing organizations. Mr. Carman feels privileged to be part of an organization such as Versant.
Larissa A. Africa, MBA, BSN, RN
Vice President
Larissa Africa began her career at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in 1999 as an RN resident in the very first cohort to participate in the RN Residency in Pediatrics at CHLA. Ms. Africa’s clinical experience includes caring for children with renal, cardiac, and GI diseases. During her work as a clinical nurse, Ms. Africa also served as a preceptor and as a resource for the staff. In addition, she was involved in several unit-based committees. In 2001, she became the curriculum coordinator for the CHLA RN Residency in Pediatrics. She was quickly promoted to manager of the CHLA RN Residency in Pediatrics in 2002. In 2003, Ms. Africa contributed to the design and development of the initial RN Residency Web portal, which has since then evolved to become Versant Voyager®. Ms. Africa joined Versant in 2004.
Ms. Africa has presented as a speaker at several National Conferences, including the Society of Pediatric Nurses. She is an active member of the Nu Mu chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, having served as the chapter President and in other board member positions.
Ms Africa completed her master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare management at the University of Phoenix. Her most recent publication, co-authored with Charlie Krozek, is a chapter in the book 101 Global Leadership Lessons for Nurses: Shared Legacies From Leaders and Their Mentors - The New Graduate RN Residency: Effectively Transitioning the Novice Nurse Into Today’s Complex Healthcare Environment. Ms. Africa leads Versant’s Performance and Outcomes Management team, working with clients nationwide to provide the Versant RN Residency.
Jane Olson, RN
Assistant Vice President, Service Delivery
Jane Olson joined Versant as the Director of Technologies Integration in October 2004. Ms. Olson brings 25 years of nursing experience with a focus on nursing informatics for the last 14 years. Prior to joining Versant, she was a Clinical Consultant with Perot Systems, working with the St Joseph Health System in Orange, California. She assisted in the development of their clinical change management corporate strategy.
Ms. Olson spent 10 years at USC University Hospital, Los Angeles in a number of positions culminating with Director, Nursing Administration and Clinical Information Systems. Ms. Olson’s expertise resides in the development and adoption of clinical information systems.
Pinky Myung
Assistant Vice President-Finance
Pinky Myung oversees Versant’s finances and supports the entire team with regards to financial and human resource matters. She has over 10 years experience in the Accounting profession and two years experience in the Marketing profession. simplified the flow of transactions, and trained new hires. As a Market Researcher at Monsanto, a multinational conglomerate, she managed marketing data, analyzed trends, and analyzed products performance. As a Senior Staff Accountant at Select Remedy, she managed acquisition loans and led a team of staff accountants to reconcile, analyze and adjust balance sheet accounts. Ms. Myung received her B.S. in Accounting from Far Eastern University and her M.S. in Accounting from University of Phoenix.
Sean Early, PhD, MA, CCC-SLP
Assistant Vice President
Sean Early joined the Versant team in February of 2009 and serves as Versant’s Director of Business Analytics and Research. In this position, he works to integrate and analyze the Versant National Database in order to support continuous improvement of the Versant RN Residency, contribute to the national literature on new graduate nursing, and support client facilities in site-based research endeavors.
Prior to joining Versant, Dr. Early worked as a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Cognitive Technologies, a research center dedicated to performance improvement through media-based instructional design technologies led by Dr. Richard E. Clark. While at the center, Dr. Early presented at national and international educational research conferences and published on the subjects of human motivation, instructional design, media-based learning, and advanced statistical modeling. Dr. Early has technical expertise in the areas of complex statistical modeling of change over time, instructional design for distributed and distance learning applications and human motivation. He has taught statistics, psychological development, human motivation and research methods at the University of Southern California and California State University, Los Angeles.
Before attaining his PhD, Dr. Early worked for fourteen years in the public schools as a classroom teacher and Speech-Language Pathologist, focusing primarily on students with severe disabilities and the preschool population. Dr. Early obtained a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an MA from California State University, Los Angeles, and a PhD from the University of Southern California.
Cherilyn Ashlock, MSN, RN
Director
Cherilyn Ashlock has been a nurse for 10 years, focusing clinically in Pediatric Critical Care and the Emergency Department. At Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, she experienced the RN Residency at CHLA from its very beginnings, serving as both a preceptor and a mentor in the RN Residency. Her work with the RN Residency inspired her to change her career focus from clinical based nursing to staff development and, in 2005, Ms. Ashlock joined the Versant team on a full time basis as an Implementation Specialist.
Ms. Ashlock completed a Master’s in Nursing Education at California State University, Los Angeles, where she focused her studies on curriculum development, new graduate nurse transition, and interactive classroom teaching methodologies. She also holds a BSN from Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she now serves as adjunct faculty in the Pediatric Department.
In February, 2009, Ms. Ashlock joined Versant’s Business Analytics & Research team. Her focus is on outcomes measurement, data compellation and reporting, research, and the integration of research and nursing practice.
Tammy Franqueiro, BSN, RN-BC
Director
Tammy Franqueiro joined the Versant team in August 2007. She has a background in pediatric nursing with varied clinical experiences. During her twelve years as a registered nurse at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, she demonstrated expertise in pediatric acute-care, perioperative services, clinical education, and program development. She was named to the inaugural group of ACH’s “Nurses of Excellence.”
Ms. Franqueiro graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with bachelor degrees in Biology and Nursing, where she was inducted into the Alpha Alpha chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. She is a member of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization, and served as President of the St. Petersburg, Florida local affiliate, Pinellas Area Nurse Educators.
Ms. Franqueiro is board certified in Nursing Professional Development and is a certified instructor in Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support, and Emergency Pediatric Nursing. She leads the Versant Curriculum Team.
Patty Deasy, MSN, FNP-C, RN
Director
Patty Deasy has over 25 years of clinical experience in nursing practice, nursing education, program development, and nursing administration in both community and teaching hospital settings. Clinically, the majority of her experience has focused in Medical-Surgical nursing. While working at Northridge Hospital, Ms. Deasy was involved with the Versant RN Residency as the chair of the Recruitment & Retention committee, a member of the Task Force, mentor to the RN Residents, as well as being the SME for diabetes management and other core courses.
Ms. Deasy graduated from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. In 2002, she received her MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of Rhode Island. Ms. Deasy is a nationally certified FNP and certified diabetes educator (CDE).
Cynthia Clark, RN
Manager
Cindy Clark joined Versant in July 2006. She brings over 35 years of increasing responsibility and experience in both adult and pediatric acute care, nursing education, and program development, implementation, and management. As a Pediatric Outreach Educational Coordinator at Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, Ms. Clark developed a variety of educational programs that targeted healthcare professionals in hospital settings, as well as the surrounding urban and rural communities. She also collaborated with community organizations to create and provide health education programs for citizens within the greater San Antonio area. As a Nurse Manager at Methodist Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Ms. Clark spearheaded the development and opening of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Ms. Clark holds a degree from the Springfield Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Springfield, IL. She is a certified instructor in Pediatric Advanced Life Support, BLS, and Emergency Pediatric Nursing.
Ronda LaVigne, BSN, RN
Manager
Ronda LaVigne has over 26 years of nursing experience, both in teaching and in community hospitals caring for a variety of patient populations. Her primary responsibilities included Adult Critical Care as a Primary Care RN, Preceptor and Charge Nurse, Critical Care Transplant (heart and lung), and Interventional Radiology. Ms. LaVigne was a Case Manager at USC University Hospital. She also worked as a Clinical Application Specialist for Spacelabs Inc., based in Redmond, Washington. Her responsibilities included implementation of education and training programs for nursing, medical staff, and ancillary personnel within all hospital environments. Ms. LaVigne holds a degree from the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing and a BSN degree from the University of Phoenix. She is a member of AACN and a CCRN alumnus.
Cheryl Mallory, BSN, RN
Manager
Cheryl Mallory holds the dual roles at Versant of Performance and Outcomes Manager and member of the Curriculum Team. Prior to joining Versant, Ms. Mallory first served as a curriculum consultant for Versant, working to assist in the review and revision of Versant curricula and competencies.
Ms. Mallory has been a Clinical Education Specialist at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida where she was instrumental as the Program Manager for the implementation and coordination for the Pediatric RN Residency Program. As a registered nurse, Ms. Mallory has varied clinical experience in pediatric perioperative, acute-care, and emergency areas. During her nursing career, she has collaborated in the development and implementation of educational programs, curriculum, and clinical competencies.
Ms. Mallory graduated from St. Petersburg College with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She is a member of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization.
Kristi Miller, MSN/Ed, RN
Manager
Kristi Miller has over 20 years of clinical experience in nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing administration in both community and teaching hospital settings. The majority of her experience has been focused in medical-surgical-telemetry nursing. Ms. Miller has administrative experience as a Director of Nursing Supervisors and has been involved in nursing education throughout her nursing career. Prior to joining Versant, she was an RN Residency manager at Community Hospital of Los Gatos. She chaired the task force, was a debriefer, and served as an SME for many of the core courses.
Ms. Miller graduated from Weber State College with her Associate of Science Degree in Nursing in 1989. She completed her BSN from the University of Phoenix in 2005 and graduated with her Masters of Science in Nursing and Certification in Education in 2007, also from the University of Phoenix.
Jean S Shinners PhD, RN, CCRN
Manager
Jean Shinners joined the Versant® team in November of 2010 and serves as a Versant® manager working with Education and Curriculum and Professional Outcomes Management. Dr. Shinners is also heading Versant’s Provider Unit to become accredited by the American Nurse’s Credentialing Center (ANCC). Jean holds a BSN, MSN in Nursing Administration, and PhD in Education. Dr. Shinners area of academic interest is in competency management, item writing, and curriculum development. She has presented at AACN, Sigma Theta Tau, Forum on Healthcare Leadership, and Florida Nurse Educators Consortium. Her clinical background includes 35 years of experience in adult critical care (CVICU) and ED. She has served as faculty at Florida Atlantic University, Barry University, and Broward State College. Professionally, Dr. Shinners has served on AACN’s Certification Corporation Test Development committee, is currently on AACN’s CE review committee, NCLEX review committee, and works with ANCC as an appraiser and ANCC Accreditation Review Committee member (2008-2010).
Bobbi Martin, MSN, RN, CNE
Manager
Bobbi Martin joined Versant® from her last position as the Dean of Nursing at Fortis College in Largo, Florida. Prior to her position as Dean, she had been an assistant dean, registered nursing program director, practical nursing program director, and faculty at Galen School of Nursing.
She has been in the healthcare arena for over 25 years. Ms. Martin’s clinical nursing background is emergency medicine and critical care in pediatrics and adult nursing.
She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health. Her research interest is female adolescent violence. She received her MSN in nursing education from Clarkson College in 2000, her BSN from Franklin University in 1990 and began her nursing career as a Licensed Practical Nurse graduating from Hocking College in 1985 and completing her ADN in 1986.
Jennifer Wasilewski, MSN, BSN, RN
Associate
Jennifer Wasilewski began her nursing career with All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg in 1996. She functioned in various roles as a clinical nurse on the resource team, charge nurse and also in a specialty clinic setting. Ms. Wasilewski held different positions as a home health nurse, assist manager, manager and nursing instructor. She current remains in an adjunct position for the BSN program at St. Petersburg College of Nursing in order to promote the development and enhancement of the nursing profession. Ms. Wasilewski functioned as a consultant for the curriculum team of Versant and soon realized the importance of a superior, educational foundation for new graduate nurses. She joined Versant in 2010 to function in Performance and Outcomes Management and Curriculum teams.
Roman G Roxas, MD, BSA, RN, CMSRN
Associate
Roman Roxas joined the Versant® Team from his last position as a Director of Telemetry. He has been a Registered Nurse for more than 15 years after graduating from a nursing school in New Jersey where he received the “Spirit of Nursing” award for academic excellence and dedication to the nursing profession.
Prior to getting his RN License he received his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Accounting from Hunter College in New York City. He also finished his Doctor of Medicine Degree from De La Salle University.
As a nurse his experiences are varied. He worked as Staff Nurse, Charge Nurse, First Line Supervisor, Shift Manager, Manager of Long-Term Acute Care, Float Pool RN, and Clinical Manager.
Warren Harris
Associate
In his role as associate, Mr. Harris support the Versant® Service Delivery team. With a degree in Business Administration, a focus on Management, and experience in multimedia design and marketing, Mr. Harris meshes an understanding of business with technical skills.
Crystal Coyazo, BA, MA
Associate
Crystal began her career working as a poloysomnograph technician, treating patients with severe sleep disorders. While earning her Master’s degree in applied social psychology and program evaluation at Claremont Graduate University her research focused on the reduction of health disparities and health based media campaigns. Prior to coming to Versant Crystal worked with the Education and Research Institute at UCLA testing an automated remote monitoring system for patients with Heart Failure. With six years of research experience in the healthcare field, Crystal remains committed to improving health outcomes and clinical care for all.
In November 2010 Ms. Coyazo joined Versant’s Business Analytics and Research Team, as a research associate, where she assists in data analysis, reporting, and research development.
Carrie Crockett
Coordinator
Carrie Crockett joined Versant® in May 2011 as Coordinator, where she provides support to the Versant team and various projects within the organization. She has a background in supporting start-up and growth-oriented companies in administrative, operational, and leadership positions.
Anne Lambert
Coordinator
Anne Lambert joined the Service Delivery team as a coordinator in December 2011. Prior to joining Versant®, she was the training coordinator for a large international company. She has several years’ experience in healthcare and was previously a Member of the Physicians Relations Committee at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she participated in the revision and implementation of the new policies and procedures for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
