EXECUTIVE TEAM
At Vinfen, we envision a world where people with disabilities or life challenges lead full, productive, and valued lives, free from prejudice and discrimination, and who are supported to achieve their personal goals in the communities in which they choose to live.
Our executive team brings a wealth of diverse experience and competence, a proven track record of innovation, quality outcomes and financial stewardship, and a strong commitment to the values we embrace.
Our role as leaders is to consistently evaluate and improve our policies and practices to ensure that we are hiring caring employees, training them to use the very best science-based techniques, and supporting them to provide the most effective interventions to those whom we serve.
To accomplish these goals, we are engaged as participants and in leadership roles throughout the behavioral health and human services provider, advocacy, and research communities in order to help shape and to benefit from improvements to the entire health and human services system.
To learn more about our executive team, click on the bios below.
Bruce L. Bird, PhD
Bruce L. Bird, PhD
Bruce L. Bird received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Houston in 1975. He then spent four years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, initially as a postdoctoral fellow in Pediatrics, then as staff and Assistant Professor in Neurology. Dr. Bird's work at Johns Hopkins included clinical services and research in behavioral medicine and directing federally funded research grants in behavioral neurology.
Over his professional history, he has served in senior administrative roles for organizations including a national for-profit neurorehabilitation company in the late 1980’s and a second time at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins in the early 1990’s. Prior to joining Vinfen in 2003, he served for eight years as the Chief Executive Officer of North Suffolk Mental Health Association, a large community behavioral healthcare center with strong affiliations with Massachusetts General Hospital. After seven years of service as Vinfen’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Bird was promoted to the position of CEO in January 2009 and President in 2010.
Dr. Bird lists several areas of achievement in his years at Vinfen, including consistently strong financial performance, developing new program models for selected populations, increasing clinical adoption of evidence-based practices, improving the organization’s quality management systems, and increasing involvement in public sector advocacy. Since 2010, Vinfen has grown in revenue from just under $100M to FY 2021 revenue of about $200M, with a staff of about 3,200 and services to approximately 10,000 individuals in over 450 locations in Eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Dr. Bird notes that company growth has included development of an Innovation Center, which has supported two major initiatives. Vinfen launched and has grown integrated medical and behavioral care coordination services for over 800 of the people Vinfen serves with a nationally recognized CMS “duals” plan and formed an LLC partnership with 5 other community organizations providing care coordination to over 4,500 people in contracts with 10 accountable care organizations. The Center has also collaborated with colleagues at Dartmouth, the MGH Mongan Institute, and Beth Israel / Harvard Psychiatry to conduct foundation and federally funded evaluations of new mobile and web-based technologies for individuals with mental health conditions to improve self-management of their behavioral and physical health.
Dr. Bird has also served on statewide policymaking and provider organizations, including on the boards of the Association For Behavioral Healthcare of Massachusetts (currently as Chair), the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (past Chair 2015-16), the Providers' Council, and on several Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services' policy and planning committees.
Dr. Bird is a licensed Psychologist and has served as a member of the associate faculty of the Psychiatry Department of the Harvard Medical School and the affiliate staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has produced numerous articles and presentations and is currently directly involved in research projects evaluating the impact of technologies on self-management in Vinfen’s core populations. Dr. Bird currently serves on the leadership team with colleagues at MGH in a two-year $5M federally-funded project in which Vinfen is the lead of five community organizations working to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in community programs and to establish models of infection control for future pandemics.
Sophie Santaella, MBA
Sophie Santaella, MBA
Sophie Santaella, MBA, has over 25 years of experience in administrative, financial, and strategic management in corporate and nonprofit organizations. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning, payment and care delivery innovation for complex populations, public sector healthcare reform, sustainable use of innovative technology in health care delivery, and evaluation of impact and value of healthcare service delivery models.
As Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Santaella oversees programmatic and administrative functions for Vinfen and its subsidiaries, ensuring that services are planned and managed to the highest standards of the industry, and that the Vinfen companies are managed effectively and efficiently.
Prior to joining Vinfen, Ms. Santaella led the policy development, programmatic design, implementation, and oversight of integrated care management initiatives for Massachusetts’ Medicaid program.
Ms. Santaella has a Master of Business Administration from Babson College and previously worked for Vinfen as Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.
Richard Sullivan, MS, CPA
Richard Sullivan, MS, CPA
Rich Sullivan, CPA, is Chief Financial Officer of Vinfen Corporation. He oversees all financial, real estate, and information technology operations for Vinfen.
With over 30 years of financial experience, Rich has consistently demonstrated his commitment to mission-driven organizations. Before working at Vinfen, Rich served as the Chief Financial Officer of Curry College, a private nonprofit institution, for 14 years. His responsibilities included overseeing all financial operations, facilities, and negotiating key contracts.
Before Curry College, Rich held senior financial positions in companies specializing in technology and software development, financial services, and financial consulting. Rich began his financial career at Arthur Andersen & Co., an international public accounting and consulting firm, where he was appointed to the role of Audit Manager and where his client base included nonprofit health care organizations.
Rich has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Northeastern University, a Master of Science in taxation from Bentley University, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Joseph F. Gomes, MA
Joseph F. Gomes, MA
Joseph Gomes, MA has worked for Vinfen since August 22, 1983. Mr. Gomes’ tenure with Vinfen has spanned all aspects of services from operating behaviorally challenging residential programs, to overseeing day teams as the Senior Director of Service for the Metro-South Cluster of Residential Programs and the Developmental Services Division’s Day Services. Mr. Gomes’ clinical training and background has helped to drive the direction of clinical services within the Developmental Services Division.
Mr. Gomes has a Master Degree in Agency Counseling and Educational Psychology. Prior to joining Vinfen, he spent two years in Providence, Rhode Island working for the Judge Rotenberg Center, formally the Behavior Research Institute, where he received extensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis. Mr. Gomes is currently the Senior Vice President of the Developmental and Brain Injury Services at Vinfen and continues to drive clinical excellence.
Jeanne Russo, MA
Jeanne Russo, MA
Jeanne Russo, MA, has over 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field. For the last 25 years she has provided leadership to programs funded by the Department of Mental Health (DMH) in Massachusetts. Most significantly she provided oversight of the operations of a community-based mental health provider located in Chelsea MA; with an operating budget of 30 million dollars, serving 2000+ people through a variety of services. Over the last 15 years she has provided leadership to the staff and programs for the community-based services in the northeast area of Vinfen funded by the DMH; as well as outpatient services.
In July of 2019, she moved to the position of Senior Vice President of Community-Based Mental Health at Vinfen – providing leadership and operational oversight to programs and services that support over 5000+ people in a variety of settings. She has developed and designed community-based services in her varied roles to provide services and supports to adults with mental health conditions to live and work in their communities. These include fidelity-based models of PACT and ACT and Individualized Placement and Support, and the fidelity informed model of the Transition to Independence Program.
Ms. Russo has spent much of her career focused on providing services to people from underserved communities. Ms. Russo also spent ten years in the communities of Chelsea, Revere, East Boston, Winthrop, and Boston working with 50% newcomer populations that were primarily Hispanic in Chelsea and East Boston. She developed specialized outpatient, day treatment, and outreach support to this community as well as providing direct oversight to the Southeast Asian American Team, which was a collaborative group consisting of her current agency, North Suffolk Mental Health, Boston Children’s Hospital, and The Dimock Center. This team worked with Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese immigrants and developed specialized outreach, outpatient, and housing support to this community. Ms. Russo also implemented a specialized outreach team that provided supported housing services to Deaf individuals. Her most recent scope of work prior to running the Division was in the northeast area of Massachusetts in the cities of Lawrence, Lowell, and Haverhill and surrounding towns. These cities and towns are diverse both culturally and ethnically and she is experienced in providing culturally competent services for persons that are bilingual and bicultural in Spanish and Khmer.
Jeanne received her Master of Counseling from Assumption College. She developed, designed, and implemented the Transitions to Independence Program (TIP) that serves transition age youth and young adults in a strength-based model in collaboration with Hewitt B. Clark, the model-developer. She worked collaboratively with the DMH and Children’s Friends and Family (now JRI) to obtain the Healthy Transitions Grant known as YouForward – awarded to the DMH from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and has sat as a member on the Interagency Committee advising the program. She also sat on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee that informed the development of the community mental health system Adult Community Clinical Services.
Lauren Falls, LICSW
Lauren Falls, LICSW
Lauren Falls, LICSW, is Vice President of Behavioral Health Services. She leads the Behavioral Health division, including Vinfen’s outpatient clinics, and is responsible for the integration of behavioral health service within Vinfen programs as well as with external service providers.
Ms. Falls has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles both within the provider and payor worlds. She brings to Vinfen a deep knowledge and understanding from working in a variety of settings including managed care and accountable care organizations and behavioral health inpatient, outpatient, and addiction treatment settings. Ms. Falls is experienced in implementing strategies and programs to improve health care delivery and outcomes. With this extensive background, Ms. Falls understands that care needs to be approached in a holistic frame and must address the bio-psycho-social needs of an individual and their family and that medical, behavioral, and health-related social needs must be addressed concurrently.
Ms. Falls has a Master of Social Work from Simmons School of Social Work and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW).
Kim Shellenberger, MBA
Kim Shellenberger, MBA
Kim Shellenberger, MBA, has over 25 years of experience in health care policy and health care improvement for vulnerable populations. As the Vice President of Integrated Care and Innovation at Vinfen, she oversees programs in care integration, including the Community Partners and One Care Health Home. Ms. Shellenberger is also responsible for the development of new services, innovative technology programs, and partnerships that improve outcomes and quality for persons served.
Working with a Northeastern University team, she has consulted in the areas of community-based population health and health and human services integration. She co-authored case studies of cross-sector, community-level, population health improvement efforts addressing social determinants of health.
Prior to Vinfen, Ms. Shellenberger worked at Commonwealth Care Alliance, the Medicaid-Medicare health plan and health care delivery network, leading the development and implementation of its One Care program. She began her career in health care policy and advocacy working at the national organization, Community Catalyst. Her first job was working as a community organizer at Health Care For All, the health policy and advocacy organization, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors.
Ms. Shellenberger holds a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
Rob Crane, MS
Rob Crane, MS
Rob Crane, MS, is the Vice President and Executive Director of Vinfen Connecticut. He oversees the entirety of Vinfen’s Connecticut program, both in day-to-day operations and in developing and implementing strategic plans for the organization.
Mr. Crane’s career with Vinfen began over 28 years ago as a relief overnight staff at Bayview Inn. Since then he has made a steady progression up through the organization in Massachusetts before moving to Connecticut. Mr. Crane was also an essential part of the team who established Vinfen CT in 2000. Twenty years later, Vinfen CT is a reputable and well-respected provider of the state’s Developmental Disability Services (DDS) and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).
Mr. Crane has a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy and has extensive experience working with people experiencing homelessness and substance use challenges.
Jon Burt
Jon Burt
Jon Burt joined Vinfen in March 2014 as the Director of Information Technology, was promoted to Vice President of Information Technology in October 2014, and then to Chief Information Officer in 2017. Mr. Burt oversees all facets of the Information Technology (IT) Department at Vinfen, including strategic planning, IT Operations, project management, vendor management, customer service, database management, and report design/development.
Mr. Burt started working in IT on the Help Desk, and his experience in the field runs the gambit from individual contribution and contract technical work through higher-level supervisory jobs. His employer experience spans multiple industries including financial consulting, software development, security systems manufacturing, and healthcare. Prior to Vinfen, he was employed at Vision Government Solutions Inc, where he served as both the Director of Business Operations and the Customer Support Manager; an executive role with oversight of the Providence, RI business operations, company-wide external customer support and internal IT functions.
Prior to entering the IT industry, Mr. Burt worked for several years in the United States Merchant Marine as a US Coast Guard Licensed Deck Officer working aboard sailing ships, managing deck operations, teaching marine education, and working with nonprofit organizations serving youth at risk and adjudicated youth.
Bill Brosseau, MBA
Bill Brosseau
Bill Brosseau, MBA, is the Vice President of Finance at Vinfen and is responsible for financial functions such as corporate accounting, revenue and billing, and payroll. Mr. Brosseau also oversees the accounts payable and procurement functions.
Mr. Brosseau has over 40 years of experience in finance and other disciplines. Prior to joining Vinfen, he was an independent consultant specializing in interim financial leadership and project management, with clients primarily in human services, data storage, and financial services.
Mr. Brosseau has worked for The MENTOR Network, a national provider of human services in various capacities including coordinating all administrative functions, establishing a project management office, and managing mergers and acquisitions. Prior to working at The MENTOR Network, Mr. Brosseau held financial leadership positions at several manufacturing companies including being the Chief Financial Officer at GKN Sinter Metals in Worcester.
Mr. Brosseau earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Vermont and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Babson College. He is also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
Kathy Krysiak, JD
Kathy Krysiak, JD
Kathy Krysiak, JD, has over 15 years of human resources management, training, compliance, and employment law experience. She first joined Vinfen in 2012 as a Human Resources Manager and was quickly promoted in 2013 to the Director of Human Resources. In 2016, Ms. Krysiak was then promoted to Vice President of Human Resources.
Prior to Vinfen, she was a Human Resources Manager at the YMCA of Greater Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Physics. In addition, Ms. Krysiak served as an Associate in the Litigation and Employment Group at Gesmer Updegrove LLP, formally known as Lucash Gesmer & Updegrove LLP, and an Associate at the boutique labor and employment law firm of Coffman Coleman Andrews & Grogan PA.
Ms. Krysiak received both a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University. At Georgetown University Law Center, she served as the Administrative Editor of the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. She is a member of the Virginia, Florida, and Massachusetts Bar Associations as well as for the Society for Human Resources Management and the Northeast Human Resources Association.
Madeline Becker, PhD
Madeline Becker, PhD
Madeline Becker, PhD, is the Vice President of Quality and Compliance at Vinfen. Dr. Becker serves on the executive team and supervises the operations of the Quality and Compliance Department. She also serves as the Corporate Compliance Officer reporting directly to the Board of Directors overseeing matters related to adherence with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Dr. Becker serves as the Privacy Officer for the organization.
Dr. Becker manages current clinical information systems including development, reporting, training, and lead efforts to identify and procure additional clinical systems to support operations. She is responsible for the leadership, direction, and oversight of the Internal Audit Program helping ensure the development and implementation of the audit plan and manage the process to review research activities for appropriate use of company resources and compliance with all pertinent laws and regulations. Dr. Becker provides analytic support and thought leadership to new business efforts and represents Vinfen by leading and participating in external working groups or committees.
Dr. Becker holds a doctorate degree in Psychology from Boston University and has presented at numerous national and regional conferences and meetings.
Don Condie, MD
Don Condie, MD
As Medical Director of Vinfen, Don Condie, MD provides senior mental health and medical leadership to all of Vinfen programs. This includes the development, implementation, and monitoring of medical, mental health, and clinical policies and services; quality improvement; and risk management activities. He assists in program development and in communications with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services departments, the people Vinfen serves, other care-giving institutions and professionals, and the general community as needed.
Dr. Condie received his MD from Louisiana State University Medical School in 1982. He trained at Massachusetts Mental Health Center in adult, child, and adolescent Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Condie has been practicing in Massachusetts since 1983. He has had extensive experience working with both children and adults with severe mental health conditions.
Prior to working at Vinfen, Dr. Condie practiced at Massachusetts General Hospital for 23 years and at Brockton Multiservice Center in the Crisis Unit for more than 20 years. He was the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Child Psychiatrist for the Southeastern Area for 10 years. Dr. Condie is a past President of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Lurleen Gannon, Esq.
Lurleen Gannon, Esq.
Lurleen Gannon, Esq. serves as Vice President and General Counsel for Vinfen Corporation and its affiliated entities. In her role as General Counsel, she oversees all of Vinfen’s legal matters, including contracts, litigation, employment law counseling, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and risk management.
Prior to Vinfen, Lurleen served as First Deputy General Counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, where she advised MBTA and MassDOT senior leaders on a wide range of legal and business matters. Before the MBTA, Lurleen was in private practice as a commercial litigator for many years at Conn Kavanaugh in Boston. Lurleen currently serves as chair of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) In-House Counsel Committee and is also a member of the WBA’s Awards & Recognition Committee. She also is a past President and Executive Board Member of the WBA, a past Board Member of the Boston College Law School Alumni Association, and a past Board Member of Young Audiences of Massachusetts. She also is a frequent speaker on topics of interest to in-house counsel and other healthcare providers.
Lurleen received her Bachelor of Arts (with honors) in psychology from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1999 and a Juris Doctorate from Boston College Law School in Newton, Massachusetts in 2002.
Patricia Cooper, MBA
Patricia Cooper, MBA
Pat Cooper, MBA, is Vice President of Real Estate for Vinfen. In this role, she is responsible for planning and directing all property acquisition, disposition, affordable housing, leasing, construction, and facilities management activities for the organization.
Ms. Cooper brings 35 years of real estate expertise to her role at Vinfen, overseeing a portfolio of 500+ residential and commercial locations. Her experience includes leadership positions in commercial, residential, industrial, and retail property administration and management. Prior to joining Vinfen, Ms. Cooper served as Vice President at Trammell Crow Company and Senior Manager of Property Management and Leasing at Harvard University.
Ms. Cooper earned a Masters of Business Administration from Simmons School of Management. She is a licensed Real Estate Broker and an active member in CREW Boston (Commercial Real Estate Women).
Julie Banda, MPH
Julie Banda, MPH
As the Director of Communications and Development at Vinfen, Julie Banda, MPH, is responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing plans to communicate company mission, vision, goals, initiatives, and achievements; further company visibility; raise awareness; and drive funding. She oversees the company identity and brand alignment and defines the vision and editorial strategy for Vinfen websites, social media channels, special events, newsletters, print and email marketing, press releases, talking points, video scripts, fundraising appeals, donor communications, acknowledgements, and advertisements.
Ms. Banda comes to us with over 20 years of marketing, brand strategy, research, program development, and management expertise in the public health sector. Prior to joining Vinfen, Ms. Banda served as Director of Brand Strategy and Research at MORE Advertising and has held roles at precisioneffect, Health Resources in Action, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ms. Banda has a Master of Public Health specializing in social and behavioral sciences from Boston University.