Company Leadership

The Breakaway Group is a network of highly skilled professionals whose experience in healthcare delivers exceptional value to our clients. The team members we place in our engagements will average over 20 years of experience each. They are led by the following individuals:

Charles Fred, Chief Executive Officer

Honora Roberts, Senior VP, Chief Operating Officer

Robert Bulow, Senior VP, Chief Financial Officer

Rich Parker, Corporate VP, Chief Growth Officer

Heather Haugen, Ph.D, RD, Corporate VP, Research

Amy Thrall, Corporate VP, Human Resources

Jeffrey R. Woodside, M.D., Chief Medical Officer

HONORA ROBERTS Senior VP Chief Operating Officer

Honora Roberts brings more than 20 years of experience in business, project and performance management with small, mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies to The Breakaway Group. Throughout her career, Roberts has worked with numerous companies in the healthcare industry, including Amerisource Bergen, Abbott Laboratories, Great West Life Insurance, and Scimed. Beyond the healthcare industry, she has worked with top-tier companies such as General Mills, Bank of America and FedEx.

Prior to joining The Breakaway Group, Roberts founded and successfully led a consulting firm for more than ten years that specialized in strategic learning solutions. The firm created innovative learning processes and experiences to increase adoption, proficiency and quality among newly hired employees. Her professional experience also includes learning and instructional design positions with Xerox Learning Systems and Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Services. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Scripps College in Claremont, Calif.

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RICH PARKER Corporate VP Chief Growth Officer

Rich Parker brings more than 25 years of experience in healthcare information technology to The Breakaway Group. Parker's experience with IDX Systems Corporation, a leading healthcare information systems vendor acquired by GE Healthcare in 2006, includes numerous director-level positions in the areas of client service, business development, e-commerce implementation and development, and national account management.

Most recently with IDX, Parker was responsible for developing a national account management program and directing a national dedicated client services program He obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Vermont.

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HEATHER HAUGEN, Ph.D, RD Corporate VP, Research

Dr. Heather Haugen has more than ten years of research experience in both the academic and private sectors. Haugen, who earned her doctorate in health information technology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, has an extensive and diverse professional history that includes grant writing, designing and coordinating clinical trials, research presentations, and education and training for numerous healthcare providers.

Haugen's research experience ranges from weight management and metabolism to telehealth and behavior change. She is widely published in health and medical journals, including the Journal of American Dietetic Association, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, and International Journal of Obesity. Haugen holds a faculty position with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center's School of Medicine as the associate track director of health information technology where she actively conducts research, mentors students and teaches courses.

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JEFFREY R. WOODSIDE, M.D. Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Jeffrey R. Woodside is the former executive vice president and chief medical officer for University of Tennessee Medical Group. He received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State University and earned his medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School, where he later interned. Following a stint as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Navy, he completed residencies in general surgery and urology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He also received an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

His career spans more than 25 years and includes faculty appointments at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque and the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, where he also served as vice president of The Hermann Hospital. In 1992, Woodside was named UT Medical Group's medical director, a position he held until 1995. He was also appointed medical director of UT Bowld Hospital and professor of urology at the UT Health Science Center. In 1993, he was named executive director of the UT Medical Center. He was appointed executive vice President and chief medical officer for UTMG and associate dean for clinical affairs at the college of medicine in 1999.

Woodside is active in many medical organizations and served as a reviewer for various urology journals. He also served on the editorial board for the journal, Editorial Board, Neurourology and Urodynamics.

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CHARLES FRED Chief Executive Officer

Charles Fred is the founder and CEO of The Breakaway Group. He brings a proven track record of leading significant growth in both service and enterprise software companies and has led The Breakaway Group from its initial startup to a leading position in healthcare IT adoption services.

Before founding The Breakaway Group, Charles led Omega Performance as their CEO, culminating in a successful sale to IIR, Inc in 1998. Mr. Fred later joined Avaltus as CEO in 1999 and led its remarkable growth until a merger with Precision Response Corporation a division of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) in 2001.

Previously, Mr. Fred spent over 12 years in the aerospace industry at Texas Instruments and at The Boeing Company. While at Boeing, he had leadership assignments in both design and manufacturing, the latter as the General Supervisor of the Engine Ducting Facility. He joined USWEST as an executive in 1993 to bring aerospace quality to their Network Operations Group.

The publication of his best-selling book Breakaway in 2002 initiated a "movement" from the thousands that have read it. Today, many leading universities use the text in their curricula to reinforce innovative methods for instructional technology and simulation. The eight-year research effort that ended in the publication of the book provides the foundation for The Breakaway Method™ used in service to healthcare organizations worldwide.

Fred continues as one of the healthcare and corporate education industry's most renowned keynote speakers, and has been featured at the Smithsonian Institute and the International E Learning Expo in Paris. He obtained a bachelors of Science degree in mechanical engineering and technology from Montana State University, and completed the Aerospace Industry Manufacturing Program from the University of Washington's Graduate School of Business.

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ROBERT BULOW Senior VP Chief Financial Officer

As senior vice president and CFO, Robert Bulow creates and executes the long-term financial strategies that position The Breakaway Group among the healthcare industry's elite. Before joining the company, Bulow was CFO for Breakthrough Management Group (BMG), an international consulting firm in the Six Sigma education market. He held senior-level positions with USG Corporation, and gained experience as a self-employed Certified Public Accountant and a small business consultant early in his career.

Bulow has conducted seminars to provide financial analytics to managers outside the financial arena, and during his time with BMG, received Six Sigma certification as a master black belt. He received his master's degree in business administration (MBA) from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and holds a bachelor's degree in accountancy from Northern Illinois University.

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AMY THRALL Corporate VP, Human Resources

Amy Thrall is a Human Resources Executive with over 15 years experience launching and managing human resources departments across a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, private equity, and technology. Her reputation as a "business-centric" HR professional is backed by her general management background, MBA, and track record of career successes. She has specific expertise in designing and implementing due diligence and acquisition strategies, launching major company-wide HR initiatives, and providing general business management. She is also an active member of the executive HR community and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mountain Human Resource Planning Society (RMHRPS).
 
Prior to her work with The Breakaway Group, Amy served as Managing Director of HR for Republic Financial Corporation, where she managed human resources strategy for the holding company, as well as acquisition strategy and oversight for Republic's portfolio companies. Prior to that, she served as VP of HR and Training for Inflow, where she designed and implemented innovative recruiting and hiring programs that enabled the company to grow from 20 employees in one location to over 600 employees in 18 locations across the U.S. and Europe, all within just 18 months. Prior to her work with Inflow, she was Executive VP for ImageSystems, where she was responsible for managing company-wide operations.

Amy is SPHR-certified and holds an MBA in Management from the University of Colorado and a BS in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin.

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