It’s one thing to know our jobs and to do them well. But it’s our incredible commitment to each client’s goals and challenges that truly sets us apart.
Paul Umbach, Founder and President, is a nationally and internationally renowned strategist who pioneered innovative market research, community health assessment, and economic impact analysis. His leadership of thousands of consulting assignments over the past 30 years in every state and virtually every market in the United States and internationally makes Paul one of America’s most experienced and sought after consultants. Prior to founding Tripp Umbach, Paul was the Executive Director of Economic Development in Elmira, New York, where he was a founding member of the New York State Urban Council. Paul’s first professional appointment after graduate school in 1985 was as Director of Environmental Education for the US Soil and Water Conservation District in Cleveland, Ohio.
Paul is a graduate of Harvard University, where he completed an AMDP with a concentration in Economic Design from the Graduate School of Design. He also holds a Master of Arts from the University of Akron in Economic Geography and Regional Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and English Literature from Concordia University in Nebraska.
In her more than 20-year history with Tripp Umbach, Beth Paul has provided leadership on hundreds of projects in all regions of the United States. Beth has extensive experience in strategic planning, undergraduate and graduate medical education, LCME accreditation, health sciences program expansion, economic impact and financial analysis, and community health needs assessments.
In addition to senior level project management and consulting, Beth serves as Chief of Staff, supporting the firm’s Principals in the implementation of new initiatives, professional development for employees and interns, and project tracking and oversight.
Beth’s previous experience includes senior level strategic planning and business development positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center UPMC and Sutter Health, a large California healthcare system. Before completing coursework in the University of California Davis MBA program, Beth earned a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising with a minor in English from Pennsylvania State University.
Since 2002, Carrie has managed studies for hundreds of clients throughout the United States. She serves as a Principal Project Director for Tripp Umbach’s market research, consumer image, community health, economic impact studies, and facility assessments. As a result, Carrie has extensive experience developing and conducting complex research projects for colleges and universities, major medical centers, and leading Fortune 500 companies throughout United States.
Her extensive project management and research skills have been employed in the management of large-scale brand image studies and in complex Customer Value Analysis assignments, helping clients optimize current market positions and enter new markets. Since 1994, Carrie has been developing and conducting complex research projects across the United States. In addition to her years of experience at Tripp Umbach, Carrie worked for TNS-I, a worldwide leader in market research for seven years.
Carrie holds a B.S. in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA and is currently pursuing a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Denise began her career with Tripp Umbach as an intern in 2008 while obtaining her graduate degree and continued to consult with the firm on numerous projects through 2011. She began full-time in the Spring of 2012. With her statistical background, Denise brings in-depth quantitative analysis to all of her projects. Denise is well-versed in economic impact analysis, strategic planning, market research, and academic medical planning, including COCA accreditation.
Prior to Tripp Umbach, Denise worked on an international, multi-center study examining pediatric acute liver failure (PALF) at the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health.
Denise received her B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Research Methodology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her education focused on research study design, implementation, and statistical analysis.
Ha’s inquisitive and perceptive nature, combined with her command of detail and resourcefulness translate into an ability to quickly grasp a client’s goals and how best to achieve them. As a project leader specializing in health care, she has worked on economic impact, community health, market research, graduate medical education studies, and employee satisfaction studies. As a focus group leader, Ha has distinguished herself as a diplomatic and engaging facilitator and has helped many health planners effectively and efficiently design, maintain, and evaluate their programs and services.
Prior to joining Tripp Umbach, Ha worked for Public Health Foundation, a non-profit that serves the public health community by providing information, data, and training on America’s public health system through applied research, training, and technical assistance.
Ha holds a dual degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Communications Science and Communications Rhetoric.
Since 2005, Angie has successfully managed studies for mutilple clients throughout the United States. Angie has the capacity to immerse herself in the most complex assignments and bring remarkable insights and clarity to the process. Her ability to embrace a 360-degree view and her intimate knowledge about clients has allowed her to navigate through the most difficult projects and deliver impressive results. In her role as Principal Project Director for Tripp Umbach, she leads economic impact, feasibility, bioscience marketing, community health, and strategic planning studies.
Angie is extremely adept at group facilitation, meetings and interviews with a wide variety of audiences. She has conducted projects for major hospitals and health care organizations, as well as colleges and universities, including new and established medical programs. Angie’s current focus is on economic development planning processes regarding the implementation of interdisciplinary medical education and health science education and research centers; including planning models for the expansion and development of graduate medical education.
Angie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications Media from Indiana University in Pennsylvania.
Julie Chmiel, Principal Project Director
Since 2005, Julie has successfully managed studies for Tripp Umbach clients throughout the United States. She serves as Principal Project Director and has worked on numerous academic medicine, economic impact, feasibility, bio-science marketing, community health, market research and strategic planning studies. She has experience conducting projects for major hospitals, healthcare organizations, colleges, and universities.
Julie’s work and leadership on consulting assignments for hospitals and higher education clients provides strategic, data-driven value and decision-making. Julie’s strengths are group facilitation and quantitative and qualitative research.
Julie also served as a Report Analyst for Yoh, A Day and Zimmerman Company. She developed weekly financial/cost analysis/market trend reports for 16 lines of business (9 offices) throughout the West/Southwest during her two years while living in San Diego, CA. Julie also service as the Wellness Council Representative for Yoh.
Julie holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from Adams State University and a B.S. in Communications Media with a concentration in Statistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Nicole joined Tripp Umbach in 2014 focusing on economic impact and community health planning projects for our healthcare and higher education clients. Nicole has advanced within Tripp Umbach to her current role as Senior Project Director. Her expertise includes both quantitative and qualitative analysis and reporting. She is a natural project leader quick to understand steps needed to ensure client satisfaction and a successful project outcome. Nicole is extremely adept at facilitating meetings and interviews with a wide variety of audiences. Her rigorous approach to project research and report writing results in the highest quality work.
Nicole holds a Master of Public Administration, Public and Nonprofit Management from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Her Bachelor of Arts dual degree in Business and History was also granted by the University of Pittsburgh.
Mike joined Tripp Umbach in 2014. His work currently focuses on a multitude of disciplines, including planning and economic development, community health, strategic planning, market feasibility, and economic impact. His skill set at Tripp Umbach supports both quantitative and qualitative analyses and he has conducted projects for hospitals, healthcare organizations, municipalities, colleges, and universities. Mike is extremely adept at facilitating meetings and interviews with a wide variety of audiences. His approach to project research and report writing is thorough and comprehensive.
Mike holds a Master’s of Public and International Affairs from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. His undergraduate degree in Political Science was granted by Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
Tyler joined Tripp Umbach in 2015 as a Project Manager focusing on planning and economic development projects. He has the capacity to engage himself in the most multifaceted assignments and is a natural leader. His capability spans a multitude of sectors including city redevelopment and higher education. His approach to project research and report writing is thorough and comprehensive. Tyler is skilled at developing a clear path to project completion and quickly able to understand challenging concepts. His skill set at Tripp Umbach includes both quantitative and qualitative analysis and reporting, as well as facilitating meetings, forums, and interviews with a wide variety of audiences.
Prior to joining Tripp Umbach, Tyler refined his skills with Pittsburgh City Council in the District 6 office where he played an integral role interpreting data and crafting ideas for use in city-wide legislative policies while also maintaining a lasting rapport with those constituents served in the Pittsburgh community.
Tyler holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
Gwen joined Tripp Umbach in 2015 after many years in the healthcare field during which time she provided C-suite level support to the executive team and board of directors of a healthcare system in central PA. Prior to her healthcare career, she earned her degree in accounting and marketing from The Pennsylvania State University and immediately put it to work in business and finance, and human resources for financial institutions and manufacturing. Gwen’s responsibilities at Tripp Umbach include contract management, business planning, financial leadership and Human Resource functions.
Alyssa joined Tripp Umbach in 2015 as a Project Assistant, serving on many diverse projects as a multi-faceted teammate. Alyssa simultaneously supported the company’s marketing team, focusing on relationship management, technology integration, and strategic growth initiatives. Alyssa has advanced within Tripp Umbach to her current role as the Director of Marketing and has grown to be one of the most versatile team members in the firm. She is highly skilled in communications and project management and is able to transform vision into action effectively with both clients and colleagues. Alyssa excels in creating and deploying marketing solutions and also works to solve problems for clients through quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
Alyssa is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Communications and Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She received her B.S. in Exercise Science from the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University. Her education focused on Exercise Physiology and Quantitative Mathematics.
SENIOR CONSULTANTS
Tripp Umbach has cultivated relationships with national and international renowned experts with the depth and breadth of experience to provide valuable insights to the markets we serve.
Dr. Barbara J. Terry recently retired as Vice President, Mission Effectiveness and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Pinnacle Health System, Harrisburg PA.
Formerly, Dr. Terry was President and Chief Executive Officer of The Institute for Healthy Communities, affiliate organization of the Hospital and Health System Association of PA, serving as the catalyst for creating, linking, and supporting over 100 community-based partnerships and nearly 200 health systems working to improve population health and quality of life in communities across Pennsylvania.
As Chief Diversity Officer, she was responsible to create an environment for patients, visitors, employees and caregivers where the uniqueness of all races, ethnicities, colors, religions, beliefs, abilities, appearances, genders, and sexual orientation are understood, respected and welcomed. She implemented a diversity and inclusion vision and mission for Pinnacle Health System ensuring compliance with national Cultural and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) standards and JCAHO requirements.
Dr. Terry led Pinnacle Health’s efforts in adopting culturally and linguistically appropriate health care practices throughout the system, continually enhancing sensitivity and responsiveness to the clinical and cultural interests, needs and expectations of patients, the development of creative solutions to identified community health priorities and challenges and expanded the diversity and inclusion of the workforce.
Dr. Terry embarked upon a relentless pursuit to advance diversity and inclusion across the community and regionally through a plethora of initiatives aimed at making cultural competence a strategic priority and ensuring the delivery of culturally competent patient care. She effectively engaged diverse, vulnerable communities and over 200 community organizations to measurably improve population health through an integrated care delivery approach with electronic reporting and patient tracking mechanisms to share information among health centers, identify super-utilizers, address barriers to access and ensure safe, quality care. Success measures included decreased 30 day hospital readmissions, decreased non-urgent emergency room visits and overall cost/case and improved prevention education and early intervention among community health centers, senior living facilities and the faith community.
Dr. Terry served in progressive roles as Chief Nursing Officer and Assistant Executive Director, Patient Services, responsible for the nursing and clinical/ancillary services at Frick Hospital (Excela Health) and as Vice President, Improvement Services at VHA. She received her BSN from Pennsylvania State University, her MS degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Health Services Management, a Masters and Doctorate Degree from Andersonville Theological Institute.
Dr. Terry has received numerous awards to include the Dr. Claude E Nichols Medical Award, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC Business Diversity Champion Award, the United Way of the Capital Region Spirit of the Community Award and the Martin Luther King “Keeper of the Dream” Award.
Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson is both an accomplished executive and urban redevelopment entrepreneur, consistently delivering results by leveraging a solid academic, real estate, community development, and policy background. By applying strong business acumen and leadership talents, Eric is as much at home building organizations through his enthusiastic energy, collaborative approach, and trust management as he is in making key contributions to real estate, community, and economic development strategy at any level. Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson is a driven consummate executive whose career evidences exceptional leadership skills combined with a strong background in change management and operational transformations. He can bring game-changing approaches, solutions, and perspectives to the table due to his past experience in creating innovative, high impact organizations. Dr. Johnson is a proven difference-maker and change agent who knows how to deliver solutions by crafting vision and executing strategy that leads to concrete results.
Dr. Johnson has a broad range of redevelopment experience having worked on urban development projects and issues in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and Southeastern regions of the United States. Dr. Johnson is continually energized by challenging opportunities and the pursuit of excellence and is a lifelong learner who values creativity, leadership, challenges, and opportunities to inspire people to achieve higher levels of success. As a seasoned urban development professional that has experienced both success and failure, Dr. Johnson knows firsthand the commitment and sacrifice required to assist communities in developing strategies for economic success. He is well versed and knowledgeable of the overall context of urban development in America and has testified before the United States Congress on community development initiatives and is an active contributor to several professional affiliations.
Dr. Johnson holds a PhD in Urban Affairs and Public Policy where his dissertation examined the impact of Black Mayor community development spending in the cities of Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Washington, DC. He is also an Alumnus of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate; the Harvard University Business School Real Estate Management Program; the Harvard JFK School of Government Public Trust Executive Leadership Training and is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional.
Patricia St. Germain joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine Administration as associate dean for administrative and financial affairs in 1988 after serving as director of finance and administration in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She served as associate vice president for health sciences for five years. In turn, she participated in several research projects in Africa under USAID and Fulbright sponsorships. She has chaired the Arizona Health Sciences Finance Committee and served on the University Finance Committee. Patricia has served on the University’s Strategic Planning and Budget Advising Committee, the University’s Finance Committee for its North Central accreditation process and the Council for Academic Business Officers. While in the College of Medicine, she was a member of the Dean’s Executive Council, the Dean’s Research Council, and chaired the College of Medicine educational resources committee for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education through two accreditation processes. She has worked intensely on financial and administrative matters pertaining to the expansion of University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix from visioning through final budget approval from the Arizona state legislature.
With a Master of Science in Management and Policy and a degree in Accounting from University of Arizona, Patricia has presented workshops at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for the Group on Senior Women in Medicine; the Group on Medical Education; been a member of various committees at the AAMC and completed a term as national president of the Group on Business Affairs. She has been a contributing author in Academic Medicine publications: Gender differences in academic advancement; supporting the academic mission in an era of constrained resources; and Timing of revenue streams from newly recruited faculty: implications for faculty recruitment.
Currently, Patricia serves as a financial and management consultant with the College of Medicine, University of Arizona and as a member of the Tripp Umbach team providing input and analysis for the feasibility of new and expanding medical schools. Recent projects have been with the Commonwealth Medical School of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Medical College of Georgia, University of Texas Tech, University of St Thomas, and King College.
Kenneth J. Ryan is a medical microbiologist who has also served as a medical school dean. He is certified as a specialist in medical microbiology by the American Board of Pathology (ABP) and the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM). In 1972, following military service, Dr. Ryan was recruited by the then newly formed University of Arizona College of Medicine to establish infectious disease diagnostic services at their university hospital in Tucson. He later directed the entire Clinical Laboratory Service at University Medical Center. Dr. Ryan has served in multiple leadership positions in hospital (Director, Executive Committee), physician practice plan (Trustee, Treasurer), and university (see below) administrations.
The diagnosis and pathogenesis of bacterial and fungal diseases has been Dr. Ryan’s teaching and research focus. He has published over 150 papers and book chapters in these fields and has been recognized nationally by membership on expert committees of the ABP, ABMM, the National Institutes of Health, and the editorial board of multiple pathology and microbiology journals. In 1984, he became an author of the standard medical microbiology text for medical students and with the 3rd edition (1994), took over as editor of Sherris Medical Microbiology now in its 6th edition. The 7th edition will be published by McGraw-Hill in 2018.
Academically, Dr. Ryan holds the rank of Professor of Immunobiology and Emeritus Professor of Pathology and Microbiology. In 2000, he moved into academic administration as Dean for Academic Affairs with oversight for all student, faculty, and educational programs of the UA College of Medicine. In that role he led the development of a newly integrated curriculum which is now accessed by medical students and faculty through classroom and online vehicles. Between 2001 and 2004, Dr. Ryan also served as Interim Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the College of Medicine. Until his UA retirement in 2007, he played a leading role in planning the expansion of the College of Medicine to a four-year campus in Phoenix. He is still teaching medical students, writing, and now consulting with groups seeking to create new medical schools, to expand existing medical schools, or to restructure academic medical centers. A passionate opera fan, Dr. Ryan has given preview lectures prior to performances of the Arizona Opera Company for over 20 years.
Dr. Burriss is known for her ingenuity, integrity, and innovative leadership in higher education and economic development. The White House, National Governors Association, and the Pew Charitable Trusts have recognized her work. She was named to the list of the 100 most influential leaders in Georgia and Atlanta for five consecutive years.
She is a connector who catalyzes strategic collaborations among business, government, academic, and philanthropic leaders and their sectors. She combines her expertise in academic, health, and economic eco-systems with the remarkable analytics of Tripp Umbach. She helps clients create personalized economic designs and smart blueprints to guide them to build capacity and communities through jobs, wealth creation, and quality of life factors.
Her background provides a rich mix of multidisciplinary experiences and education. She served as CEO of the science and technology campus of the largest research university in Virginia and as a Georgia Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff for policy, legislative affairs, and executive appointments. She led economic development for the University System of Georgia and pioneered the electric transportation program for the nation’s largest investor owned utility. An entrepreneur, she has founded four non-profit enterprises.
Dr. Burriss earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of City Planning from Georgia Tech. In addition, she earned fine arts degrees from Stephens and Sullins Colleges.