UC College of Nursing Board of Advisors

Carlos Amésquita is an accomplished global technology and business executive with deep expertise in IT leadership, shared services, and large-scale digital transformation across Fortune 500 organizations. He is the founder of CEA-Advisory LLC, where he advises companies on digital and technology strategies that enable business transformation and help emerging technology firms strengthen their market positioning through customer-centric solutions.

Carlos most recently served as Chief Information Officer at The Hershey Company, where he led a major enterprise-wide digital transformation program requiring significant organizational change and modernization of capabilities. Prior to Hershey, he spent 28 years at Procter & Gamble, holding multiple senior global leadership roles, including CIO for North America, Global Household Care CIO, Global Food & Beverage CIO, and Latin America CIO. During his tenure, he played a key role in establishing shared services models, advancing outsourcing strategies, and driving technology innovation across global markets.

His career includes leading P&G’s Technology Innovation organization, where he developed frameworks to identify and scale new digital opportunities in collaboration with startups and venture capital partners. Carlos is known for integrating technology strategy with consumer engagement, supply chain, digital commerce, and analytics-driven execution.

He currently serves on advisory boards including NowSecure and the ForgePoint Capital Cybersecurity Council and has held board roles with multiple technology companies and institutions, including HITEC and Georgia Tech advisory leadership. He is recognized for his multilingual global perspective and his ability to lead complex organizations through transformation and change.

Juan Manuel Arredondo was born and raised in Mexico City. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Mexico and postgraduate studies in London on a British Council scholarship.

He retired from Procter & Gamble in 2008 after an international career of over 32 years. He was HR VP Latin America overseeing Human Resources and organizational responsibilities for P&G in the  egion, from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America based in South America for over 13 years.

In 2000 he became HR VP for P&G’s Global Food & Beverage business based in Cincinnati with subsequent corporate responsibility for assessment of P&G structures, staffing and leveling of job positions and productivity. He trained local HR organizations on these systems in the US, Europe, Latin America, China, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, etc.

He has been serving on different boards, including the Hispanic Chamber of Cincinnati and its Foundation, the Board of Advisors of the College of Nursing of the University of Cincinnati and the Alliance Française de Cincinnati. He speaks Spanish, English, French and Italian. He is married to Linda, they have two children and four grandchildren.

Joe Bourgraf is a seasoned healthcare and emergency services executive with extensive leadership experience in medical technology, emergency response systems, and global safety innovation. He currently serves as President of VES, LLC, the parent organization of VRpatients, where he leads the development and deployment of advanced simulation platforms that enhance provider training and patient safety in emergency and pre-hospital care environments.

As Chairman of the Board of the Ferno Group of Companies, a global leader in emergency medical equipment and transport solutions, he has provided strategic vision and leadership for more than three decades. He also serves as Chairman of ATSR, Ltd. (ACETECH) in Dublin, Ireland, guiding innovation in healthcare technology and operational safety systems.

Throughout his career, Joe has contributed his expertise to multiple advisory and governance roles, including service on the regional advisory board of U.S. Bank and advisory boards for Cincinnati Sub-Zero, Lion Apparel, and Xavier University. His broad industry involvement reflects a long-standing commitment to advancing safety, performance, and innovation across healthcare and emergency response sectors.

Joe’s professional focus is centered on building integrated, technology-driven solutions that improve outcomes for patients and empower frontline providers worldwide. He is recognized for his strategic leadership in shaping organizations that operate at the intersection of healthcare, emergency services, and applied simulation technology.

Nick Dobrzelecki is a 1997 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, U.S. Army veteran, and passionate advocate for advancing nursing education and innovation.

A registered nurse and entrepreneur, he is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Learnery, an adaptive microlearning platform transforming healthcare workforce training worldwide, and Co-Founder and Chairman of Titan Health Corporation.

Previously, he founded and scaled a medical coding company into the largest  outsourced provider in the homecare market where, by applying AI and leveraging a  global workforce, he built an enterprise processing more than 124,000 charts per month before a successful exit.

Together with his wife, Shawna, Nick established the Nick and Shawna Dobrzelecki 
Nursing Innovation Fund, supporting students and faculty who are driving new ideas 
in nursing practice, education, and research. He also serves on the College of Nursing 
Innovation Advisory Board, has collaborated on the College’s Innovation Certificate 
program, and actively mentors healthcare startups as a Board Member and Advisor. In addition, he contributes to the University of North Dakota’s Customer Experience 
Advisory Board, bringing cross-institutional insights back to UC.

In 2025, Nick was honored with the Outstanding Alumni Award from the UC Alumni 
Association, recognizing his professional achievements, service, and enduring 
commitment to the College of Nursing.

Julie Holt is an accomplished healthcare executive and nursing leader with more than 35 years of progressive experience in clinical operations, patient care services, and executive nursing leadership. She currently serves as Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer for The Christ Hospital Health Network in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she leads nursing practice, quality initiatives, and patient experience strategies across the system.

Julie previously held executive leadership roles at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as Vice President of Patient Care Services, and at Mercy Health Anderson Hospital, where she served as Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer, and Regional Chief Nurse Executive. Throughout her career, she has focused on advancing clinical quality, operational excellence, and innovative care delivery models across diverse healthcare settings in the Cincinnati region.

She has extensive expertise in high reliability organizations, improvement science, and health system transformation, with specialized training from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Her leadership accomplishments include supporting Magnet re-designation efforts, implementing Epic electronic medical records systems, and driving initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired infections and improve care outcomes.

Julie is also an active community leader, serving on multiple boards including The Family Nurturing Center, PreventionFIRST!, SoCap Accelerate/Health Innovation Center at Northern Kentucky University, and the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Team.

A Cincinnati native, she earned both her BSN and MSN in Nursing Administration from the University of Cincinnati and is a board-certified Nurse Executive through the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

Dr. Bradley Scott Jackson is a board-certified pediatrician and healthcare executive with extensive experience in clinical leadership, population health management, and pediatric care delivery. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer and Plan Performance Medical Director for the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ohio Medicaid Plan. In this role, he leads initiatives focused on improving health outcomes, quality performance, and care coordination for Medicaid populations. He previously held a similar leadership role with Amerigroup Maryland, a Government Business Division of Anthem.

Dr. Jackson is a co-founder and former President of Premier Pediatric Group, Inc. in Mason, Ohio, where he practiced for 15 years and helped build a community-focused pediatric care organization. He has held academic appointments, including Volunteer Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and served as Assistant Medical Director with Bethesda Group Practice (now TriHealth Physicians). He also served as President of the Medical Staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and as President of the Cincinnati Medical Association.

A committed leader in professional service, Dr. Jackson has contributed to the National Medical Association as a Board of Trustees member and has supported global medical outreach through mission work in Tanzania, South Africa, and Nicaragua. He has received multiple honors, including recognition as a Cincinnati Magazine “Top Doctor” and awards for community leadership and healthcare excellence.

Dr. Jackson earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Cincinnati and his MD from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, followed by residency training at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and resides in Columbus, Ohio with his family.

Tim McGowan is President of Maple Knoll Communities, where he has spent nearly two decades advancing innovative programs and services in senior living and long-term care. His career in healthcare began almost 40 years ago as a nursing assistant while attending Denison University, an early experience that sparked a lifelong commitment to aging services and elder care.

He went on to earn a Master of Health Services and Hospital Administration from Xavier University, further strengthening his foundation in healthcare leadership and operations. In 2005, Tim joined Maple Knoll Communities in Oxford, Ohio, where he served for 17 years as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President before being appointed President.

Throughout his tenure, Tim has led organizational growth and transformation, guiding Maple Knoll in developing forward-thinking models of senior care that emphasize innovation, quality of life, and resident-centered services. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded its impact and gained recognition as a leader in progressive senior living practices, with several initiatives now serving as models for communities nationwide.

Dr. Rino Munda is a highly experienced general surgeon based in Cincinnati, Ohio, with more than 20 years of clinical practice and extensive expertise in complex abdominal and transplant surgery. He is affiliated with Jewish Hospital–Mercy Health and The Christ Hospital, where he has contributed to advanced surgical care and multidisciplinary transplant services.

Dr. Munda specializes in general surgery with a subspecialty focus in transplantation. His clinical expertise includes kidney and pancreas transplantation, allograft rejection, and the surgical management of patients requiring dialysis and long-term organ replacement therapies. He is recognized for his work in complex surgical procedures involving abdominal organs such as the stomach and colon.

He earned his medical degree from Cayetano Heredia University in Peru after completing his undergraduate studies at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. He completed his general surgery residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, followed by advanced fellowships in vascular surgery at New York Medical College and transplantation at the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Munda is board certified in general surgery by the American Board of Surgery. His academic and clinical interests focus on improving transplant outcomes, advancing surgical techniques, and enhancing long-term patient care for individuals with end-stage organ disease.

Kevin O’Brien is an experienced financial services and business development professional with more than 24 years of expertise in relationship management, finance, and investment strategy. His career has focused on supporting individuals, C-suite executives, and government officials with comprehensive financial solutions, new business development, and long-term client relationship management. He is recognized for his strong sales acumen, strategic mindset, and ability to drive growth in competitive financial services environments.

Over the course of his career, he has worked with three privately held financial services firms in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he specialized in municipal finance, portfolio analysis, and the management of marketable securities. He earned designation as a Municipal Finance Professional and achieved top-tier performance, including recognition in the top 10 for new business development and startup account growth.

In addition to his financial services career, he has been the owner of CyberSpaceAds.com since 2002, providing website design, hosting, maintenance, and domain brokerage services for regional businesses and nonprofit organizations. From 2010 to 2013, he served as an elected Member of the Board of Trustees for Anderson Township, representing 44,000 residents. In this role, he oversaw strategic planning, a $36 million annual budget, and operational leadership for more than 150 employees, contributing to a reduction in spending and the township’s attainment of a Moody’s AAA rating.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Cincinnati and has been active in community leadership.

Dr. Susan Opas is a distinguished pediatric nursing leader, educator, and scholar with more than five decades of experience in child-focused clinical care, advanced practice nursing, and academic leadership. A proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing (BSN), she has maintained a lifelong connection to the university and celebrated more than 55 years since completing her undergraduate nursing degree.

Following graduation, Dr. Opas built an extensive career in pediatric nursing across critical care, school health, and advanced practice roles. She is nationally certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner with additional specialization in pediatric mental health. To further strengthen her expertise, she earned a Master’s-level Clinical Nurse Specialist degree from California State University, Los Angeles, a post-master’s nurse practitioner certificate from UCLA, a California Clear Credential in School Nursing, and a PhD in Educational Psychology from UC Santa Barbara.

Her academic career includes faculty appointments at CSULA, CSU Dominguez Hills, Mount Saint Mary’s University, and UCLA, where she focused on pediatric nursing education and workforce development. She has also contributed to the field through publications, including a pediatric nursing textbook, scholarly articles, and research on school nursing practice and pediatric conditions.

Dr. Opas is actively engaged in professional service and leadership, currently serving in multiple governance roles, including Treasurer of ANA\California and Chair of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing Advisory Committee.

Dr. Kathleen “Katie” Reinemeyer serves as the Clinical Education Leader for Kroger Health’s The Little Clinic, overseeing clinical education, competency, and professional development initiatives across more than 220 retail healthcare clinics nationwide. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for clinical onboarding, student placement, and quality improvement programs while guiding the implementation and evaluation of new scopes of service and practice to enhance access, efficiency, and patient outcomes.

Katie began her career at The Little Clinic in 2016 as a Family Nurse Practitioner, later advancing to regional leadership and, in 2022, to her current enterprise-level role. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Cincinnati, where she also received a graduate certificate in Nursing Education. Her quality improvement project focused on improving antibiotic stewardship through a constructivist education model.

She represents Kroger Health with the Convenient Care Association (CCA), collaborating with national leaders in retail health to advance policy, legislation, and workforce development. Katie is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN).

Katie lives in North Baltimore, Ohio with her husband, two children, dog, and 3 cats. She enjoys spending time outdoors caring for her backyard chickens and exploring creative projects such as crocheting and painting.

Dr. Judy Ribak is a retired psychiatric nursing leader, educator, and advanced practice nurse whose career has spanned clinical care, academic leadership, and professional development in mental health nursing. She began her career in Pediatric Hematology Oncology, an experience that deeply shaped her commitment to authentic communication, compassion, and family-centered care.
She later pursued a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing and went on to help develop an advanced practice role focused on supporting families navigating the complexities of aging and mental health. During the early expansion of nurse practitioner practice in Ohio, she participated in one of the state’s pilot programs for prescriptive authority, working closely with psychiatric physicians to expand access to care and elevate the role of advanced practice nursing.
Following more than a decade of clinical practice, Judy earned her PhD in nursing with strong support from her family. She then joined Wright State University College of Nursing, where she served as faculty and coordinated undergraduate mental health nursing education. She retired as Associate Professor Emerita after a distinguished academic career.

Buffie Rixey is a University of Cincinnati College of Nursing graduate (BSN, 1977) whose early life included extensive international experience living in Switzerland and the Netherlands. She attended local Swiss schools in Zurich and later the International School of The Hague before returning to the United States, where she graduated from Indian Hill High School and began her undergraduate studies at Miami University before transferring to UC to pursue nursing.

Following graduation, Buffie began her nursing career in community and clinical settings, including work with Planned Parenthood, an endocrinologist practice, and as a charge nurse in rehabilitation at Bethesda Hospital (now part of Cincinnati Children’s). She also worked in private duty nursing before stepping away from full-time practice to focus on family life.

Buffie and her husband, Eppa Rixey IV, have three children and two grandchildren. Her husband has led the Rixey-Berry Insurance Group and has also served as Mayor of the Village of Indian Hill.

Buffie remains deeply engaged in civic and volunteer leadership across the Cincinnati region. Her involvement includes service with the Junior League of Cincinnati (including leadership roles and choral programs in extended care facilities), The Cincinnati Woman’s Club, Kindervelt (including past citywide presidency), and numerous community organizations such as the Salvation Army Camp Swoneky Auxiliary, Indian Hill Historical Society, Alzheimer’s Association, Ronald McDonald House, American Heart Association, and others. She is also active in social, cultural, and philanthropic initiatives supporting health, families, and the arts throughout the region.

Alice Rose is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Boston University School of Nursing. She also completed a post-master’s Adult Medicine Nurse Practitioner certificate at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and holds a Certificate of Management Development for Health Care from Boston University School of Business. Alice is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in multiple states and is also a licensed nursing home administrator in Massachusetts.

Her career has spanned leadership roles across acute care hospitals, home health, skilled nursing, assisted living, and continuing care retirement communities, with a longstanding focus on geriatric care. She retired from full-time practice as Chief of Clinical Services at a continuing care retirement community near Boston, where she helped lead the organization’s clinical and operational response during the COVID-19 pandemic and supported memory care initiatives. Alice continues to practice part-time as a nurse practitioner.

Since 1990, she has served on the board and committees of South Cove Manor Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility and Foundation. She is passionate about supporting pathways into nursing for individuals from underserved communities and considers it an honor to serve on the College of Nursing Advisory Board. In her free time, Alice enjoys the Southern Maine coast and its restorative water views.

Frances Wolgin is a distinguished nursing leader recognized for her long-standing commitment to advancing the professional image of nursing, education, and community health. Known as a role model and advocate for the profession, she has consistently demonstrated clinical expertise, leadership, and a strong commitment to mentoring others throughout her career.

She currently serves as President of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing Alumni Council and is a member of the Ohio School-Based Health Alliance Board and Governance Committee. She has also contributed her expertise through service on numerous boards and committees, including the Children’s Oral Health Network, MedCom Advisory Board, Interact for Change Health Scholarship Committee, and the Ohio School-Based Health Board.

Ms. Wolgin’s career spans leadership roles in academic medical centers, hospital systems, and public health organizations. She has held positions at University Hospital, Duke University Medical Center, Saint Joseph in Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan and University of Cincinnati as adjunct faculty. She most recently served for more than 20 years as Senior Program Officer with Interact for Health and Executive Director of Growing Well, where she led the development of school-based health initiatives across Ohio and Kentucky.

Her contributions have been widely recognized through numerous honors, including the Belinda Puetz Award, UC College of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, Leadership Ohio recognition, and national honors for her work expanding school-based health centers.

A published author and educator, she has advanced workforce development through innovative training programs and curriculum design, while consistently promoting dignity, inclusion, and professional growth in nursing and healthcare.