Kurt Isaacson, Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Isaacson, M.B.A., joined Spectrum in 2013 as Chief Operating Officer, a position he held for three years before being appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in 2016. Mr. Isaacson has been instrumental in Spectrum’s significant growth and expansion since joining the organization. He is a seasoned behavioral health administrator, having more than thirty years of experience managing a number of multi-site organizations located throughout the country. Mr. Isaacson holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration.

Sherry Ellis, Chief Operating Officer

Sherry Ellis, MSW, LICSW, ACSW, serves as Spectrum’s Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Ellis brings more than twenty years of clinical and operational experience within a variety of health care organizations, including acute care hospitals and several non-profit organizations. Most recently, she served as vice president of crisis and rehabilitation services at South Shore Mental Health in Quincy, Mass. for seven years. In this role, she oversaw the operation of thirteen programs, involving 300 employees and multiple funding mechanisms. Ms. Ellis spent the early years of her career as a counselor, therapist and behavioral health consultant. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Boston College.

Robert Brandner, Chief Information Officer

Robert Brandner joined Spectrum in 2015 as the organization's first Chief Information Officer. Prior to Spectrum, Mr. Brandner had a long career at Dell Computers in IT Enterprise Architecture, where he focused on infrastructure assessments and strategic plan development for the company's healthcare and higher education customers. As Spectrum's CIO, Mr. Brandner is responsible for leading the development and implementation of information technology in support of Spectrum's business operations.

Joe Rose, Chief Financial Officer

Joseph Rose, CPA, was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Spectrum in 2018. Previously, he served as the Vice President of Finance and Administration at SleepMed, a $100 million provider of diagnostic and treatment services for sleeping disorders with operations in 38 states, provided through 8 wholly-owned subsidiaries and 3 majority-owned limited liability corporations. He was also the VP of Finance and Administration at Concord Family and Youth Services and CFO at Mass Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Rose earned a baccalaureate in Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Jeffrey Baxter, Chief Medical Officer

Jeffrey Baxter, M.D., served as Medical Director for Spectrum’s network of outpatient treatment centers for five years before being appointed as Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Baxter is responsible for providing executive oversight of all medical operations for Spectrum’s inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. Dr. Baxter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine.

Stacy Flanagan, Vice President of Human Resources

Stacy Flanagan joined Spectrum in 2002. As Vice President of Human Resources, Ms. Flanagan oversees employee relations, recruitment, retention, compensation, and training for Spectrum. She also ensures compliance with employment laws and regulations. Ms. Flanagan brings more than twenty-five years of experience in human resources management in the healthcare field. She previously served as the Director of Human Resources for CareMatrix Corporation where she managed all human resource functions for 3,600 employees. Ms. Flanagan has a Bachelor's degree in Communications with a concentration in Health Administration.

Christopher Petrozzi, Senior Vice President of Correctional Services

Christopher Petrozzi, M.A., brings over twenty-five years of criminal justice experience. As Senior Vice President of Correctional Services, Mr. Petrozzi is responsible for executive oversight of Spectrum's nationwide correctional treatment programs. Prior to joining Spectrum, he worked for a large corrections company with national oversight responsibilities and was previously employed with the Colorado Department of Corrections in various managerial positions. He also spearheaded major criminal justice and treatment reforms and has served as a consultant to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institute of Corrections. Mr. Petrozzi has a Master's degree in Community Psychology.

Cindy Buraczynski, Vice President of External Affairs

As Vice President of External Affairs, Cindy Buraczynski, M.S. is responsible for corporate communications, proposal development and marketing communications. Ms. Buraczynski has more than twenty-five years of business development and communications related experience in the behavioral health field. Since Ms. Buraczynski joined the organization in 2002, Spectrum has experienced significant growth, including expansion into several new states across the country. Previously, she was the Director of Communications for The Mentor Network, a national human service provider based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Buraczynski holds a Master's degree in Health Services Administration and a Bachelor's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Romas Buivydas, Vice President of Clinical Development

Romas Buivydas, Ph.D., LMHC, has more than twenty-five years of experience in the behavioral health field. His expertise spans program development and implementation, training, quality assurance, risk management, compliance and data management. As Vice President of Clinical Development, Dr. Buivydas provides training and consultation in clinical methods and instructional techniques to program staff throughout the organization. Previously, Dr. Buivydas provided consultation to numerous behavioral health organizations and was formerly the Director of Evaluation at a hospital-based psychiatric/addiction department for six years. He is also a national presenter/trainer at conferences/symposia across the country.

Kristin Nolan, Vice President of Outpatient and Inpatient Services

Kristin Nolan, M.A., M.B.A, is responsible for executive oversight of Spectrum’s community-based continuum of addiction treatment, including both inpatient and outpatient services. Ms. Nolan began her career with Spectrum in 2000 as a substance abuse counselor before being promoted to Program Director of Spectrum's largest outpatient treatment center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Ms. Nolan also served as Spectrum's Director of Outpatient Services for six years where she was responsible for the operation of six outpatient treatment centers. Named one of the Worcester Business Journal's "40 under Forty" honorees in 2010, Ms. Nolan has a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and a Master of Business Administration.

David Nefussy, Vice President of Business Development

David Nefussy joined Spectrum Health Systems in 2017 as Vice President of Business Development. In this role, Mr. Nefussy is responsible for leading Spectrum’s business development efforts including the cultivation of referral relationships and negotiating agreements with managed care organizations, third-party payors and private insurance companies. Mr. Nefussy has more than twenty-five years of experience in managed behavioral health care. Most recently, he served as the regional director of provider network services for MA, ME, NH, RI and VT at OPTUM Health, otherwise known as United Behavioral Health (UBH) where he was responsible for contracting and provider relations. Prior to UBH, he worked in a similar capacity for PacifiCare, Magellan, Beacon Health Strategies, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Private Health Care Systems.

Lisa Blanchard, Vice President of Clinical Services

Lisa Blanchard, MA, LMHC joined Spectrum in 2000 and has held various clinical positions prior to becoming Vice President of Clinical Services in 2017. Ms. Blanchard is an experienced clinician with over eighteen years of experience in behavioral health administration, including new program development and electronic health records implementation. Ms. Blanchard was trained as a NIATx process improvement coach and has served as a NIATx coach and national presenter. She has also worked as a consultant and has presented at the national level on innovations in behavioral health treatment. Ms. Blanchard holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.