Edward Trieber, JD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer

Edward Trieber, JD, PhD, joined HRI in 1992 as co-managing director. Dr. Trieber drives business strategy and program development. He is a clinical psychologist and an attorney with expertise in mental health, law, business, finance, and technology.

Prior to joining HRI, Dr. Trieber was a practicing attorney and a psychologist in private practice. He has a life-long interest in the use of technology to improve people’s lives. Dr. Trieber is also an educator and has held several teaching positions.

Dr. Trieber has spoken at numerous conferences and has served as a consultant to financial magazines. He has made a number of television appearances and has been quoted extensively in publications such as Worth, Forbes, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Dr. Trieber received his JD from New York University Law School and his doctorate in psychology from New York University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Queens College of the City University of New York. Dr. Trieber is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a graduate and former board member of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. He has also served on the boards of directors of several organizations.

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Beatrice Harris, PhD, Managing Director

Beatrice Harris, PhD, cofounded HRI in 1982. In addition to having studied psychology, chemistry, mathematics, and fine arts, Dr. Harris has worked in a variety of milieus, including business, academia, and the arts. With her breadth of experience, Dr. Harris brings an unusually broad perspective to her role as co-managing director, in which she leads business development efforts.

Dr. Harris has a deep understanding of business communities and how decisions are made in complex organizations. She brings her knowledge and expertise to her work as executive coach and organizational consultant, and to her involvement in transforming organizational cultures.

Prior to founding HRI, Dr. Harris served as director of the Graduate Program in Human Development at Ferkauf Graduate School at Yeshiva University. Additionally, she was a lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University; the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; New York University; and the New School for Social Research. Dr. Harris has been a practicing therapist and a trainer of therapists since 1972.

Dr. Harris has written numerous articles on personality, achievement, and decision-making for professional journals. Her views have been widely quoted in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as in such magazines as Reader’s Digest and Mademoiselle.

Dr. Harris received her PhD in developmental and educational psychology from New York University, her master’s degree in counseling from Brooklyn College, and her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Connecticut. She has been recognized by Who’s Who in Professional and Executive Women and World’s Who’s Who of Women. Dr. Harris is a recipient of the Women’s Venture Fund’s Highest Leaf Award in recognition of her achievement as an entrepreneur. She was a member of the Lincoln Center Business Council, and served on the board of directors of the American Women’s Economic Development Corporation.

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Chris Cavazos, MPA, MSW, CEAP, Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Cavazos joined HRI in 2006 as chief operating officer. A 25-year veteran of behavioral health organizations and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), he is responsible for supporting all HRI operations including HRI’s EAP, Work/Life, Marketing/Communications, Account Management, Sales, and Information Technology departments.

With expertise in both organizational dynamics and employee performance, Mr. Cavazos offers profound insight into processes, procedures, and the psychology of today’s workforce.

Prior to working at HRI, Mr. Cavazos served as president of the Employer Group Division at ValueOptions. Before that, he was the national account manager/director at another leading national employee assistance company. He has also held various positions in hospital settings and mental health centers.

Mr. Cavazos received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Mississippi, a master’s degree in clinical social work at the University of Tennessee, and a master’s degree in health care administration at the University of Memphis. Mr. Cavazos is an advisory committee member of Be-Well Informed, a company specializing in helping people make health care choices.

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Randy Martin, PhD, Director of Clinical Services

Dr. Martin, a licensed psychologist, oversees HRI's clinical department, consisting of intake EAP counselors, face-to-face counselors, and management consultants.

Dr. Martin is responsible for the operation of HRI's EAP, implementation of new policies and procedures to ensure quality service delivery for clients, and training EAP staff members. He has more than 26 years of experience managing and supervising mental health and EAP professionals, practicing psychotherapy, consulting with management and HR in corporate settings on behavioral health issues, and intervening in crisis situations for both small and large-scale disasters.

Dr. Martin has worked in both non-profit and corporate sectors, including employee assistance programs, mobile crisis teams, community mental health centers, developmental disability organizations, and crisis intervention services. Prior to joining HRI in 2011, Dr. Martin was the director of crisis and behavioral health technology at the Mental Health Association of New York City. Before that, he served as a workforce consultant and account executive for FEI Behavioral Health.

Dr. Martin earned his PhD in Psychology/Counseling from Indiana State University and a Master’s in Counseling from the State University of New York at Albany. He is widely quoted and has appeared on WebMD, CNN Radio, 1010 WINS News Radio, WPIX Evening News, and in web and print articles in, among others, The Wall Street Journal's Market Watch, HR Executive Online, The Journal News, Time Out New York, EAP Post and The National Herald. Dr. Martin is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Employee Assistance Professionals Association.

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Eileen Mendez, Director of Work/Life Services

Eileen Mendez manages the Work/Life department at HRI, and brings more than nine years of experience in early childhood education and child care. She has managed the Work/Life department since 2008, and prior to that was a Work/Life account manager where she oversaw several high-profile accounts.

Previously, Ms. Mendez served as network coordinator for 50 family day care providers serving 250 children. Before that, she served as an outreach coordinator to the Committee for Children and Families, a resource and referral agency, where she maintained and supported all aspects of public education and community outreach throughout New York City.

Ms. Mendez’s advocacy efforts have been recorded on NBC News Ch. 4, Univision Ch.41, and Telemundo Ch.47, as well as communicated in front of the City Council of New York City. In addition, Ms. Mendez has served as a child care consultant to the New York City Human Resource Administration where she provided individual counseling to participants in the Welfare to Work program.

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Pia Notaro, CSW, Director of Account Management

Pia Notaro has more than 14 years of experience in workplace relations, EAP, and Work/Life service delivery and management. At HRI, she specializes in strategic planning and leadership development.

Since joining HRI in 1997, she has managed some of the organization’s largest accounts, which include high-profile Fortune 500 companies with globally distributed, diverse employee populations. In her current position as the director of account management, Ms. Notaro brings her organizational psychology and business expertise to the planning, support, and delivery, of customized Employee Assistance, Work/Life, and Management Coaching programs. She works closely with human resource professionals and management personnel to identify needs and develop strategies to deliver targeted and customized solutions.

Ms. Notaro began her tenure as a clinician responsible for assessment, referral, and clinical intervention, including critical incident and trauma response.

Ms. Notaro received her BA from Manhattanville College and her master’s degree in Social Work from New York University. She also holds a CSW certification.

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Kathy Borunda, MED, LPC, Director of Work/Life Account Management

Ms. Borunda has more than 17 years of experience in the behavioral health industry, and has successfully led the implementation and management of EAP and Work/Life programs for organizations of all sizes, including Fortune 500 companies. As the director of work/life account management, Ms. Borunda specializes in planning, supporting, and delivering customized work/life services to client companies. She works closely with human resource professionals and management to identify concerns and develop strategies to deliver targeted and customized solutions to meet the needs of employees and their family members.

Before joining HRI, Ms. Borunda served as the director of account management at Humana where she was responsible for overall management and quality assurance of services for all behavioral health and EAP clients. Immediately prior, she was a senior account executive at ValueOptions for 14 years.

Ms. Borunda earned a BS and an MED from the University of North Texas, and completed coursework toward a PhD in marriage and family therapy from Texas Women’s University. She is a licensed professional counselor.

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Marcie Bensman, MS, LMSW, CEAP, Director of Quality Management

Ms. Bensman is responsible for Harris, Rothenberg International's performance improvement initiatives to support employee/employer assistance, work/life, behavioral risk management, and training. She specializes in developing programs which ensure proactive, high- quality, effective services to support health, wellness, and human capital enhancement.

Ms. Bensman has more than 25 years of experience in the field and joined HRI in 2007. Prior to HRI, she was the managing director of organizational performance improvement at FEI Behavioral Health where she led strategic initiatives for the employee assistance and work/life business. In this role, Ms. Bensman managed and enhanced the operation of an extensive national network of affiliated behavioral health professionals and established policy and procedures, clinical standards, and QA systems. She also served in EAP and Behavioral Managed Care senior account management roles with Fortune 100 clients and was involved in all facets of operations, organizational and performance consultation, and quality assurance.

She also served as an EAP clinical consultant for another major national EAP firm and worked as an EAP counselor for a large hospital system in New York City.

Ms. Bensman holds an MS in Industrial Social Welfare - Administration, Organizational Development, and Counseling from Columbia University School of Social Work and a BA from the Michigan State University's Honors College. She is a licensed Master Social Worker in New York and a Certified Employee Assistance Professional.

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Jo Renee Fine, PhD, Director of Training and Content Development

Dr. Fine is a trainer and educator with more than 30 years of program development and management experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. At HRI, she oversees the training department as well as content development for the website and online and print communications.

Dr. Fine came to HRI in 1996 from Cicatelli Associates, a private, nonprofit training and technical assistance firm, where she served as Director of the Training Center for Diversity and Quality Management. Prior to that, Dr. Fine was president of an audiovisual production company she founded.

She holds a BA in Sociology from Smith College and a PhD in Human Relations and Social Policy from New York University, where she taught as an adjunct assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education. Dr. Fine is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Women. She is involved in numerous community activities and currently serves or has served on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations. She also is a published photographer whose work includes the photo-documentary book, The Synagogues of New York’s Lower East Side.

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Asit Patnaik, Director of Information Technology

Asit Patnaik is responsible for overseeing HRI’s information technology and reporting departments and administers the company’s platforms and technology strategies. With more than 10 years of experience, Mr. Patnaik specializes in project management and web development, and brings to his role a depth of technology and planning knowledge. He joined HRI in 2006. Prior to his leadership role, Mr. Patnaik was a project manager and web developer in HRI’s web department where he managed the migration of websites to a robust, load-balanced, high-availability web servers, and created web tools to improve efficiencies.

Before he joined HRI, Mr. Patnaik was a consultant and web developer for several companies where he developed large scale web applications and created automated processes.

Mr. Patnaik holds a BS in Computer Science and Information Technology from Webster University.

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Yael Schneiderman, Director of Marketing/Communications

Ms. Schneiderman oversees all marketing and corporate communications initiatives for HRI. With more than 15 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations, she is responsible for the firm’s branding and graphic standards, marketing collateral, public programs, and media affairs. Ms. Schneiderman provides strategic solutions to HRI professionals and their clients, and oversees a team specializing in marketing and communications, graphic design, and production.

Prior to joining HRI, Ms. Schneiderman served as the communications manager for a New York City-based retail real estate firm, where she was responsible for developing and implementing strategic marketing and communication approaches.

Immediately prior, she was the associate director of communications for United Jewish Communities (now Jewish Federations of North America) where she managed the organization’s communications strategy and oversaw the writing and production of all corporate and employee marketing communications, including brochures, annual reports, executive updates, online and print newsletters, press releases, crisis communications, and executive speeches.

Ms. Schneiderman earned a BA from Brandeis University.

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Lily Ge, Director of Finance

Lily Ge has more than 18 years of financial reporting and operations experience. She joined HRI in 1995 and is responsible for overseeing the organization’s financial operations including financial reporting, tax filing, financial audits, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll.

Prior to this role at HRI, she was the assistant to the controller at Mitsubishi Trust Bank, an investment bank headquartered in Japan.

Ms. Ge earned a BA in English Language and Literature from Shandong Normal University in Jinan, China, a Master’s in International Relations and Economics from City University of New York, City College, and a professional studies certificate in Financial Accounting from City University of New York, Baruch College.

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Cyndie Brummer, VP Sales

Ms. Brummer joined HRI in 2009 to lead the organization’s sales and business development efforts. She has more than 10 years of experience in sales, and brings to her role at HRI a depth of knowledge and expertise working in the insurance industry.

Most recently, Ms. Brummer served as a sales executive for national accounts for Connecticut General Insurance where she developed and executed dental sales plans for the eastern half of the U.S. with a focus on the largest national accounts.

Prior to that, she served as a national sales director for MetLife where she was responsible for mid to large group sales for the northeastern region. In that role she was responsible for developing sales strategies for new and existing clients. Additionally, Ms. Brummer has extensive experience in training and development, working as a sales performance training consultant, training manager, and communications skills training consultant in insurance and other industries.

Ms. Brummer earned a Master’s in English from Seton Hall University where she also earned her BA in English and Education. She holds life and health insurance sales licenses from New York and New Jersey.

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Tom Shjerven, CEBS, VP Sales

Mr. Shjerven joined HRI in 2010 as vice president, sales, to lead the organization’s sales and business development efforts in the western United States. He has more than 20 years of experience in sales and management in the areas of behavioral health and wellness services.

Most recently, Mr. Shjerven served as director of business solutions at Workplace Options. He has also held positions at ValueOptions and Magellan where he was responsible for sales of behavioral health services, EAP, and Work/Life.

Mr. Shjerven earned his BA from Central Washington University in Public Relations. He is an active member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Employee Benefits Specialists and has served as president and board member of the chapter. He has held his Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation from the Wharton School of Business since 1995. Mr. Shjerven speaks regularly at industry events on issues relating to employee benefits and human resources.

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Theresa Bruno, Executive Assistant

Since joining HRI in 1994, Theresa Bruno has held several key roles within the organization. In her current role as executive assistant, she oversees the day-to-day management of the office and facilities, and is responsible for managing vendor relationships as well as all purchases and billing. Ms. Bruno also serves as acting human resources manager and oversees employee benefits.

Prior to her promotion to executive assistant, Ms. Bruno served as HRI’s office manager where she worked with the director of operations and assisted with daily operations.

Ms. Bruno holds an Associate’s degree from Empire State College and a certificate in computer and office skills from the Blake Business School.

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