Kristin has a great mix of people, process and technology experience that has driven her career for over 20 years. She holds a BS in Psychology and a MS in Human Resource Development as well as a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She spent 18 years at Xerox in various roles focused on customer service delivery excellence, global remote service and enjoyed leading teams and developing people.

She is currently Director of the Enterprise Program Management Office at Rochester Regional Health where Project Management, Lean and Change Management methodologies come together to drive value for the organization.

Kristin’s passion is people and is a believer that organizations don’t change, people do. She works hard to drive this passion into everything she does.

Ken Wezelis is a process management professional with 17+ years of experience in process management program deployment at ESL Federal Credit Union.

As the Manager, Process Design, he is currently leading a team dedicated to transforming business process by designing processes using reusable modular design and integrated enterprise architecture.

In his prior role as Manager, Business Process Management, Ken led a team that supported the needs of ESL Federal Credit Union in the following areas: Process management and improvement; Project management; Project portfolio management; Procedure and process flow standardization, formatting and publishing.

Ken is a Six Sigma Black Belt and has a BS in Computer Science from SUNY Brockport.

Michael Lookup is a quality and continuous improvement focused leader. Michael is currently the Quality Assurance Supplier and Systems Manager at Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. Wegmans is a family-owned regional supermarket chain with stores across eight states. As one of the largest private companies in the US, Wegmans consistently ranks as one of the best places to work.

Michael has proudly spent his entire post-graduate career with Wegmans and has served in a variety of roles within Store Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Food Safety & Quality Assurance. In those roles at Wegmans, Michael has led various projects focusing on continuous improvement, strategy, technology and the development of people-first processes.

Michael has a BS in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering from West Virginia University. He also holds a Green Belt for Lean Six Sigma. In addition to GRQC, Michael also serves on the Board of Advisors for the American Cancer Society in Rochester.

Eric Alden has been passionately practicing quality and reliability engineering in the Rochester Area for over 25 years.

Eric is a Xerox Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Blackbelt, and is currently working for Xerox as an analyst and reliability manager. He holds a Masters degree from RIT in Quality and Applied Statistics, and an undergraduate degree from RIT in Mechanical Engineering.

Eric is an ASQ Fellow, and has served as Chair of the ASQ Rochester Section on numerous occasions. He holds CRE, CQE, CQM and CSSBB certifications.

Jim Boyd is an operations and engineering executive specializing in new business startups. Jim is currently Vice President of Manufacturing, Energy Materials Corporation.

Jim has held a variety of management roles in quality, engineering, operations, and research & development, and is recognized for building strong teams that develop robust products and processes. He previously held leadership roles in Kodak's printed electronics and consumer inkjet businesses, and was worldwide quality manager for Kodak's single use camera business.

Jim has a BS in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MS in mechanical engineering with a concentration in operations management from Northwestern University. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt Practitioner, a certified New Product Development Professional, and holds 22 patents for his inventions.

Terry is a past Chair and Vice-Chair of GRQC. He currently sits on GRQC's Community Effectiveness Committee, helping to build community capability and excellence through knowledge sharing, training, and collaboration.

Terry has 35 plus years of experience driving process improvements at Kodak, Carestream and in the Greater Rochester community. While at Kodak, he was Director of Quality for Global Equipment Manufacturing and the first Six Sigma Program Manager of the Pilot Flow Division, where the organization’s quality improvement culture was recognized by the National Association of Manufacturers. Following Kodak, Terry served as Carestream’s Chief Quality Officer and then its Chief Culture Officer, focused on creating a culture of employee engagement and empowerment.

Today, Terry is the founder and owner of WalkOn Consulting, a training and consulting firm partnering with organizations to improve process efficiency, strengthen customer satisfaction, empower employees with quality skills, and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Terry has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Statistics from Iowa State University, a B.S. In Statistics (with a biology concentration) from Colorado State University, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Kodak. He is has served as a reviewer for the New York State "Empire State Advantage" Baldrige program, and has presented and published numerous papers through the American Statistical Association and other quality organizations.

Therese Costich is President and Managing Partner of The Costich Group. She has 25+ years experience in Digital Transformation, Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement, working for companies including General Electric, Ford Motor, DuPont, Dominion Energies, L3-Harris Corporation, Lenovo, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Bausch & Lomb, Salient Management Company and Syracuse University. Therese uses her expertise in operational excellence, business analytics and digital transformation to guide organizations to be leaders in their industries while sustaining continuous improvement and transforming their businesses to world class.

Therese is the author of "Excelling on a Digital Transformation Journey - A Field Guide That Will Help You Define Your Success", and co-author and project manager of "The Black Belt Memory Jogger - A Pocket Guide for Six Sigma Success, First Edition".

Therese has a Bachelor of Science degree in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from the University of Rochester, Simon School of Business.

Melinda Goldberg is the Executive Director of Sound Foundations, a local nonprofit organization working to create meaningful music programs for Rochester’s public charter school students.

She previously served as Chief of Staff at Charter Champions, an initiative working to improve the teacher pipeline for charter schools, including developing non-traditional talent, trainings for newer teachers, and leadership workshops.

From 2015 through 2022, Melinda was the Director of the Council of Agency Executives, a membership association of 150 nonprofit organizations in the Greater Rochester area. Previously, Melinda was employed by several Rochester area nonprofit organizations in development, marketing and communications positions. She has also served as a fundraising consultant, grant-writer and reviewer.

In addition to serving on the GRQC Board, Melinda also serves on the board of the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and participates as an Advisory Fellow for the Center for Nonprofit Leadership at St. John Fisher University.

Melinda received a BA from the University of New Hampshire and holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from St. John Fisher University.

Sharon is a Quality Manager in the Practice and Performance Excellence Group at Hillside. Hillside has been a staple in the human service world in Rochester for over 185 years. In her role as Quality manager, Sharon works with HIPAA, and subpoenas. Sharon also manages the agency’s Council on Accreditation process while also being a Peer Review for C.O.A.

Sharon has a masters in Social Work from Spring Arbor University with a concentration on administration. In addition, Sharon is Lean Six Sigma Green belt certified through Hillside’s program and has completed several projects across Hillside.

Kiera Kuhn is a Registered Nurse with a Masters Degree in Healthcare Quality and Safety from Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health. She is passionate and committed to transforming healthcare to a safe and seamless experience, avoiding preventable events and costs. She is experienced in quality improvements using, lean six sigma techniques, various process Improvement tools, root cause analysis and TeamSTEPPS communication. She has overseen the Quality of Care for hospitals in several local health systems. She has worked in quality in an outpatient primary care practice, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) as well as CASA Trinity, a substance use disorder program with inpatient, residential and outpatient services. She is currently the Regional Director of Quality at URMC, Southern Tier Region for Nicholas Noyes and St James Hospitals.

Willis Major manages robotics and automation programs at the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Center, located on Monroe Community College’s Downtown Campus. In this role, he supports workforce training and industry partnerships focused on advanced manufacturing technologies.

Willis brings over 30 years of experience in engineering and management, having held leadership roles at Tesla, Gleason Works, and General Motors. Throughout his career, he has delivered more than $50 million in documented cost savings by applying Shainin Red X, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies across manufacturing, testing, design, process, and quality engineering functions.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the General Motors Institute and a Master of Science in Applied Statistics, with a concentration in Finance, from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Anne McNelis is currently a product portfolio and innovation manager at Excellus Health Plan, with a focus on subsidiary and ancillary products.

Anne started her career in IT and shifted from there into process analysis. She previously worked in IT consulting, IT operations, and operational excellence, with expertise in business analysis, communications, and process assessment and improvement.

Anne has a BA from Mercyhurst University. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

Trish started with Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in March, 2005, where she designed and implemented the Excellus Enterprise PMO. The Enterprise PMO is a centralized business unit that provides governance and guidance to projects and programs to promote efficiency and quality.

Today Trish is an Executive Director in the Operations Excellence Division, leading the System Business Process optimization department and the IT and Operations Departments of the Lifetime Benefit Solutions. Trish is responsible for the Lean Process Improvement portfolio management, process improvement project governance, mentoring methodology, and training, along with the operational and IT leadership within the Lifetime Benefit Solutions Company.

Trish is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems. She received her master’s degree in Business Administration from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. Trish is a certified Project Management Professional and Lean practitioner.

Trish lives in Fairport NY with her husband, son and two daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family, friends and outdoor activities.

Robert Panzer, M.D. is Senior Quality Adviser at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Strong Memorial Hospital. From 1995-2024 he was Chief Quality Officer, Associate Vice President for Patient Care Quality and Safety for URMC, and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Strong Memorial Hospital. In those roles, he was responsible for overseeing and supporting quality, patient safety, and clinical improvement activities.

He is also Professor of Medicine and of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. In October 2012 he was designated the first Georgia & Thomas Gosnell Professor in Quality and Safety. Based in the General Medicine Division, he practiced part-time as a board-certified general internist.

He graduated from Harvard College with a BA degree and from Albany Medical College with a MD degree Magna Cum Laude. He then completed a three-year Medicine Residency and a two-year Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital, before joining the faculty of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Dr. Panzer actively collaborates with national organizations and networks working to improve the state of the art of quality improvement. He was first author of the article “Increasing Demands for Quality Measurement” published in a special edition of JAMA in November 2013.

An accomplished organization development and change management consultant with more than a decade of experience, Ms. Ramerman joined CGR in 2026. She strengthens CGR’s capacity to help clients implement recommendations, manage complex change, and drive meaningful improvements in local government, fire and EMS services, and nonprofit operations. Her work supports CGR’s vision of safe, thriving, equitable communities by helping organizations move from strategy to sustained results.

Ms. Ramerman has led more than 25 large-scale engagements across federal, nonprofit, and local government environments. Prior to joining CGR, she led organization development and change management efforts at Totem Consulting, a DC-based boutique consulting firm, where she designed enterprise-wide change strategies, facilitated large-scale listening sessions and stakeholder engagement processes, and translated complex technical and operational challenges into practical, actionable plans. Her approach is grounded in diagnostic and dialogic organization development methods and draws on frameworks such as Prosci ADKAR, Burke-Litwin, and Appreciative Inquiry.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Ramerman held leadership roles at United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, where she supported a multiorganization merger and helped mobilize community-wide responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also played a key role in the transformation of Willow Domestic Violence Center, contributing to a major capital campaign, agency rebrand, relocation, and the launch of innovative services

Jan Schriefer is the Director of Quality Improvement and the Quality Assurance Liaison (QAL) for the Department of Pediatrics at University of Rochester Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital. Jan is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Jan is integrally involved in quality assurance efforts, helping to facilitate case reviews, serve on Root Cause Analysis teams, manage the daily event reporting system and better connects QA and QI efforts. She has supported many quality improvement efforts including the community based obesity prevention and management projects, the inpatient multidisciplinary pediatric asthma care team (IMPACT) and the acquiring diagnostics at patient-centric times (ADAPT) initiative. The IMPACT team won the 2014 URMC Board Quality Award and the 2015 Health Care Association of New York Award for Patient Safety and Quality.

Dr. Schriefer works with pediatric surgical colleagues to help reduce surgical complications. She is the coach for the Pediatric Surgery Pursuing Excellence Initiative team that is expanding resident involvement in quality and safety. Dr. Schriefer participates on many of the children's hospital Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) teams and coaches most of the Pediatric Unit Based Performance Program (UPP) teams. She is a Tutor in the Mastering Medical Information course for 1st year Medical Students in the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She teaches QI to resident, fellows and attendings in various courses throughout the year.

Dr. Schriefer has been a faculty member and a Quality Leader for the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) Quality Improvement collaborative since 2002. She is currently the Quality Leader for a group of NICUs focused on improving the care for the micro-premature infant. Dr. Schriefer works remotely for the Burlington Vermont based Vermont Oxford Network and has been instrumental in VON's Quality Improvement efforts internationally.

Dr. Schriefer has won numerous regional and national quality awards including the The USA Today / Rochester Institute of Technology Quality Cup for the UVM Early Extubation project, The Mosby Patient Safety and Quality Award, the URMC Board Quality Award, the Health Care Association of New York State Pinnacle Award for Patient Safety, the American College of Surgeons National Surgical QI Program Abstract Award, the Greater Rochester Quality Council Performance Award, the URMC Team Based Care Summit Award, the URMC Operations Excellence Lean Award and Quality and the Get Well Network Clinical Quality Innovation Award. She has a long list of peer reviewed publications and has presented at many national quality meetings.

Most recently, Dr. Schriefer was nominated to join the URMC Senior Leadership Education and Development (SLED) Program. The SLED Program brings together Medical School faculty through evidenced-based, collaborative learning to develop transformational academic leaders. The goals of the program are to lead by developing others, set direction and vision, develop organizational efficiencies and implement strategic plans. Jan has a green belt in Lean Six Sigma.

Dick retired in 2015 after 40 years at Eastman Kodak, and is enjoying applying the knowledge gained during his career to serve organizations in the not-for-profit sector as a volunteer. At Kodak, he worked for 20 years as an engineer, team leader and supervisor in new product development and manufacturing, mostly in the Consumer Products and Photofinishing Equipment divisions. In the second half of his career at Kodak, he served as a commercialization manager, leading cross-functional teams in bringing new products to market in several lines of business, including Photofinishing Equipment, Document Imaging and Brand Protection Solutions.

Since retiring, Dick has served as a meeting facilitator with ROC the Future (under the auspices of GRQC), as treasurer of a downtown church, and as an income tax preparer and quality reviewer with the CASH program. In these roles, he has focused on applying business and quality principles to make these organizations more effective and efficient. His work with ROC the Future has earned him (and GRQC) several awards for his contributions to the organization. Dick currently manages the GRQC website.

Carrie Steiner is the Senior Director of Operations Excellence at UR Medicine in Rochester, NY, where she practices, promotes, leads, and educates on continuous improvement. She has a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Rochester Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from University of Rochester’s Simon Business School.

Before joining UR Medicine, Carrie spent almost 20 years at Xerox Corporation where she was exposed to product development, product launch, project management, and leading supply chain operations. During her time at Xerox, Carrie received her Lean Six Sigma Green and Black belts through Xerox’s rigorous certification programs.

Carrie is a certified Project Management Professional with 25 years of experience in process improvement and project management. Carrie is passionate about improvement science and is continuously seeking new tools and technology to support her development in the field.

Angela is an accomplished operations and process improvement leader with expertise in Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, and Robotics Process Automation (RPA). She currently serves as a Manager of Process Improvement at Paylocity.

With over 20 years of experience in the Human Capital Management (HCM) sector at Paychex, Angela has demonstrated strong cross-functional leadership, fostering innovation and building diverse, high-performing teams that deliver exceptional results.

Angela holds a Bachelor of Science in Business with a concentration in Marketing from SUNY Brockport. She is also a certified Six Sigma Black Belt Practitioner and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Adam Tatro has been a Registered Nurse for over 16 years. He received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. Adam spent 13 years working at the University of Rochester Medical Center in a variety of areas, including clinical research, population health, informatics, analytics and care management. In addition, Adam has taught at the University of Rochester School of Nursing for over eight years in such courses as Safety, Quality and Informatics as well as Interprofessional Partnerships.

Adam has also been a leader in the Human Services sector and became the Director of IT at the Villa of Hope. At the Villa of Hope, Adam ran the Information Technology department overseeing everything from IT strategy for the agency to management of cyber security, applications, analytics and personnel.

With the onset of COVID, Adam went back into the acute care setting and became the Senior Director of Quality for Rochester Regional Health, overseeing clinical quality across the system. At Rochester Regional Health, Adam oversees the quality work that improves the clinical care of patients. Through the use of Lean, Implementation Science and Change Management principles, clinical care is transformed to provide a higher quality of care. Adam is passionate about the work that he does to improve the care and the lives of the patients that are served in the Rochester community.

Carol Wilke is a visionary leader who believes in leveraging people’s strengths to achieve operational excellence, strategic growth, and outstanding financial results. She is a Certified Leadership Coach, a Six Sigma Black Belt, a Lean Practitioner, and a Change Agent. She has championed multiple Rapid Cycle and Day of Quality projects in the Rochester community. Carol worked with the original GRQC Showcase and Performance Excellence Awards committee and remains committed to recognizing and celebrating teams / organizations.

Over the past twenty years, Carol has served the GRQC organization as Secretary, Vice Chair, Chair, and Treasurer. Professionally, she has excelled in roles as Finance Director, Controller, Investor Relations Manager, and Business Process Excellence Manager. Carol is a Rochester native and alumna of St. John Fisher University, BS Management; RIT, MBA Finance; and Leadership Rochester.