Rim Yurkus, President, CEO and Co-founder of Strategic Programs, Inc. earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois, Circle Campus. He completed graduate studies in statistics for Behavioral Sciences and Communications, and began his career in marketing research.

In 1988, Rim co-founded Strategic Programs, the first research firm to provide computerized 360 assessments for individuals and organizations. With three client organizations in the mid-1990s, he launched a three-year research and development project to design a process for capturing employee exit data in sufficient quantities that researchers could drill down to subpopulations, and the results would remain statistically significant for making reliable business decisions. He also pioneered the development of a methodology to guarantee retention results by using a shared risk model. This state of the art consultative model for reducing turnover, with a measurable return on investment, has been beta tested and proven successful in transportation. It is now being marketed to healthcare by Clinical Retention Solutions, LLC, a Strategic Programs partner.

Besides CEO responsibilities, Rim delivers individual and organizational research results, data-driven solutions, executive coaching, and consulting. He designs and oversees new product development, is a frequent presenter at national conferences on leadership development and talent management, and is a nationally recognized authority on employee retention and managing unwanted turnover.

Before co-founding Strategic Programs, Rim was a partner in, and Executive Vice President of the International Institute of Foods and Family Living, Inc. in Chicago, the largest independent food marketing research facility in North America. For ten years, he developed techniques to calibrate group perceptions, and studied the synthesis of predictive behavior for clients such as NutraSweet, Hershey, Pillsbury, and Kraft Foods.

Diane Irvin, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-founder of Strategic Programs, Inc. earned a B.A. in English from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a B.A. in social work from Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

In 1988, she co-founded Strategic Programs, Inc., with the vision of “improving human ecosystems.” Diane was instrumental in the research and development of the company's products and services by adapting them to client-specific needs, throughout the 1990s. As majority owner, she collaborates with the Management Team annually to update the company's Strategic Plan, and collaborates on strategic business decisions. As Chief Marketing Officer, she is responsible for developing the annual Marketing Plan, for company image and branding, outlining marketing strategies, determining target markets and guiding their implementation, writing for trade publications, presenting at national conferences, and promoting the company through special events, trade associations, conference exhibits, and the media.

Diane began her career as a teacher, then as a journalist, then as a county caseworker where her focus was child welfare. Later, as an entrepreneur, she founded Options Unlimited, a training and consulting firm, and conducted soft skills workshops. Diane has taught in the College of Management Development at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and has been a regular speaker on Colorado National Public Radio. She is a founding member of Sunnyside United Neighbors, Inc., where she has participated in historic preservation and community development. She is a member of the University of Denver Entrepreneurship Center for Women, and the National Association of Professional Women.

Nikki Novotney Rieck earned a B.A. in social work from Creighton University in Nebraska and a Masters in Liberal Studies (Psychology focus) from Regis University in Denver. She began her career conducting a variety of research in private and public sector organizations.

Nikki's lengthy tenure at Strategic Programs began at entry level, and grew over the years through a variety of positions. Such complete and well-rounded experience has provided Nikki a wide body of knowledge, which she effectively imparts to clients.

Nikki specializes in the start-up phase of projects, and also works with organizations to implement strategies that use data results in the report interpretation process. Clients appreciate her technical knowledge and understanding of Strategic Programs capabilities, which she can combine to help them design a tailor-fit program. In addition, her industry experience and ability to share best practices adds value to the report interpretation process.

Alison (Alie) Elsaesser, Manager of Research and Product Development, earned her B.S. in Psychology with emphasis in neuropsychology, from Florida State University, and her M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Colorado, Denver.

Alie manages Research Department operations and oversees the Data Collection Department. She is responsible for quality data delivery that is informative, easy to understand, and actionable. She established security of assuring Respondent confidentiality and anonymity. Working closely with quantitative and qualitative data, Research partners with Client Services to recommend customized reports based on clients' needs. She is responsible for product model development and metrics, and refining the Strategic Programs database to generate healthcare normative comparisons.

She joined Strategic Programs in 2003 as Research Project Specialist, and focused primarily with Strategic360® research and Strategic TurnOver Program™(STOP) exit interview data and retention analysis. Collaborating with clients, she developed hybrid research processes, and client-specific instruments and reporting formats.

Before joining Strategic Programs, she was Director of Youth Leadership for the American Red Cross, where she trained youth leaders, developed community programs, and a state-wide training program in leadership, conflict resolution, communication, and community involvement. Alie served on the American Red Cross Board of Chairs, Stuart, Florida Chapter, as a representative for national youth on community initiatives. Her training in project management and supervisory skills, in addition to her background in statistics, organizational development, and human resources, were the impetus for her career change to human resources research.

Bill Moore earned his BA in English Literature at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

He began his 40 year long career in Human Resources at Ireland Army Hospital (Ft. Knox, Ky.) after returning from Vietnam (101st Airborne). Initial civilian HR work in Aerospace accompanied MBA classes at UM, and family building. Further experiences in health care quality, restaurants, credit/banking formed a solid base for the ensuing 30 years of increasing responsibility, solely in health care HR. His affinity for statistics and employee behavior has brought him to Strategic Programs as a partner, after much time as a client.

Bill is Principal with “William Moore HR Consulting” specializing in customized management and employee training in the areas of: hostile workplace, sexual harassment, employee engagement, and discrimination. Experiences in: military, private, government, family owned, nation-wide corporate, entrepreneurial, single and multi-site, union and non-union, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations equip him for immediate impact in most assignments. He has been active in: HR, Worker’s Comp., Training and Development, Compensation, and other trade associations. He takes special pride in the long list of HR Professionals, and Non-HR Management, he has been privileged to assist in their own career growth. Email Bill

Dave Smith earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Engineering at Oregon State University.

He is a founding partner and Chief Executive Officer of CRS. He is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of leadership and management experience, primarily in the healthcare industry. The majority of his career has been as an expert in healthcare process redesign, revenue enhancement, and cost containment. Dave began his career in the healthcare division of Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and later helped to establish Stockamp & Associates (now part of Huron Consulting Group), the nation's premier revenue cycle re-engineering firm. Dave was instrumental in developing comprehensive solutions and delivering multi-million dollar income statement and cash flow benefits for his clients. He has many years of experience in leading large consulting engagements with many of the top 100 healthcare institutions in the country, including academic medical centers and complex health systems.

His extensive experience in the non-profit sector includes having served as board chair, and as a board member of Social Venture Partners Portland, which has an engaged philanthropy model of giving back to the community. Dave is President of The Smith Family Foundation, a private family foundation focused on improving the lives of at-risk youth. http://clinicalretention.com

Mike Monahan earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Colorado, and his Masters in Educational Administration from Roosevelt University, Chicago – both “With Honors.” Mike is licensed as an RN in Colorado.

He is a founding partner and serves as Chief Methodology Officer for CRS. His career in healthcare began as a Nurse Corps Officer in the U.S. Navy. His corporate experience has included organizational work from frontline patient care through C- level leadership. In 20 years of healthcare performance consulting, Mike has helped teams and individuals measurably improve performance, focused on workplace relationships, employee engagement, and retention. Mike has published numerous articles in professional journals, and is co-author of Where There's Change There's Opportunity; Irresistible Leadership; Thriving on Change; and Insight from the Experts, a 6-volume series of management development books. He frequently speaks at national conferences, and has worked with over 300 hospitals, healthcare associations, and healthcare professional service firms.

Mike is certified by Strategic Programs, Inc. in Strategic360®, the Strategic TurnOver Program™, and Organizational Assessments; and in other performance and style assessments. http://clinicalretention.com

Maria Valdes, Ph.D. earned her Bachelor in Psychology, and her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in counseling from the University of Florida. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Eckerd College, and the Naval Post Graduate School. She is certified in a wide range of individual and organizational assessments, including Strategic Programs instruments. Since 1998, she has worked both internally with Strategic Programs Leadership, and externally with our clients.

As an organizational consultant, Maria specializes in executive development and coaching. In 25 years as a coach, she has provided over 4,500 feedback sessions in English and Spanish to executives from Fortune 500 companies, and has trained feedback specialists on various executive and leadership development assessments. She facilitates senior leadership teams, and designs and delivers training on leadership development, feedback and coaching skills, driving high performance, managing differences, emotional intelligence, creating supportive work environments, and team building.

She conducts climate surveys, and facilitates diversity classes, including promotional and development issues of women and minority employees; gender differences and gender communication in the workplace; retention, mentoring, and feedback to non-traditional employees.

Since 1988, Maria has worked with the Western Management Development Center. Her clients in finance include American Express, Chase Manhattan, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and CitiCorp. In manufacturing, she has worked with FMC, Stein, Inc., and DSI. Her high-tech clients include Qwest, Synaptics, and Sun Microsystems. She has worked with non-profits such as Ocean Journey, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Urban Children's Coalition, and Adams County Housing Authority. Her federal government clients include the Environmental Protection Agency, National Security Agency, and US Fish and Wildlife. She has worked in Western Europe, South and Central America, Puerto Rico, Turkey, and the Far East.

Before beginning her organizational consultancy, Maria taught graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology, counseling, and testing. She was Director of Human Resources for the Denver Department of Human Services for 10 years, and was appointed to the Civil Service Commission to supervise testing for entry-level personnel and candidates for promotion in the Police and Fire Departments in the City and County of Denver.

Maria is president of her financial investment club. She has traveled extensively, backpacking through every Western European country and parts of North Africa. She has also traveled in Central America, Eastern Europe, India and the Caribbean. Email Maria