The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) organization based in Pittsburgh, PA, has announced that three healthcare leaders with a passion for saving lives have been elected to serve on its Board of Directors, namely:
- Kathryn Koenig, MBA, Vice-President, Strategic Planning, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL
- Carissa Caramanis O’Brien, EMT-B, Director, WCG, a W20 Company, Boston, MA
- James Richardson, MBA, CCEMT-P, Director, Aspen Ambulance District, Aspen, CO.
“We are honored that such talented individuals have joined the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Board of Directors,” said Norman S. Abramson, MD, FACEP, FCCM, board chairman. “We look forward to working together to continue to strengthen our mission to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and help save lives.”
Their biographies follow.
Kathryn Koenig, MBA
Katie is the Vice President of Strategic Planning for the University of Chicago Medicine. In this role, Katie manages strategic planning processes, business analytics and the implementation of strategic initiatives. Katie came to The University of Chicago Medicine from UNC Health Care, where she directed the strategic planning team. Prior to UNC Health Care, Katie worked at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global strategy consulting firm. Based in BCG’s Atlanta office, Katie worked with senior executives across many industries to address complex strategic and operational challenges. Prior to BCG, Katie held positions with The Vanguard Group, a mutual fund company. Katie holds an MBA from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University where she graduated with honors. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in English with a Music Theory minor from The University of Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude. Raising awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and helping to improve the survival rate for victims became a passion for Katie after she lost her father to sudden cardiac arrest September 15, 2012.
Carissa Caramanis O'Brien, EMT-B
With more than 15 years in strategic communications, Carissa has spent most of her career helping healthcare organizations better tell their story, finding the right channels to reach their key audiences, and forging connections that create communities of brand advocates. Having worked in print and online media, as well as both television and radio--all in Boston--Carissa learned the ins and outs of content creation and consumption in a market that demands the best. After leading global marketing communications for two multinational healthcare companies, Carissa started and ran her own business, specializing in content and social strategy consulting for healthcare and EMS. In 2011, Carissa took on the role of the first Social Media Community and Content Director at Aetna, a 160-year-old Fortune 100 consumer health brand. There she was responsible for driving collaboration across business functions to develop the brand’s social media strategies and best practices, while serving as an advocate and counsel for the enterprise-wide adoption of social media. Carissa is especially proud of her ongoing role as a patient and provider advocate. A cause that's near and dear to her heart, she has also worked to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest through her efforts with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation since its inception in 2006. Carissa joined W2O Group in 2014 to share her expertise with healthcare clients seeking to leverage digital and social media to reach and influence their communities of interest. Carissa is based in Boston, where she's a lifelong New England sports fan and the proud mother of one spunky eight-year-old girl.
James L. Richardson, MBA, CCEMT-P
Jim is Director of the Aspen Ambulance District and has been a Paramedic since 1984, Critical Care Paramedic since 1992, and received his Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Colorado in 2006. He is also active at a local, regional and national level as President of the Pitkin County Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Committee; President of the Central Mountains Regional EMS and Trauma Advisory Council; member of the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Council and member of the state Emergency Medical Practice Council. He has also been involved as a conference committee member for the state EMS conference and with the National Association of EMTs, American Ambulance Association, American Heart Association, and National Association of EMS Physicians on a national level. He also founded and chairs the Save a Life Pitkin County, and his community's ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) rate from pre-hospital cardiac arrest stands currently at 50 percent. Jim also serves on the boards of the Medic One Foundation in Seattle, Denver Kids, Inc., in Denver, and the Hillsdale Fund and Richardson Corporation in North Carolina.