Board of Directors
John Tolmie -- Chair
John Tolmie is CEO of Source, a national healthcare consulting firm providing solutions to
hospitals, health systems, physician enterprises, and healthcare technology solution companies. He brings over forty (40) years of experience on both the provider side and consulting as a health system and hospital Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other executive roles. He has served in independent hospitals, regional health systems, national health systems and academic medical center, representing faith-based and not-for-profit organizations. John has demonstrated leadership in executive, governance, physician, entrepreneurial and community relations. He has excelled in performance of all management and leadership functions in establishing vision, strategic planning, focus and serving as an effective change agent in meeting the mission of the organization. He has an emphasis on high reliability in care and treatment, sound financial management, communications, engaging of key stakeholders and improvement in local community reputation. He has strategically positioned health systems and technology companies, including strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers.
John has extensive experience working with healthcare solution companies, bringing an
entrepreneurial lens to address the many long-standing issues facing healthcare and the
healthcare delivery system. Working with private equity firms in Atlanta and other markets,
and directly with solution companies, he has identified and worked with many innovative
companies/solutions that address quality improvement, cost-effective, revenue generation,
and turn-key solutions that can significantly advance the healthcare delivery system. These
include home-based care, pharmacy benefit management, revenue cycle management, post-
acute patient clinical monitoring, clinical documentation integrity, chronic care management,
and many others. His consulting has included visioning and strategic planning, business
development, marketing/sales, value propositions, pricing, navigating the complex healthcare environment, strategic and channel partnering, and other strategic initiatives. These experiences have been valuable in working with healthcare executives in thinking creatively about the structure and delivery of services, the impact of new disruptors in the market, the value of strategic partners and embracing technology as an enabler within healthcare to bring value to patients and efficiencies to providers. In addition, he has mentored many entrepreneurs who are first time executives and those experiencing accelerated growth within their company. He also was founder of a higher education technology solution company.
John has served on many boards to include independent companies, higher education,
hospitals and health systems, physician enterprises and many community-based organizations. He also serves on the board of Faraja Primary School and Faraja Forward in Tanzania, Africa which serves children with special needs. Faraja Primary School is a residential school that enrolls 100 students. Faraja Forward is a village-based program that provides medical care via a mobile clinic and network of clinical providers.
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Peter Beilenson, MD, MPH -- Vice Chair
Dr. Peter Beilenson has spent the past 35 years in public health leadership positions. He
served as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner under Mayors Kurt Schmoke and
Martin O’Malley, where he and his team addressed substance use as a public health
issue, developed a very successful needle exchange program, dramatically reduced
lead poisoning and teen pregnancy rates, and implemented an innovative youth
violence prevention initiative.
Following a very close loss in a run for Congress, Beilenson served as the Howard
County Health Director under County Executive Ken Ulman, where he implemented a
universal health coverage program—Healthy Howard—and several public health efforts,
including initiatives to address unhealthy foods.
After Howard County, Beilenson and a small team of colleagues developed Evergreen
Health, a non-profit cooperative health insurance company, enabled by the Affordable
Care Act. Beilenson served as the President and CEO of the co-op, which provided
high quality patient-centered health care at four centers across Maryland as well as
comprehensive health insurance to 40,000 Marylanders.
Finally, following running Evergreen, Beilenson and his family moved to California,
where he served as the Director of the Sacramento County Health Department. In that
role he worked to reform Medicaid and was responsible for dealing with the COVID
pandemic.
Paul Friedlander -- Secretary/Treasurer
Paul Friedlander has 40+ years of experience in product design and information technology across a broad variety of industries, from startups to international enterprises.
Paul managed engineering departments at Noise Cancellation Technology (NCT) and Energy Controls International (ECI) where he led product development and created and enforced development governance policies. At NCT he designed a number of products, including a patented headset for MRIs that allowed sensitive patients to complete their scans by significantly reducing the MRI's hammering noise. He also acted as NCT's technical liaison for manufacturing and design partnerships in Europe and Asia.
While at Constellation Energy, Paul developed reporting and analysis tools for energy commodities traders. When Constellation was acquired by Exelon, he was Constellation's "day 1" team lead, achieving unified reporting across both business entities on the first day of joint operation. When Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Paul lead the team that developed the necessary reporting to meet the regulatory requirements.
Paul retired from Allegis Group, a worldwide leader in staffing solutions. Here, he architected software solutions that help recruiters match the best candidates with employers.
In 2009 Paul was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He signed-up for the Rock Steady Boxing program for Parkinson's. This is where he met Coach Patty and other Parkinson's patients who made up a vibrant and energetic community of people fighting back. This community evolved into the Parkinson's Empowerment Place, which provides a broad array of services and exercise programs focused on enriching the lives of people with Parkinson's. Paul is pleased to give back by serving on the board of Parkinson's Empowerment Place.
Larry Fishel is a mental health therapist with 51 years of clinical experience, specializing in forensics and trauma. His career has focused on high-stakes crisis intervention and specialized grief counseling including in aviation & disaster response for pilots and airline personnel. He provided direct support to families of pilots following the 9/11 attacks and has assisted in the aftermath of numerous other airline disasters. He has extensive experience managing worksite fatalities, hospital emergencies, and hostage situations. An expert in forensic psychology and trauma recovery. He has also provided support for individuals and families dealing with terminal illness.
In addition to running a successful private practice, Larry has been active on various boards in the community. As he approaches retirement, he is giving back by helping to launch The PEP. It was in part due to his insistence and at his invitation that Patty, Monica, and Peter got together outside of the boxing gym to first envision what this project has become.
Larry Fishel, PhD
Will Benassi
Will is a founding member of the Benassi/Harbold/Saxe Group at Merrill Lynch in Towson, Maryland, where he leads a team of 6 professionals who manage and oversee the financial affairs of select high- and ultra-high-net worth families and businesses across the United States. The Benassi/Harbold/Saxe Group is an award-winning financial advisory team, having been recognized annually by Forbes Magazine as a Best-In-State Wealth Management Team since 2024, among others.
Will has been active as a volunteer in the Baltimore community for more than 30 years. Aside from his commitment to The Parkinson’s Empowerment Place, he has served in various capacities for the Towson Rec Council’s baseball programs and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Notre Dame Preparatory School and chair of the Board Advancement Committee at NDP. He is also a founder of the Roanoke College Lacrosse Alumni legacy board, a member of both Roanoke’s President’s Advisory Board, and the College’s School of Business, Economics and Analytics’ Advisory Board.
Will graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1984 and earned an MBA in 1994 in International Business & Finance from the University of Hartford’s “American MBA in Paris” program in Paris, France.
Will is married to his college sweetheart, Pilar. They have two grown children and are avid fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the Baltimore Orioles and have lived in Towson since 1986.
Myron "Goose" Kellner
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