Omaha-based healthcare company Fusion has selected this year’s recipients of the Compassion in Care Scholarship program which aims to assist students pursuing a nursing career. This year’s recipients will be awarded $5,000, renewable for up to four years, [...]
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Vice President of Sales
An experienced and natural sales leader, Joe Kunes serves as Fusion’s Vice President of Sales. Kunes has been with the company for more than 13 years, working in several positions that help Fusion carry out the company’s core purpose of improving the lives of everyone we touch. The Fusion team has benefitted from his ability to make connections across the industry, coach and train healthcare recruiters, and lead departments that are helping medical facilities fulfill their staffing needs.
As the Vice President of Sales, Kunes leads Fusion’s sales teams which consist of several divisions of healthcare recruiters. His strong leadership ensures those recruiters are always equipped to support healthcare professionals and facilities so they can focus on what matters: delivering quality patient care.
Chief Financial Officer
With more than 30 years of dedicated experience in financial management, Mark is recognized for his strategic insight and ability to transform organizations for enhanced performance. Mark’s expertise encompasses strategic planning, process optimization, financial analysis, risk management, technology integration, and capital allocation. He is dedicated to driving sustainable growth and operational excellence at Fusion and leverages his experience to support the company’s long-term objectives.
Mark has experience enhancing operational and financial performance at various companies through rigorous process refinement and targeted investments. His collaborative leadership approach promotes transparency and accountability, empowering teams to excel in demanding environments.
Before joining Fusion, Mark served as CFO at Monte Vista, where he led the innovation of financial and cross-functional initiatives, revolutionizing service delivery in the farming industry.
He holds an MBA in Finance from Creighton University, complementing his extensive practical knowledge. Beyond his professional endeavors, Mark enjoys quality time with his family, reading, and pursuing outdoor activities.
Vice President of Customer Experience
Having a unique perspective on the medical staffing industry from two decades of work in e-commerce, Dan DeVeney is focused on improving the experience of the healthcare professionals, facilities and other staffing companies working with Fusion. DeVeney leads the customer experience and digital experience teams, which are focused on pinpointing areas of improvement for Fusion while crafting the ultimate experience for both healthcare travelers and facilities. Additionally, he oversees the company’s digital marketing efforts, providing high-level guidance to the marketing team and ensuring Fusion is the preferred agency across the industry.
Committed to prioritizing the needs of healthcare professionals and facilities, DeVeney has a goal of transforming the healthcare staffing journey through exceptional customer service and deep empathy for the people Fusion touches.
DeVeney joined Fusion in January 2023 after spending 20 years in e-commerce and retail where common ebbs and flows prepared him for the fluid nature of the healthcare industry. He has strong expertise in crafting the ideal customer experience and supporting teams in product management.
Vice President of Sales
A servant leader with a talent for motivating and building strong sales teams, Brian McCulloch has served as Fusion’s Vice President of Sales since January 2023. McCulloch leads Fusion’s sales teams which consist of several divisions of healthcare recruiters. His strong leadership ensures those recruiters are always equipped to support healthcare professionals and facilities so they can focus on what matters: delivering quality patient care.
Always looking for ways to strengthen Fusion’s culture, McCulloch is consistently providing a positive experience for recruiting teams so they can provide positive experiences for the traveling healthcare professionals they support.
McCulloch developed his instinct for prioritizing excellent patient care in his previous role leading business performance for an organization committed to supporting the aging population.
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff Ashleigh Reeker leads the execution of enterprise-wide initiatives that amplify Fusion’s impact on healthcare travelers and facilities. Playing an integral role in ensuring Fusion is moving forward and reaching its goals, Reeker is focused on analyzing problems and opportunities, prioritizing them, and executing them to make Fusion a successful organization.
Joining Fusion in 2022, Reeker strengthens the organization from the inside out by leading the project management and business transformation teams, which identify, prioritize and implement and continuously improve initiatives at the company. She and her teams recognize where the industry is with the mentality that Fusion has ample opportunity to help and innovate improvements.
Reeker has had a diverse career spanning over 15 years, previously working in real estate, software development, and digital marketing among others, but the common denominator in all her previous positions is the emphasis on relationships and organizational excellence. She is committed to understanding the people around her so she can motivate them in ways that are most impactful.
Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
A confident and compassionate leader, Calli Hite serves as Fusion’s Vice President of Communications and Public Relations. With more than 15 years of experience in the field across several disciplines and industries, Hite uses her expertise to pinpoint opportunities where Fusion can adapt and grow communications to employees to inform, engage, and empower them to become their best and maximize their impact and to drive the company’s reputation through public relations, community engagement and marketing.
Hite oversees all internal corporate communications, public relations, creative branding and community outreach as well as providing a strategic vision that increases employee engagement, leadership transparency, and a positive industry and community reputation. Since joining Fusion in December 2022, Hite has developed communication structures that are relied on by people across the company. She also provides high-level guidance to Fusion’s marketing team, ensuring Fusion is the agency of choice for healthcare clinicians and facilities.
Hite holds a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Public Relations and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, both from the University of Kansas, and a Master of Business Administration from Bellevue University.
Chief Operating Officer
Serving as Fusion’s Chief Operating Officer, Jenna Berg, JD, leads the organization’s sales strategy and legal teams, ensuring Fusion is reaching its goals while carrying out the company’s core purpose of improving the lives of everyone we touch. With more than a decade of experience practicing law, Berg’s diverse work experience provides her with a broad perspective on Fusion’s business endeavors.
Holding a Juris Doctor degree, Berg has experience working in a law firm, as a prosecutor, in insurance law, and as in-house counsel for various companies. She joined Fusion in 2022 as in-house legal counsel and has spent her time at the company increasing efficiency throughout all departments and leading legal and risk strategy. Her expertise in supporting the best interests of various businesses allows her to have a clear and focused view of Fusion’s goals.
Chief Clinical Officer
An accomplished senior healthcare leader and nurse, Amber Barna serves as Fusion’s Chief Clinical Officer, joining the company in 2023. Amber leads strategic management of Fusion’s Clinical and Compliance departments, including policies, procedures, and best practices to ensure the safety and wellbeing of healthcare travelers and patients. She has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with a passion for positively impacting patient care.
Prior to joining Fusion, Barna had 15 years of experience in the medical staffing industry, serving in roles of increasing responsibility including overseeing the delivery of nursing care, negotiating contracts for maintaining clinician credentialing, and presenting and executing sales strategies to leadership at affiliate hospitals.
Barna spent a decade in the clinical setting early in her career; she holds several academic credentials, including a Master of Science in Nursing on the Executive Leadership Track from the Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing; and she is an honoree of the SIA Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list.
Chief People Officer
Jackie Froendt, Chief People Officer, is a natural servant leader with more than 25 years of human resources experience. She leads several teams while representing the voice of employees in executive and strategic operations.
Froendt was instrumental in developing and growing HR departments at two companies prior to joining Fusion. She currently leads the teams responsible for the employee experience, which includes Human Resources, Benefits, Culture, and Talent Development teams, focusing on improving the lives of internal and external Fusion employees. Servant leadership, authenticity, and humility are the principles that guide Froendt. She walks along with the people she leads rather than in front of them.
In addition to being an expert in all things people, Froendt is a certified SHRM-CP (Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional), PHR (Professional in Human Resources), CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist), and Unstoppable Cultures Certified Fellow. She believes that you are never done working on things, and no matter how great a company’s culture is, the team can always work toward improvement. Her leadership has strengthened the employee voice and ensured all decisions are made with a people-first mindset.
Executive Sales Coach
Joining Fusion as the first employee, Travis Mason leads Fusion’s sales strategy and development. He has extensive knowledge of the healthcare staffing industry with his experience helping medical facilities fulfill their staffing needs since 2006. He began his career as a recruiter and client manager, working with both healthcare travelers and facilities; he then progressed to managing Fusion’s therapy division, and eventually as the sole driver of Business Development until his executive promotion in 2019.
As Executive Sales Coach, he partners with sales leadership across the company to set them up for success. Mason serves as a guide for the sales recruiters he leads, encouraging them through mentorship and training based on real experiences in his career. He believes in pouring into team members to help them grow in their careers and personal lives.
Mason’s biggest motivation in his career is to ensure Fusion has the consistent reputation of being a top healthcare staffing employer and to deliver on its core purpose: to improve every life we touch.
Chief Technology Officer
With more than 20 years of experience in technology, Ryan Paulson is an integral piece of Fusion achieving its goal to improve the clinician experience and elevate patient care. He naturally recognizes where growth in the business is needed and can pinpoint opportunities that can be enabled through technology. Prior to joining the company in 2018, he held technology leadership roles in the e-commerce, insurance, and energy industries.
In addition to providing strategic planning and a vision for how Fusion delivers its core purpose, Paulson leads three divisions: Information Technology, Data Strategy and Services, and Application Development. Under his leadership, the teams in these divisions are an integral part of supporting Fusion’s internal and external employees while looking for ways to make the healthcare staffing experience simple and efficient at every point.
Paulson’s authenticity as a leader, experience in disaster prevention and preparedness, and innovative instincts support Fusion’s three business units and consistently place Fusion in a position to succeed and refresh healthcare.
President and Chief Executive Officer
President and CEO Corey Watton is Fusion’s guide for strategic direction and achieving long-term goals, including developing strategies to sustainably grow the company while carrying out Fusion’s core purpose: to improve the lives of everyone we touch. His tenure at Fusion has included a focus on building internal resources and capabilities that support growth and a strong internal culture.
Watton was appointed as CEO in 2023, leading the charge on several exciting new ventures. He joined the company in 2019 as Fusion’s Chief Financial Officer and has more than 30 years working in finance, including more than a decade in executive leadership positions. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has extensive experience in liability stewardship and risk mitigation, resource allocation, and asset management.
Striving for excellence always, Watton leads the executive team in setting aggressive but achievable goals for Fusion.
He has a passion for growing internal employees, and does this by supporting Fusion’s internship program, personal development opportunities, and efficiencies that strengthen teams.
Founder and Executive Advisor
Sam Wageman has been in the healthcare staffing industry for 20 years and has dedicated that time to building relationships and helping people achieve their goals. He founded Fusion in 2009 and has used his exceptional leadership skills to guide the company to carry out its core purpose: To ensure everyone we touch has a better life.
Wageman is committed to leading with the core values of humble, driven and positive to help Fusion make sound decisions that benefit the company and its employees as well as improve the clinician experience.
His passion for helping others is clear: in addition to building the employee-first culture that is the company’s foundation, Wageman consistently strives to positively impact the communities around him. Some organizations that have been especially touched by Wageman’s generosity include QLI, MS Forward, Project Pink’d, and Heart Ministry Center, among many others.
As an inspirational leader committed to making a positive impact, Wageman believes if you treat people right, you can make a difference no matter what noise surrounds you. His dedication and vision have helped Fusion grow from a desk in a basement to a full-service staffing agency with hundreds of humble, driven, and positive employees.
