John A. Steen, Ph.D., President
John has spent nearly his entire career in the medical device industry. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master’s degree from New York University in Aeronautical Engineering, John worked briefly in the aerospace industry before completing his Doctorate in Biomedical Engineering at New York University. He then worked as a biomedical engineer in the standards division of the U.S. FDA, focusing on anesthesia, cardiovascular, and respiratory care products. In 1982, John went into private industry with Sheridan Catheter Corp., where he worked as Technical Director, Vice-President of Manufacturing, and later Vice-President of Research and Development. John joined CRI in 1991 as Vice-President of Product Development and Operations, and became President and CEO shortly thereafter. John became an owner of the company in 2004 with two partners, and in 2005 took on a new role as President, with a focus on new product evaluation and development. On Nov 1, 2006, he purchased CRI from his two partners and now owns 70% shares.
Christine Cook, Chief Operating Officer
Christine joined CRI in 2005 as Director of Operations, bringing with her 20 years of manufacturing operations, materials and quality assurance experience in the medical device industry. Before joining CRI, Christine served as Director of Manufacturing and Director of Materials at Gibeck-Dryden and King Systems Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most recently she was a Product Development and Product Life Cycle Manager at Trivirix International, a medical electronics design and manufacturing firm. At Trivirix, Christine had a significant role in quality assurance and regulatory compliance, as well as new product design project management. Her extensive experience within the medical device industry includes participation in countless FDA, ISO Registrar, supplier and customer audits. These extensive audit participations results in a strong foundation at CRI for continuous improvement and streamlined Quality Management systems. Christine has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Business Management.
Kashif Qasim, Financial Controller
Financial and Information Systems Controls are Kashif’s main areas of responsibility. He also manages Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) for CRI. Kashif joined Catheter Research with more than 13 years of diversified experience in fields of Finance and Information Technology at various levels from consulting to senior management. He started his career as an accountant in 1996 with BOC Group, UK that specializes in producing medical devices. Kashif advanced his career by managing several SAP implementation projects worldwide. Later he worked with a consulting firm where he managed several projects in IT infrastructure, IS applications, Oracle Siebel CRM, and Change Management; from conceptualization to deployment. He also held various senior positions in finance and is experienced with maintaining and managing accounting, finance, and treasury operations. He has helped organizations in business acquisitions and systems integrations. He is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and VMWare Certified Professional (VCP). He holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce. He holds several certificates of merit for special education.
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Babacar Diouf, VP Regulatory Affairs & Quality Systems
A native of Senegal, Babacar speaks four languages to go along with his degree in Geological Engineering from The Institute of Earth Sciences (IST) of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal. Before moving to the United States, Babacar worked in the mining industry in Africa as a field geologist with AngloGold Ashanti with his main focus in geochemical exploration. Before joining CRI in early 2005 as a quality engineer, he spent four years in quality assurance with Autoliv ASP, a leader in automotive safety products. Babacar has received additional training in ISO13485:2003, FDA QSR 21 CFR 820, European MDD, Canadian-MDR, Risk Management, Sterilization of health care products and Contamination Monitoring - Environmental Control. Babacar is a certified ISO13485:2003 auditor, an ASQ Certified Quality Auditor, and an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer. Babacar is a member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and a member of the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS).
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Phil Sheingold, VP Operations
Phil joined CRI in 2010 bringing 25 years of experience in Operations, Engineering, and Logistics for industry leaders. The majority of his leadership focused on food and beverage manufacturing for companies such as Frito-Lay, Gatorade, and Sensient Technologies Flavors and Fragrances, holding positions of Engineer through Plant Manager to Director of Operations. International experience and responsibilities includes Engineering and Operations for 16 facilities in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Phil was responsible for new plant construction, equipment design, capital improvements, and budget responsibilities exceeding $100 million. As Senior Vice President of Operations for Brightpoint – a leader in third party wireless value add and logistics, Phil managed a team over 600 responsible for Supply Chain in North America. He was also COO for Signcraft, a private company which leads the market in identity solutions, where he worked with the owner in acquiring several companies leading to significant company growth and market expansion. Phil is a continuing student in key systems and processes including Six Sigma, ISO, TQM, Lean manufacturing, and RFID technology having introduced it to Brightpoint. He was also one of the first HACCP Engineers for Frito-Lay and implemented changes through programs throughout the company. He is a Chemical Engineer by degree from Cal Poly University, a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and is active in the community and charitable concerns.
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Gary T. Cerasale, Business Unit Manager - Extrusion
Gary comes to CRI with nearly 30 years of aerospace, electronic component, medical device & industrial equipment manufacturing experience. His extensive background includes Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma quality techniques, and manufacturing engineering, as well as proven leadership skills and a commitment to team building, problem solving, and process improvement. While working for Bendix Corporation and Allison Gas Turbine (Div. of GM), he was heavily involved with the development and implementation of cellular & FMS manufacturing systems and was very instrumental with new system and equipment start-ups. In his previous position as Director of Quality for Peerless Pump, Gary was responsible for implementing an ISO-certified quality system across multiple plant locations, and completed a successful initiative to obtain CE marking for various products. He also established the company's Six Sigma program. As General Manager for Peerless Pump, he was responsible for test facilities and manufacturing systems upgrade programs that improved quality and increased production throughput. Gary has a Master’s Degree in Manufacturing Management from GMI Engineering & Management Institute and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology & Industrial Arts from Central Connecticut State College. He also has Six Sigma Champion and Black Belt certificates from the American Society for Quality (ASQ); a Diploma in General Management from Ashridge Management College (Berkhamstead, England); and Lean and Plant-Site Leadership certificates from the University of Tennessee.
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Sara Armstrong, Sr. Sales Manager
Sara brings an extensive sales acumen in the medical field beginning with her work at Genesis Clinical Laboratory as a Sales and Operations Coordinator. Sara was quickly promoted to Account Manager, maintaining business of $25MM in revenue. Her responsibilities included new client training and on-going support. In 2005, FirstSource Laboratory Solutions hired Sara as an Account Executive where she increased sales by 42% resulting in a total book of over $40MM. As the lead sales representative Sara was responsible to create marketing and client materials, develop new training programs for clients, and provide a consultative selling approach which is ideal for CRI. As an Indiana University graduate, Sara provides a level of expertise based on physician relationships, industry knowledge and a drive for delivering excellence to the consumer.
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Betelehem Hamde, Materials Manager
A native of Eritrea, Beth immigrated to the United States in 1995. Working her way up through the organization, Beth has held several key positions at CRI. Hard work is her mantra. Starting on the production floor in 1998, she demonstrated her ability to stick to task and complete large volumes of work with high quality. In 1999, she was promoted to receptionist and administrative specialist. During this time, Beth began assisting in the material planning and purchasing department. By 2002, Beth was in charge of production scheduling, material and MRO procurement and inventory control. In 2006, she was promoted to Materials Manager, responsible for vendor compliance with ISO13485:2003 and FDA QSR 21 CFR Part 820. Beth completed her Associates degree at the University of Gondor Medical Science in Ethiopia, majoring in Anatomy and Biology. Beth is a member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society, (APICS) working towards her CPIM certification.
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Carolyn Dowd, Accounting and HR Manager
Carolyn came to CRI with 18 years of experience in administrative, financial and human resources management in the medical device manufacturing industry. Her experience includes manufacturing cost accounting, financial statement preparation, cash flow analysis, and audit and tax compliance, along with extensive acquisition due diligence. Carolyn has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Indianapolis.
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Suzy Sundling, Quality Manager
Suzy received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2007. Upon graduation, Suzy began working for Boston Scientific as a Process Engineer, working extensively in validating and optimizing their extrusion lines. Suzy joined CRI in August 2008 as a Biomedical Engineer. Her experience with Boston Scientific brings specialized skills to CRI in performing effective Installation, Operational, and Performance Qualifications in accordance with industry requirements and provides additional depth to CRI’s engineering department. In January of 2010, Suzy was promoted to Quality Manager due to her excellence performance in engineering and project management.
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Chris Ross, Mechanical Engineer
Chris joined CRI in 2002. He has earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. During his college years, he participated in a two year co-op with Union Carbide Corporation in their battery division. This blend of on-the-job experience while earning his degree strengthened his skills in Mechanical Engineering concepts and intensified his learning experience at Purdue. Following graduation, Chris accepted a position with Onkyo America. He traveled to their corporate facility in Japan to learn about work cell optimization. He responsibilities included fixture design, technical troubleshooting, new product introduction and new equipment specification and installation. Chris now supports CRI in all of these roles, including design and development for medical devices. His strong background and experience has resulted in excellence in mechanical engineering concepts.
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Nathan D. Glass, Biomedical Engineer
Nathan began his career in 2001 as a Pharmacy Technician, compounding patient-specific medications in a highly regulated inpatient hospital setting in Indianapolis. He also chaired the Department of Pharmacy Technology for National College in Indianapolis. Nathan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis with a minor in chemistry. While pursuing his engineering degree, he also studied computer aided design and economic theory. Nathan joined CRI in 2009 as a Biomedical Engineer; he assists in product development and design, biomaterials research and sourcing, and is also involved in the design of product manufacturing processes and process improvements.
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Jane N. Nguyen, Biomedical Engineer
Jane received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University with minors in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. While pursuing her degree, Jane worked with the Space Engineering Institute working on an autonomous robot cooperative system, a joint project with Texas A&M and NASA. She was part of a co-op program with The Texas Heart Institute in Houston and worked with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M supporting pathologists in the analysis of cardiovascular pathology in various biomedical devices. As a member of the engineering team, Jane helps drive development projects for catheter applications.
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Daniel Tesfay, Quality Engineer
Daniel holds a bachelors degree in Biochemistry with minor in Biology from California State University. As a Biochemist/Chemist, Daniel worked in pharmaceutical, petroleum refinery and food processing companies covering an array of key positions, from R&D to Sr. Chemist. Daniel is also a trained Nuclear Medicine Technologist and worked with radiologists, operating gamma cameras that detect and map a radioactive drug in patient’s body to create diagnostic images. Daniel’s passion of helping people led him to pursue a master’s degree in Quality Assurance with emphasis in health care management. Danny is a member of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). As a Quality Engineer, he works closely with Engineering and Operations in continual improvement activities to enhance the overall quality system of CRI.
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Iman Yousif, Biomedical Engineer
Iman received her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) with a depth in Biomaterial and Tissue Engineering. While pursuing her degree at IUPUI she conducted research in the area of biomaterials for orthopedic applications; her research abstract was accepted by the National Undergraduate Research Conference (NCUR). Iman held many leadership positions including President of Engineering World Health Organization IUPUI chapter, president of the African Student Association and Programs Activity Chair for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Iman is also a member of Alpha Phi Omega National coed Fraternity.
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Shannon Parker, Biomedical Engineer
Shannon received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis with a depth area of Instrumentation and a minor in Mathematics. While putting herself through school, she was able to hold many leadership positions including President of the Biomedical Engineering Society chapter on campus. As a member of the engineering team, Shannon’s responsibilities include managing several key start up projects and ensuring the long term success of these projects
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