The Guthrie Clinic Leadership Team/Board of Directors

Members of the Guthrie Executive Leadership Team:

Edmund Sabanegh, MD, MBA

Dr. Sabanegh is President and Chief Executive Officer of Guthrie. He joined the organization in 2021 from Cleveland Clinic, where he served as president of the health system’s main campus and regional hospitals. Dr. Sabanegh’s experience also includes 21 years of service in the United States Air Force, where he held several executive roles, including Chief of Medical Staff, chief consultant for the Surgeon General, and Chief Operating Officer at the largest Air Force hospital in the world. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate and was honored with the American Heart Association’s Service Award in 2019. Dr. Sabanegh is board certified by the American Board of Urology and has maintained an active clinical practice. He is a member of multiple medical societies, including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Urologic Association, and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction and Urology. An author of more than 200 academic publications, his education includes a Bachelor of Science and engineering degree from Princeton University, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sabanegh completed his urologic surgery residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center and his microsurgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

Katherine Aiken, MHA

Katherine Aiken, MHA serves as Director, Chief of Staff at The Guthrie Clinic. In this role, she works closely with executive leadership to support strategic alignment, lead governance functions and advance high-priority enterprise initiatives. 

Aiken joined Guthrie in 2024 as an Administrative Fellow. She earned her Master of Health Administration and Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration from The Pennsylvania State University.

Cori Belles, MBA, sHRBP

Cori Belles, MBA, sHRBP, is Guthrie’s Executive Vice President, Enterprise Chief Caregiver Officer.

Cori has served Guthrie for over 20 years, most recently as the Vice President, Chief Talent and Experience Officer. She leads the team responsible for setting the vision for caregiver engagement that aligns with Guthrie’s Mission, Vision, and Values, while promoting a culture of inclusion, innovation, life-long learning and talent development.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Psychology with an emphasis in HR Management from Mansfield University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is also certified by the Human Capital Institute as a Strategic HR Business Partner and is active in the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Brad Carvellas

Brad Carvellas serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, guiding enterprise digital health strategy and technology operations. He is a nationally recognized healthcare technology executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across health care providers, payors, and IT services.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC), serves on the IT & Data Governance committee for the Care Compass Network, and the Information Systems Management advisory board for Muhlenberg College’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education. Brad has been recognized with multiple industry honors including the CISOs Connect C100 in 2023, 2024 and 2026 and Becker’s CISOs to Know in 2023 and 2024, and Becker’s Chief Digital Officer to know 2026.

Lisa Esolen, MD, FIDSA

Lisa Esolen, MD, FIDSA is Guthrie’s Executive Vice President, Chief Quality Officer. She is responsible for system Quality, Patient Safety and Experience, and is focused on continuing Guthrie’s rich history of high-quality patient-centered care. Dr. Esolen most recently served as the Chief Medical Officer for Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre and Towanda campuses, and Guthrie Troy Community Hospital. Before joining Guthrie, she was the Chief Quality Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer for the Steward Health System, Dallas, Tx. Regionally, she served as the Assistant Chief Quality Officer/System Director of Infection Control at the Geisinger Health System. Dr. Esolen received both her Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship training from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.

Elizabeth Jaekle

Elizabeth (Liz) Jaekle is Executive Vice President, Guthrie’s Chief Strategy Officer, leading strategic planning and implementation, marketing, communications and philanthropic initiatives across the Guthrie system. She oversees the development and execution of new business ventures, partner affiliations, market expansions, physician integration and key service line strategies. Most recently, Liz served as Regional President, Mid-Atlantic, for ValueHealth, LLC. Prior to that, she was senior vice president, business development at Crozer-Keystone Health System playing a critical role in leading the health system’s significant growth and diversification. Liz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Rutgers University.

Hak J. Kim, MBA

Hak J. Kim, MBA serves as Chief Financial Officer of The Guthrie Clinic. In this role, he leads the organization’s financial strategy and operations to support long-term growth and sustainability.

Kim brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience, with expertise in financial strategy, operations and system growth. Prior to joining Guthrie, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and President of AtlantiCare Health Network, where he oversaw financial operations and a broad network of outpatient services, physician practices and community-based care sites.

Kim earned his Master of Business Administration from Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

Robert Kruklitis, MD, PhD, MBA

Robert Kruklitis, MD, PhD, MBA, is Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer. He is responsible for the advancement of clinical care “systemness,” transforming care delivery across the enterprise and leading Guthrie’s ongoing focus on high-value, safe patient care through oversight of system clinical performance. Prior to joining Guthrie, Dr. Kruklitis held several leadership roles at Lehigh Valley Health System, most recently as Vice-Chair, Clinical Programs, Department of Medicine and Medical Director and Vice President of Transformation.

Dr. Kruklitis received his Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Georgetown University and his Master of Business Administration degree from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Patricia Lohr, DNP, RN, CENP

Patricia “Pidge” Lohr, DNP, RN, CENP, serves as Chief Nurse Executive for Guthrie. A highly accomplished nursing leader, she brings more than 35 years of experience advancing care quality, strengthening operations and building high-performing teams across leading health systems nationwide.

Prior to joining Guthrie, Pidge served as System Chief Nursing Officer at INTEGRIS Health, where she led workforce and compensation strategies that generated significant savings and advanced a unified approach to patient and caregiver safety. Earlier, as Vice President of Nursing Operations at Prisma Health, she led large-scale initiatives to reduce agency spend, improve clinical outcomes and strengthen workforce stability. She has also held senior leadership roles with Kaiser Permanente and Tenet Healthcare. Pidge earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of San Francisco, a Master of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Executive in Nursing Practice and an active member of national nursing organizations, as well as a published author and speaker on nursing leadership.

Joseph A. Ronsivalle, DO

Dr. Joseph Ronsivalle is President of Guthrie Medical Group. In this role, he focuses on provider engagement, recruitment and retention, and quality care delivery. With over 15 years of experience as a chairman and section chief, he has an extensive background in leadership and has been highly successful in implementing change and facilitating growth. He has served in a variety of roles since joining the organization in 2016, including System Chair, Medical Imaging and Medical Director, Interventional Radiology.

Dr. Ronsivalle completed his medical education at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a residency in diagnostic radiology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, and a cardiovascular interventional radiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Ronsivalle also served in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Paul G VerValin, FACHE, FACMPE

As Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, The Guthrie Clinic , Paul VerValin is responsible for leading and overseeing The Guthrie Clinic’s hospital and ambulatory care delivery system, including 5 hospital campuses, skilled nursing facilities, and approximately 53 ambulatory facilities spanning walk-in care, imaging, ambulatory surgery, cancer services and comprehensive multi-specialty care.  He oversees all construction, real estate, and planning across the enterprise, in addition to Guthrie’s durable medical equipment company.

Paul has more than 30 years of experience in health care administration. Prior to Guthrie, he was President and CAO of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group and served as a senior leader of the Northeast Georgia Health System in Gainesville, Georgia.

Prior to Northeast Georgia Health System, Paul was President and Chief Operating Officer of North Shore Physicians Group and Vice President of Physician Services for North Shore Medical Center, a division of Mass General Brigham in Boston, MA. He also held key leadership roles within The Guthrie Clinic from 1994-2004.

Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Fredonia and his Master of Health Services Administration and MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American College of Medical Practice Executives.

Donald Zaycosky

Donald Zaycosky is Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, serving as the primary counsel and legal expert for Guthrie, helping to drive strategic business initiatives and continued growth. Zaycosky joined Guthrie from Geisinger Health, where he served in various roles including as General Counsel, providing comprehensive legal counsel to the health care organization. Before joining Geisinger, Zaycosky served as senior counsel for York Legal Group, LLC, a nationwide health care boutique practice representing health care providers, organizations, and state governments. Zaycosky earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he also earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Care Law.

The Guthrie Clinic Board of Directors:

Kenneth R. Levitzky, Esq.
Chair

Edmund Sabanegh, Jr., MD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Guthrie Clinic

Johanna Ames
Vice Chair

Joan M. Marren, RN
Secretary

Mustafa Aman, MD
Avery August, PhD
John Bayne
Donald (Don) L. Ferrario
Robert Fisher
Courtney Midanek
Mary George Opperman
David Pfisterer, MD
Joseph A. Ronsivalle, DO, FSIR
Erica Skipton, MD