Our People

J. Scott Spiker joined the CaringBridge board as a passionate supporter of the formal agreement between our organization and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As Chairman and First Command Board of Directors, J. Scott Spiker joined First Command Financial Services in September 2007, becoming the first Chief Executive Officer recruited from outside the company. In January 2017, the company’s Board of Directors elected him as Chairman in addition to his title as CEO. In 2020, Scott relinquished the CEO title and became Chairman. In this role, Scott focuses on the continued development of the strategic direction of First Command, reaffirming and strengthening the company’s commitment to serving our nation’s career military families in their pursuit of financial security. This emphasis aligns with Scott’s own history of military service where, as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard a frigate and served as Head of Enlisted Recruiting for the Midwest Region. Following his military service, Scott served in a number of senior executive roles in the investment, insurance and banking industries. His previous executive leadership positions include: President and CEO of Destiny Health, President and CEO of the Stanton Group, President and COO of Definity Health, and President of the Business Services Group at Dain Rauscher (now RBC). He also served in senior leadership positions at Northwest Corporation (now Wells Fargo Corporation) and Mark Twain Bancshares. Scott is actively involved in both his community and the financial services industry. In August 2014, he became the Chairman of the Board for United Way of Tarrant County and held that position until July 2016. He was also elected to the 2018 Board of Directors for the Financial Services Institute, an organization dedicated to ensuring all individuals have access to competent and affordable financial advice, products and services. A 1977 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Scott holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business. He is married and has two daughters.

“CaringBridge speaks to me both as a visitor and a caregiver – it simplifies the challenges of communication between one and many in such an uplifting manner.”

See the LinkedIn profile of J. Scott Spiker.

Sarah has dedicated her healthcare career to finding ways to make healthcare more safe, personal, affordable, and accessible. In the beginning of her career, Sarah was a caregiver for the elderly and people with severe mental illness, where she saw firsthand the impact of the broken system on patients. Sarah recently retired as President and CEO of Sutter Health, where she oversaw Sutter’s integrated network of 14,000 clinicians, 24 hospitals, outpatient services, research facilities, and home health and hospice care in one of the most diverse and innovative regions in the nation. Sarah is also the current chair of the California Hospital Association board and serves on Sutter’s IAHE External Advisory Committee. As part of her robust commitment to philanthropic endeavors, she has served as chair of Sierra Forever Families and as chair of the Northeastern California Chapter of Make-A-Wish.

“My family and I have personally benefitted from CaringBridge and I have both authored sites and actively followed the health journey of friends who used Caring Bridge.  CaringBridge was an important part of my role in caring for my sister who passed away from cancer several years ago; I used Caring Bridge to keep friends families and my sisters colleagues updated — and the site provided a confidential and safe way for them to support my sister.”

View the LinkedIn profile of Sarah Krevans.

Molly Jungbauer, CPA sees her position on the CaringBridge board as an opportunity to honor those who have overcome health issues or personal tragedy and found reasons to be happy and live their lives productively, despite the setbacks. Her extensive business background, predominantly in accounting and finance, has proven to be a strong complement to the talents of others on the CaringBridge board. Molly also joined Merchants Bank as a board director in 2022, served as the 2019-2020 chair of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, participates on the Carlson School of Management Undergraduate Advisory Board at the University of Minnesota, and volunteers with the housing committee of Solid Ground, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the cycle of homelessness. Professionally, she leads Hollstadt Consulting, a woman-owned IT and management consulting company serving primarily the Twin Cities and Atlanta markets, as chief executive officer.

“I joined the CaringBridge board because I personally understand the immense value their site brings to both the patient and caregiver during a health journey. 10 years ago, a leader in my organization passed away from ovarian cancer. She and her husband were prolific journalists to her CaringBridge site. I witnessed firsthand the comfort it gave her to hear from family and friends throughout her journey. My niece also lost her husband three years ago and he too was an active journalist who shared his personal health struggles. He spoke many times about the strength it gave him to write down his experiences and receive responses of support from loved ones.

CaringBridge in turn helped me to better understand how I could support both as a member of their communities.

When I was asked to join the CaringBridge board, I said yes without any hesitation because of my personal experience of the value they offer to patients and caregivers during the toughest period of their lives.”

See the LinkedIn profile of Molly Jungbauer.

Cris Ross is Chief Information Officer at Mayo Clinic, responsible for technology strategy and operations. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2012, Cris held business and technical leadership roles with Surescripts, CVS/MinuteClinic, and UnitedHealth. Prior to entering the healthcare industry, he was a technology entrepreneur, finance manager, and Congressional aide. He served on advisory boards for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans’ Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other industry groups. He is chair of the Board of HIMSS (Healthcare Information Management Systems Society), and serves on the boards of CaringBridge and Minnesota Opera. He has degrees from the University of Minnesota and Yale University.

“I joined the CaringBridge Board of Directors to help patients like me have their best possible health journeys with the support they deserve.”

See the LinkedIn profile for Cris Ross.

Adrian Slobin joined CaringBridge after learning about (and witnessing first-hand) how much of a positive impact its platform can have for people going through challenging health journeys. For over 20 years, Adrian has been passionate about how technology can transform industries, especially those in the healthcare space. With deep experience in business strategy, digital business transformation, innovation methodologies, and emerging experiences, Adrian is currently a partner at EY. Prior to this role, he led Nerdery (a mid-sized technology consultancy) as Chief Executive Officer. Before that, he was head of business transformation services for Publicis.Sapient. See the LinkedIn profile of Adrian Slobin.

Mr. Allen is Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). A recognized authority on organizational culture and leadership development, he has more than 30 years’ progressive experience in non-profit and for-profit sectors. Mr. Allen has a wealth of knowledge related to building a high performing culture, aligning leadership teams, and translating strategy into execution. He has spearheaded comprehensive Human Resources, organizational development, and management initiatives, and coached and developed high performing teams.

Prior to joining CHOP, Mr. Allen spent thirteen years as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources & Corporate Strategic Planning for HealthPartners in Minnesota, an integrated healthcare provider and insurance company. His background also includes positions at Willis Towers Watson, Cargill, GE Capital Corporation and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Allen has presented on leadership, well-being and corporate culture at various conferences and participated in the release of the U.S. Surgeon General’s framework on Workforce Mental Health & Well-being. He also served as a contributing author to A Guide to Building Healthy and Productive Companies, a workplace handbook providing information and resources to help organizations develop and Implement employee health and wellness programs that improve worker health and drive business performance. Recently, he authored a blog for the Harvard Business School’s “Leadership in Challenging Times” blog series, which spotlights the work of the Harvard Business School community in addressing the health and economic impact of COVID-19, and the fight for racial equity.

Mr. Allen is a member of various professional and civic organizations at the national and local levels. He is a member of the National Association of Health Service Executives and the Executive Leadership Council. In addition, he serves on the Philadelphia Chief Human Resources Officer Governing Body, and the Philadelphia Society of People & Strategy. Mr. Allen has served on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Chapter of the NAAAHR, Second Harvest Heartland, the Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Twin Cities YMCA, and the World Impact Executive Board. He was named one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential African Americans by the Philadelphia Tribune. He has also received several honors from the Twin Cities Business Journal including being named to their annual 40 Under 40 list, recognizing business leaders for their professional success and community involvement, as well as being recognized twice as a Leader in Diversity.

In his free time, Calvin enjoys hanging out with his wife and two kids – typically centered around golf, warm weather and great food.

“CaringBridge does an incredible job of helping and supporting people during vulnerable times. The idea of simplifying communication and giving people control when they have limited control is empowering. Contributing to the mission and impact of such an organization as a Board member is both humbling and an honor.”

See the LinkedIn profile of Calvin U. Allen.

Paurvi Bhatt is a global healthcare executive known for creating strategies that optimize public, private, and philanthropic capital to expand outcomes through more equitable care in communities around the world.   As a second generation, Indian immigrant, and family caregiver, Paurvi focuses on culturally responsive solutions in the care economy by integrating community-led voices, solutions and organizations in the referral pathway that brings care into the home. She’s known for creating unique solutions that bring together nonprofits, government and companies to pilot , pivot, and scale care.  As a board director/advisor on several private company, foundation, and nonprofit boards, Paurvi combines her lived experience with her seasoned focus on outcomes and deep knowledge of financing.  She is trained in health systems and economics with a B.A. in Neuroscience from Northwestern University, an M.P.H from Yale University, and a PhD (ABD) from Johns Hopkins University.

Paurvi is an active spokesperson, author, podcast guest and presenter on issues ranging from women’s leadership, Asian American and immigrant issues, health systems and economics, philanthropy, HIV and women’s health, and the role of women as working daughters and family caregivers.

“I joined the CaringBridge Board to help scale the reach of CaringBridge by clarifying the impact of the organization and improving access to immigrant populations often out of reach from services that can help them better support loved ones in need of care.”

See the LinkedIn profile for Paurvi Bhatt.

Soleil Teubner Boughton is a seasoned healthcare and transactional attorney with 18 years of experience working with stakeholders across the healthcare industry. Soleil is the Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary of Hims & Hers Health, Inc., a NYSE-listed digital health company that is working to reduce stigmas in healthcare and ensure all people can access health and wellness services and support. Soleil is also a founding member of TechGC, an independent community platform for General Counsels of leading venture capital funds and high-growth technology companies, where she also serves as Co-Chair of the Digital Health Industry Group.

“The commitment of CaringBridge to a world in which community and support are an inherent part of every person’s healthcare journey resonates deeply with me on both a personal and professional level. The work that CaringBridge is doing to bridge the isolation so often felt by patients and caregivers has never been more critical, and I am honored to have the opportunity to share in their efforts as a member of the board.”

View the LinkedIn profile of Soleil Boughton.

Deborah Daccord is a nationally recognized leader in health industry transactions, focusing on complex M&A, joint ventures, strategic alliances, financing and contracting for healthcare providers of all types. Clients span the healthcare spectrum, including providers of dialysis services, vision care services, radiology services, hospital development and management services, fertility services, addiction treatment and behavioral health services. Committed to community service, Deborah currently serves on the Board of Lasell Village, a life care community located on a university campus near Boston and is the past Chair of the Board of Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. She has also served as a member of the firm’s Policy Committee and Health Reform Working Group.

“I was drawn to CaringBridge because it supports the human element of healthcare.  I’ve worked for almost 30 years to support the development of the science and delivery of healthcare.  I see this as an opportunity to help CaringBridge grow its mission to support the patients and their loved ones as they journey through one of the most difficult times of their lives.”

View the LinkedIn profile of Deborah Daccord.

Jodi Hubler is an insightful board director, and an accomplished venture capitalist and corporate executive best known for transforming businesses, accelerating growth, and building enviable shareholder value. Capitalizing on a near 30-year career of diverse experiences, Jodi actively divides her time between corporate governance and engaged philanthropy.

An esteemed governance leader, Ms. Hubler currently serves as an Independent Board Director for the privately held companies About, BrainCheck, Marani Health, and Omcare. Additionally, Ms. Hubler lends her governance expertise and advocacy to Caring Bridge as the current board Chair, Medical Alley Association as Vice Chair, Launch MN as Chair, and Advisor to Black Opal Ventures. She previously served as a board director or chair of more than a dozen venture and private equity backed health care companies, particularly as the CEO and Managing Director of Lemhi Ventures a $385M health care service venture capital firm. This work has included more than 50 financing rounds ranging from de novo startups to late-stage investment, resulting in job creation in the thousands and total value creation in the multiple billions. Her companies have redefined healthcare and payment models and have been acquired by some of the largest leaders in the sector. Her board experience includes Chair of numerous compensation, audit, governance, strategy, and finance committees.

She has held executive positions in both public and private companies, including Cargill, Alcoa, Definity Health, Lemhi Ventures and Bind Benefits. She is especially adept at leading and governing in industries facing transformative change, drawing on her experience across global organizations and multi-industry domains.

Board colleagues value Ms. Hubler’s direct approach, governance expertise, and astute perspective she brings to help companies achieve peak performance and growth goals. A sought-after thought partner, Ms. Hubler is a frequent confidential advisor and speaker for industry groups and events focused on empowering leaders and entrepreneurs. Ms. Hubler holds an MA in Industrial Relations and BA in Business Administration from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA.

“After witnessing firsthand the incredible power of CaringBridge to activate a friends community to action during her cancer journey, I knew I wanted to be a part of amplifying that power through working on the board.”

See the LinkedIn profile of Jodi Hubler.

Linda Ireland has worked in eight industries and in a dozen different functions. After her first executive role at 28 leading manufacturing & operations for a global sole source supplier to 3M, she served 25 years driving operating results with firms ranging from start-up to $1 billion dollars. Later, she co-founded and partnered to lead Aveus, a boutique yet global consulting firm that is now a division of (acquired by) Medecision. She has also served as an independent director on private corporate, healthcare, and not-for-profit boards and chaired 5 of them. Today she splits her time between governance and engaged philanthropy. Linda is most at home collaborating and surrounded by transformation; there is still so much value and justice to be unleashed.

“Our health care system has so many pieces and parts. Each of us is at the center of our own health journey, responsible for tying together all our care team events and relationships into a story that helps us imagine or choose what’s next. And when something complicated happens to us or someone we care about, it can be both hard and isolating. I’ve seen firsthand the power of CaringBridge – providing an easy, free, and private way to pull everything that’s happening into the story we want to share, and to help family and friends stay up to date and connected with us. I’ve watched CaringBridge pull stress out of such tough times for people I love. In serving on the CaringBridge board, I am honored to play a small part in making sure no one goes through an acute or lingering health challenge alone.”

View the LinkedIn profile of Linda Ireland.

CaringBridge board member Kevin O’Leary describes himself as “a Minnesotan tinkering in new ideas in healthcare that connect new care models, payment models and technologies.” He is motivated by the mission of the nonprofit CaringBridge: “To build bridge of care and communication providing love and support on a health journey,” and sees opportunity for innovation and inspiration at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Kevin currently advises healthcare organizations building new care delivery models, in addition to writing a popular weekly newsletter on healthcare innovation. He previously led innovation for Allina Health, a not-for-profit health care system that owns or operates 13 hospitals and more than 90 clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin. See LinkedIn profile for Kevin O’Leary.

Sara is an innovative leader, entrepreneur, and corporate board director in the healthcare industry. She is known for creating innovative strategies, services, and products amidst government scrutiny and regulation, understanding its’ viability, scalability, and sustainability to ensure health equity. Successful in building healthcare technology and services, her executive experience includes investing and partnering in revolutionary healthcare companies. Her experience spans diverse business functions in integrated delivery systems, insurance, clinic management, and pharmacy.

“The need for support is ubiquitous, especially during significant healthcare events which are highly personal. CaringBridge is a trusted resource that helps eliminate isolation and remove the barriers of silent suffers to create a world where connection and care are frictionlessly delivered at any stage in a healthcare journey. Too often this is ignored in the clinical diagnosis and treatment plan, but it is a critical and efficacious element.  And to me this is personal, having experienced traumatic healthcare events where social support enabled the healing.  I feel privileged to support such an impactful organization and to service on the Board with industry pioneers and changemakers.”

View the LinkedIn profile of Sarah Ratner.

A suspicious lump that led to a bout with testicular cancer at age 31 changed the way Andy Thieman sees the world. It also inspired a philanthropic tour de force that now includes his service on the CaringBridge board of directors. Cancer-free since 2011, Andy launched the nonprofit Blood + Sweat + Chemo to help de-mystify testicular cancer. He also supports the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists, which promotes responsible riding and preservation of the state’s natural resources. Professionally, Andy is the SVP of Communications at AiRCare Health. He brings to CaringBridge an ability to increase brand recognition at a global scale. Andy began his career as an advertising copywriter, evolving into leadership roles at the in-house agencies of JCPenney and Minnesota-based companies including Target, Best Buy and General Mills. Andy also served as executive creative director for the Minneapolis advertising agency Yamamoto, as well as EVP/ECD for the global public relations firm, Weber Shandwick. See the LinkedIn profile for Andy Thieman.

Solome Tibebu is a behavioral health strategist and investor passionate about frontier technologies and solutions transforming mental health, equity and access. Solome’s work has spanned behavioral health and human service consulting, venture capital, corporate development and various operating roles at behavioral health software companies large and small. Solome founded and ran a mental health tech startup and, as a former anxious teen, founded and ran the non-profit AnxietyInTeens.org for ten years. Beyond her role at CaringBridge, Solome is a board director or advisor to various adolescent and adult mental health organizations and for-profit companies, including the Telosity adolescent mental wellbeing venture fund, Headstream youth mental health incubator, Hopelab, Made of Millions. She is also the co-author of ReThink Behavioral Health Innovation, the source for digital behavioral health technology and startups. Solome’s work as an investor, entrepreneur, non-profit consultant and behavioral health technology expert has been featured as a Harvard Business Review case study, TEDx Talk, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Inc Magazine, Upworthy, Psychology Today and more. See the LinkedIn profile for Solome Tibebu.

As CEO, Tia ensures that all operations contribute toward the CaringBridge vision — a world where no one goes through a health journey alone. She joined the team in 2021, passionate about building on the 24-year CaringBridge legacy and leading the team in finding the next opportunities for growth that exponentially help more families with their health journeys.

Prior to joining CaringBridge, she was Chief Commercial Officer at Generate Life sciences and has spent the last decade in executive healthcare industry roles (Cord Blood Registry, Prelude Fertility, Kindara) with a foundation in technology and consumer packaged goods (Hewlett Packard, Frito Lay, Clorox, Revlon).

Newcomer holds a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. See the LinkedIn profile of Tia Newcomer.

As Chief Product Officer, Tom focuses on ensuring that the CaringBridge product and technology teams provide a frictionless experience that helps caregivers activate their personal communities for support through difficult health journeys. He joined the team in 2021 and considers it an honor to help CaringBridge grow and deliver on the organization’s exceptional mission.

Whether through his consulting experience or time in industry, Tom has always been focused on building innovative customer experiences. Prior to CaringBridge, Tom was at Lifetouch/Shutterfly in multiple roles including the Chief Product Officer and Chief Technology Officer. During that time he helped lead the company through massive digital and product transformations to modernize the customer experience as well as innovate the production and management of millions of photographic images each year.

Tom holds a BS in Business Management from Ashford University. See the LinkedIn profile of Tom Booth.

Since 2017, Elizabeth has been directing the finance and administration team for the CaringBridge organization.

She enjoys working closely with the team to ensure financial success for the organization as it continues to grow and help more families.

For more than 25 years, Elizabeth has worked as a senior financial executive in a variety of industries, including nonprofits and private firms.

She attended Oberlin college, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and economics before going onto earn her Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School.  See the LinkedIn profile of Elizabeth Olson.

As Chief Data Officer, Mark and his team are responsible for the identification and development of data-driven insights that lead to actions to improve user experience across authors, commenters, visitors and donors. He joined the team in 2021 and thrives on leveraging such approaches as machine learning and predictive modeling for innovation.

Prior to CaringBridge, Mark led his own analytics firm, LiftPoint Consulting, for 16 years before selling the company to ThreeBridge Consulting in 2018. Mark’s business experience also includes brand management at General Mills and Ralston Purina.

Mark has an MBA from the Darden School of the University of Virginia and a BA from Haverford College. Mark is also an adjunct professor at the College of St. Benedict’s/St. John’s University, a member of the Braintrust at RetailWire, an online thought leadership forum, and is on the Board at the Friends of the St. Paul Public Libraries. See LinkedIn profile of Mark Price.

As Chief Revenue Officer, Stephanie and her team are responsible for designing and implementing strategies to achieve revenue acceleration through development, strategic partnerships and marketing.  Stephanie joined the organization in 2022 and is energized by the opportunity to grow the number of people helped by CaringBridge.

Prior to CaringBridge, Stephanie held multiple leadership roles in marketing, general management, ecommerce, partnerships and business development. Most recently at Lifetouch/Shutterfly she was responsible for leading a high-performing team focused on delivering creative revenue strategies and results.

Stephanie’s undergraduate degree, as well as MBA, are from University of St Thomas.

See Stephanie’s LinkedIn Profile here.