Joseph A. Carlucci is a co-founder of our company and our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Carlucci has served as the chairman of our board of directors since 2012. Mr. Carlucci has more than 37 years of experience in the dialysis services industry. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Carlucci served as President and CEO of Optimal Renal Care, a joint venture between Fresenius Medical Care North America, (‘‘FMCNA’’), and Kaiser Permanente of Southern California designed as a disease management organization providing additional opportunities to improve treatment outcomes, improve cost structures, and implement new technologies and methods of dialysis care. Prior to that, Mr. Carlucci served as Vice President of Administration at FMCNA and was responsible nationally for managed care, medical director relations and facility development. He has operations experience from Facility Administrator to Director of U.S. Operations at FMCNA. Mr. Carlucci also serves on the board of directors of Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine. Mr. Carlucci holds a B.S. degree in Accounting from Bentley University.

Darren Lehrich joined American Renal Associates in 2015 as Senior Vice President, Strategy & Investor Relations. Prior to ARA, Mr. Lehrich was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank for 10 years, during which time he led the firm’s Health Care Providers Equity Research Team. Mr. Lehrich’s team at Deutsche Bank covered a broad array of Health Care Service Providers, including acute care hospitals, outpatient dialysis, physician staffing services, ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic imaging centers, clinical laboratories, behavioral hospitals and post-acute care providers. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Lehrich was a Managing Director and Senior Analyst covering the Health Care Services sector at Piper Jaffray & Co. He has also held Senior Health Care Analyst positions at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and at ING Barings Furman Selz. Prior to his Wall Street career, Mr. Lehrich worked at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he served in practice management roles in the Ambulatory Care Division. Mr. Lehrich is a 2015 Nashville Health Care Council Fellow, and a 2007 recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award. Mr. Lehrich holds an MBA in Finance from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University and a BS in Healthcare Policy and Administration from the Pennsylvania State University.

Neal Minahan is Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at American Renal Associates (ARA). Mr. Minahan has more than 12 years of legal and compliance experience in the dialysis industry. Prior to joining ARA, he served as a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where he focused on healthcare litigation, government enforcement and regulatory compliance. Mr. Minahan’s dialysis experience includes responding to large-scale OIG and DOJ investigations, and developing and maintaining comprehensive compliance programs. Mr. Minahan has received a number of accolades throughout his legal career, including the American Bar Association’s prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award in 2012. Mr. Minahan received his B.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Dr. Michael Anger is one of three co-Chief Medical Officers at American Renal Associates (ARA). Dr. Anger attended Hahnemann University Medical School where he graduated as a member of the AOA Medical Honor Society. After completing his Internal Medicine Residency at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, he did his Nephrology Fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology.

Ashwin Patel
Divisional Vice President

Ashwin Patel has extensive experience in the development and operations management of outpatient dialysis facilities and acute dialysis programs. He started his career in dialysis more than 35 years ago as an independent dialysis facility administrator, which led to successful partnerships with physicians in several de novo independent facilities. Mr. Patel worked as a Regional Operations Director for DaVita for 15 years, where he was responsible for managing the operations in DaVita’s top-performing South Florida region. He joined American Renal Associates (ARA) in November 2010 as a Regional Director of Operations supporting ARA facilities in Florida, Louisiana and Texas, and currently serves as a Divisional Vice President. Mr. Patel received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He is an active member of the NRAA and FRAA.

Janet S. Bernardy, RN, CNN
Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services 

Janet (Jan) Bernardy has more than 35 years of renal care experience, beginning with her role as a dialysis staff nurse in Thousand Oaks, California in 1979, and evolving into becoming the Director of Nursing Services for her clinic, which was acquired by National Medical Care in 1980. For 10 years, Ms. Bernardy was the former Regional Quality Manager for Fresenius Medical Care North America, where she oversaw compliance with Federal and State Regulations, company policies and procedures and CQI in several Western States. She joined American Renal Associates (ARA) as the first employee dedicated to Clinical and Regulatory in 2000. In her role with ARA, she assisted in the opening and acquisition of more than 150 facilities, and works closely with nephrologists and facility staff to ensure every facility is compliant with all regulatory agencies. Ms. Bernardy also served as Secretary on the Executive Board of the California Dialysis Council and was a member of the NKF, NRAA and ANNA.

Shari Cousins, RN, CNN
Senior Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services 

Shari Cousins is the Senior Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services at American Renal Associates (ARA). She has more than 25 years of dialysis experience, including management in hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and acute dialysis. She joined ARA in 2001 as Clinic Manager for a facility in Butler, Pennsylvania. Ms. Cousins also worked to open and manage two other ARA facilities in the surrounding area before her promotion to the corporate office in April 2006 as Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services. Prior to taking on her current role, Ms. Cousins also served as a Regional Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services at ARA. Ms. Cousins is an active member of ANNA and NRAA.

Ginny Grogan, RN, BSN, MHA, CNN 
Vice President of Education and Quality

Ginny Grogan is the Vice President of Education and Quality at American Renal Associates (ARA). In this role, she oversees clinical outcomes and performance improvement across all ARA facilities, while also leading the training activities for staff and spearheading education initiatives for new and existing patients. She joined ARA in 2007 as the Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services, and also served as the Director and Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Services prior to her current role. With more than 35 years of experience in critical care nursing and the renal industry, Ms. Grogan has significant experience in dialysis clinic management, acute program management and renal disease management. Prior to ARA, she served as the Corporate Quality Manager for Fresenius Medical Care. Ms. Grogan received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Simmons College. She is a certified nephrology nurse, and a member of NRAA, NKF and ANNA.

Arienne Henderson
Regional Vice President of Operations

Arienne Henderson is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). With nearly 30 years of experience in the dialysis industry as a registered professional nurse, Ms. Henderson has extensive knowledge in all dialysis modalities as well as facility operations. Her career has been focused on providing the best care to patients and enhancing the optimum quality of life by achieving the best outcomes. Prior to her current role as Regional Vice President, Ms. Henderson served as a Clinic Manager for ARA in Augusta, GA, and more recently served as Manager of Clinical & Regulatory Services, where she was responsible for establishing and monitoring the Total Quality Management Program in ARA facilities. She is an active ANNA member.

Jennifer Hood
Director of Human Resources

Jennifer Hood is the Director of HR at American Renal Associates (ARA). Prior to joining ARA, she served as a Human Resource Business Partner (HRBP) at ADP TotalSource, a Professional Employer Organization. In this role, she managed more than 100 client accounts while also serving as a Team Lead, providing supervision and guidance to other HRBPs. Ms. Hood worked closely with ARA during her tenure at ADP serving as ARA’s HRBP, where she was responsible for providing consultative services on human resources, worker’s compensation claims, payroll and benefits. Ms. Hood has a BA in Psychology from University of New Hampshire, obtained her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification from the HR Certification Institute in 2007 and received her SHRM-CP in 2015.

Angie Howe
Regional Vice President of Operations

Angie Howe is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). With more than 20 years of experience in the dialysis industry, Ms. Howe has worked with patients across all modalities, including working with acute dialysis patients. As Clinic Manager at ARA, Ms. Howe opened her first clinic with ARA in Zanesville, OH in 2008 and has since assisted in opening two others in the area. Prior to her current role as Regional Vice President, Ms. Howe served as Clinical & Regulatory Manager, where she was responsible for ensuring clinics maintained CMS requirements and monitoring TQM outcomes and clinic schedules to optimize efficiency and cost effectives.

Bernadette Johnson
Regional Vice President of Operations

Bernadette Johnson is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). Prior to this role, Ms. Johnson served as a Regional Operations Director at DaVita, where she was responsible for overseeing facility operations for the Northern part of the Dallas metropolis area. With extensive experience in healthcare, team building and operations management, Ms. Johnson has specific expertise in guiding and transforming clinics to become top performers. Ms. Johnson has her BS in Communication from Colorado State University-Pueblo and obtained her AS in Nursing from Denver School of Nursing. She also received her MBA from the University of Phoenix-Colorado Campus.

Stan Langhofer, RN, CNN
Dallas Texas Regional Vice President

Stan Langhofer is the Dallas Texas Regional Vice President at American Renal Associates (ARA). In this role, he works closely with ARA’s physician partner, Dallas Nephrology Associates, to open state-of-the-art dialysis clinics throughout the state of Texas. Mr. Langhofer began his dialysis career in 1981, accumulating experience in a variety of positions, including technician, staff nurse, education coordinator and administrator. In 1995, Mr. Langhofer became CEO of Kansas Dialysis Services (KDS), an SDO in northeastern Kansas. Under his leadership, KDS grew to include six inpatient clinics, multiple acute hospital contracts and a large home dialysis program. Mr. Langhofer also served as the Regional Operations Director for the northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri territories for DaVita, following DaVita’s acquisition of KDS in 2012. Mr. Langhofer is a member of ANNA and a past president of NRAA.

Robert (Bob) MacKinnon is the Regional Vice President of Operations in the Northeast at American Renal Associates (ARA). He has more than 30 years of extensive clinical and operational experience in hospital-based, outpatient chronic and acute settings, most recently as a group Administrator for DaVita in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Mr. MacKinnon has partnered with the NKF, AKF and the NRAA, including serving as a point person for the NBC Health Expo in Boston for the NKF, as well as the point person for Kidney Action Day in Boston for AKF, among other activities. He is also an active member of ANNA, where he served on the national level as part of the Distance Learning, Leadership Development, Diversity, and Awards and Scholarships committees; held office as the Northeast Chapters Coordinator; and served as the State Health Policy Director for Massachusetts. He is the recipient of both the ANNA Board of Directors and ANNA Nurse Researcher Awards, and is a published co-author on numerous research studies related to nephrology/genetics, notably in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Richard Pacheco
Vice President of Administration and Internal Audit

Richard Pacheco is the Vice President of Administration and Internal Audit at American Renal Associates (ARA). In this role, he oversees process improvement for ARA, which includes human resources, payroll, benefits and internal audit. Prior to ARA, Mr. Pacheco served as the Director of Internal Audit at Cimpress, formerly known as Vistaprint, and Partner & Managing Director at MFA Cornerstone Consulting, LLC. Mr. Pacheco also served as an analyst for Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico, LLP, MFS Investment Management and Scudder International, where he focused on financial analysis aligned with reporting and valuation needs. Mr. Pacheco is a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Fraud Examiner and an Accredited Valuation Analyst. He also has his Certification in Risk Management Assurance. Mr. Pacheco received his BS in Management from Bentley University and his MBA from Bentley University’s Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School of Business.

Fariba Rafieha
Regional Vice President of Operations

Fariba Rafieha is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). Prior to joining ARA in 2012, she served as a Regional Operations Director at DaVita. She has more than 25 years of experience in the dialysis industry, including her role as PCT, staff/charge nurse and Facility Administrator. In these roles, she specialized in dialysis treatments for patients with acute kidney failure, as well as hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. Ms. Rafieha received her BS in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University and her MBA from Texas A&M University – Mays Business School.

Tareq Rahman is the Vice President of Applications at American Renal Associates (ARA). In this role, he oversees business process excellence functions to improve operational efficiency and productivity through the implementation of IT solutions. Mr. Rahman also serves as an Adjunct Professor in Business Operation at Boston University, where he teaches a graduate business course on Innovation and Global Competitiveness. Prior to ARA, he served in a number of roles at XIUS, formerly known as bcgi, with his most recent role being Vice President of Strategic Planning and Analysis. Mr. Rahman has his CGEIT, CISA, CISM and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certification. He has an extensive educational history, including receiving degrees from Harvard University Business School, Yale University School of Management, and his PMP Certification from the Project Management Institute. Mr. Rahman also received his MS with distinction in Computer Information Science from Bentley University, his MS in Administration from Boston University and his BBA in Business Administration from University of Louisiana.

Kent Reisenauer
Vice President of Project Management

Kent Reisenauer is the Vice President of Project Management at American Renal Associates (ARA). In this role, he provides oversight and strategic guidance for all ARA projects across the country, including building new dialysis facilities, expansion projects and relocations, as well as qualifying new project vendors. Prior to this role, he worked with Fresenius Medical Care where he was responsible for more than 120 de novo clinic openings during his 18 years with the organization. As a licensed architect, Mr. Reisenauer provides unique insight and experience into various other fields, including solar technologies and AutoCAD. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Science and Bachelor of Architecture from North Dakota State University.

Toshiya Roberts
Vice President of Technical Services 

Toshiya Roberts is the Vice President of Technical Services at American Renal Associates (ARA). With more than 20 years of combined experience in the dialysis industry, he has specialized in a number of areas that span patient care, water treatment and management, including the management of technical staff in the hemodialysis field as well as management of enlisted personnel while serving in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Roberts is also an expert on several distinct types of hemodialysis equipment, the result of skills he acquired through specialized equipment training from some of the major hemodialysis-related equipment manufacturers. Prior to his current position with ARA, Mr. Roberts also served as a Facility Technical Manager in two of the Florida facilities as well as Manager of Technical Services, where he provided support to ARA facilities throughout the country. Mr. Roberts is a US Navy Veteran.

Craig Smith, RN
Vice President of Clinical Administration

Craig Smith joined ARA in 2007 and has functioned as an interim Director Of Nursing and Regional Director of Education in the Ohio area. Prior to joining ARA, he worked for both Gambro Healthcare and Fresenius Medical Care in the roles of staff nurse, acute nurse, Director of Acute Education and Quality and Regional Director of Education. With more than 20 years of ESRD experience, Mr. Smith joined the clinical and regulatory team at ARA in 2009. He is a graduate of Shawnee State University.

Deirdre Toenjes, RN, BSN, CNN
Regional Vice President of Operations

Deirdre Toenjes is a Regional Vice President of Operations at American Renal Associates (ARA). She has more than 20 years of dialysis experience spanning a number of roles, including acute dialysis clinical specialty coordinator, center director, nurse manager, nurse manager of peritoneal dialysis and patient education, and charge nurse. She has been with ARA since 2009, and over that time, she served as a clinic manager at an ARA clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and a Manager of Clinical and Regulatory Services on the Clinical and Regulatory team, where she was responsible for managing clinical outcomes and performance improvement across clinics in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Ms. Toenjes has her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Central Florida and her nursing diploma from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Brighton, Massachusetts. She has been a Certified Nephrology Nurse since 1999.