Leadership Bios

Colleen M. Blye

Executive Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Blye is responsible for the financial strategy, financial reporting, investments and performance, revenue cycle and supply chain across Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Ms. Blye has a distinguished background in large, complex healthcare organizations. Prior to joining Montefiore, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, an integrated healthcare delivery system comprising six hospitals and three nursing homes. Earlier, she served as Executive Vice President for Finance and Integrated Services at Catholic Health Initiatives, a health system with 78 hospitals in 20 states. Her previous experience includes responsibility for treasury management, revenue cycle, financial reporting and planning, third-party contracting, supply chain, accounts payable, payroll, and information technology. Ms. Blye is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Susan Green-Lorenzen, RN

System Senior Vice President - Operations
Susan Green-Lorenzen has been associated with Montefiore for nearly three decades. She began her career as a staff nurse and served in a variety of progressive positions before being appointed Senior Vice President, Operations in 2009.

Green-Lorenzen is responsible for overseeing operations at the Moses, Einstein and Wakefield Campuses, as well as at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore and all hospital-based ambulatory care programs.

Throughout her career, Green-Lorenzen has created new and innovative programs and developed high performing healthcare teams. With a particular interest in performance improvement, she has focused on improving the patient experience. She has led projects focused on quality of care and improving patient access to services, as well as the flow of patients throughout the hospital.   

Christopher S. Panczner

System Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer
Chris Panczner is the System Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer of Montefiore. As a member of the senior management team since 2008, he oversees the operation of the Office of Legal Affairs, Compliance Department, Audit Services Department and the legal aspects of the Risk Management Department.

Panczner's broad legal experience in healthcare law, large commercial and not-for-profit healthcare transactions, as well as managed care structures and transactions will serve Montefiore well in the coming decade of healthcare reform. Prior to his appointment at Montefiore, Panczner was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in New York City and a senior partner at Epstein Becker & Green.

Panczner has been an Adjunct Professor in the Health Law Program at the Pace University School of Law.

Andrew Racine, MD, PhD

System Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer
Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD is System Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Montefiore Medical Center and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is responsible for Quality and Safety, Medical Affairs, Graduate Medical Education and the 22-site Montefiore Medical Group.

Dr. Racine joined Montefiore in 1992 as Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics where he was responsible for two large academic practices that include attending pediatricians as well as pediatric residents. Before that, he served as Associate Director of Pediatrics at Jacobi Medical Center and as a faculty member in the Division of General Pediatrics at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

On a national level, Dr. Racine has been active in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), serving as Chairman of the Advocacy Committee and Vice-President and President of Chapter 3, District II. He also serves on the National Committee on Child Health Financing of the AAP and has achieved national recognition for his work on the use of hospital data to measure the effect of policy changes on health outcomes.  Dr. Racine has received numerous awards, including the Lewis M. Fraad Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Emily Fenichel Award for Leadership in the New York Zero to Three Field. He was inducted into the Leo M. Davidoff Society of Albert Einstein College of Medicine for excellence in teaching.

Dr. Racine completed his undergraduate education at Harvard and holds combined doctorates in medicine and economics from New York University. He trained at Harvard’s Boston Children’s Hospital and went on to join the faculty of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Loreen Babcock

Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Loreen Babcock is an award-winning marketing leader, widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in applying social science and behavior change models to the practice of marketing.

In her role as Chief Marketing Officer at Montefiore Einstein, Ms. Babcock is responsible for marketing strategy and the development and implementation across all channels.

Through her stewardship, Montefiore Einstein’s brand campaigns have raised the industry benchmark—her work leaving an indelible mark on our people, our communities, and on the industry.

Prior to joining Montefiore Einstein, Ms. Babcock built and re-invented brands across the healthcare, technology, financial and energy sectors, for blue-chip organizations including Pfizer, Merck, Procter & Gamble, Johnson &Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, JP Morgan, Chase, MasterCard, Reliant Energy, and Lucent Technologies.

Ms. Babcock founded two marketing agencies—Idevoita in 2012, and LLKFB/Unit7 in 1996. She sold LLKFB/Unit7 to Omnicom in 2000, where she ascended to serve as Chairman and CEO of LLKFB/Unit7 through 2012. Prior to founding LLKFB/Unit7, Loreen held senior leadership roles for advertising agencies including Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi and Lowe.

Deepesh Chandra

Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Mr. Chandra is a seasoned healthcare technology executive with experience leading digital and analytics transformations and healthcare IT modernization.

His career spans over 20 years in healthcare leading various aspects of technology for large organizations, with a demonstrated commitment to excellence driving transformative change, enhancing operational efficiency and creating diversified growth. In his role at Montefiore Einstein, Mr. Chandra plays a pivotal role in leading the overall technology strategy and driving digital and analytics innovation that will support the system-wide mission and goals of the institution.

Mr. Chandra received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science Engineering from the National Institute of Technology & Management and earned his Master of Science degree from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Marcos A. Crespo

Senior Vice President - Community Affairs
Marcos Crespo joined Montefiore in 2020 after serving for 11 years as a member of the New York State Assembly representing the 85th District, which encompasses 130,000 residents of the South Bronx. When first elected in 2009, at age 28, he was one of the youngest members ever elected to the State Legislature. During his tenure he served as chair of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force and the Assembly Committee on Labor; he was co-chair of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. In 2015, he was unanimously elected chairman of the Bronx County Democratic Committee.

Mr. Crespo retired from politics to join Montefiore and is responsible for all community affairs functions at Montefiore.

He is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Joseph A. D’Amico

Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer
Joseph A. D’Amico is responsible for all security operations across Montefiore Health System. He joins Montefiore after a distinguished 35-year career in law enforcement with New York City and New York State Police. As the head of the State Police, he led the department through natural disasters, terror threats and prison breaks including the manhunt following the Dannemora prison escape in Upstate New York. Mr. D’Amico served as Chief Investigator for the Office of the New York State Attorney General and before that spent 27 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) where he ran the Real Time Crime Center and rose to the rank of Deputy Chief.

Mr. D’Amico graduated from the State University of New York, and the Columbia University Police Management Institute.

Ruben Diaz, Jr.

Senior Vice President - Strategic Initiatives
Ruben Diaz, Jr. joined Montefiore Einstein in 2022 after serving as Bronx Borough President from 2009-2021, where he led an unprecedented revival of the Bronx in areas of economic development, job creation, health, and housing. Prior to serving as Borough President, Mr. Diaz was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1997-2009.

Through his leadership, Mr. Diaz generated $27 billion in private investments in the Bronx, and he worked collaboratively to secure crucial development projects for the borough, including 55,000 units of housing. His efforts contributed to the drop in unemployment from 14% in 2009 to 4% in 2021. In 2015, Mr. Diaz partnered with Montefiore and others to launch the #Not62 campaign, dedicated to improving the overall health and well-being of Bronx residents, bringing together stakeholders from across multiple sectors to address the determinants of health.

Mr. Diaz graduated from Lehman College, City University of New York and La Guardia Community College. In addition, he is the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees in civil law from Berkeley College and Mercy College, and a doctoral degree in humane letters from the Metropolitan College of New York.

Kathleen Kearns

Senior Vice President - Development and Chief Philanthropy Officer
Kathleen Kearns is Senior Vice President for Development and Chief Philanthropy Officer. Ms. Kearns is responsible for all fundraising programs and the strategic direction for the advancement of philanthropic support.

Ms. Kearns’ 25-year-long distinguished career is dedicated to building support for mission-driven institutions. Most recently with the New York Genome Center, she successfully led development and external affairs initiatives to support the innovative work of the Center. Prior to that she served as Senior Vice President of Development and External Affairs at Continuum Health Partners hospital system in New York where she held successive and progressively responsible positions over her long tenure there. Earlier in her career she was the director of marketing and public affairs for the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Active in civic and professional organizations, Ms. Kearns recently served on the board of the Hudson Square Business Improvement District and the development committee of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, among other civic leadership positions.

Ms. Kearns holds an MBA from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University and a BA from Boston University, College of Communication, where she recently served as chair of the college’s annual fund.

Gloria Kenny

Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Throughout Gloria Kenny’s three-decade career at Montefiore, she has held positions of increasing responsibility and complexity, successfully leading Recruitment and Staffing, Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources Business Partners, Volunteer and Student Services, Corporate Employee Events and Community Workforce Programs.

Ms. Kenny was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Montefiore Medicine in 2021 and provides strategic leadership in the planning and execution of high quality, customer focused, and progressive human resources (HR) services, developing the processes and systems that attract, retain, develop, and engage the best talent. She oversees HR activities across all Montefiore entities.

Ms. Kenny holds an MBA and a Post Masters Certificate from the Hagen School of Business at Iona College and is a graduate of the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program at the University of Michigan.

Edward Pfleging, PE

Senior Vice President - Facilities and Real Estate
As Senior Vice President - Facilities and Real Estate, Mr. Pfleging leads Facility and Real Estate operations across the Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is responsible for Engineering, Design and Construction, Real Estate, Environmental Health and Safety, Medical Equipment Engineering, Telecommunications, Security, Housekeeping, Food Services, Parking and Mail Services.

Mr. Pfleging has been associated with Montefiore for over 25 years, initially as an entry-level engineer and advancing in various positions of greater responsibility before being promoted to Senior Vice President in 2015. Mr. Pfleging is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York, holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from SUNY Maritime College, a Masters of Business Administration from Manhattan College, and is a Certified Energy Manager and Energy Procurement Professional by the Association of Energy Engineers.

Mr. Pfleging was re-elected Councilman in his home town in 2015 and has served on the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Pfleging has also been an Adjunct Professor of Engineering Economics at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx.

Stephen Rosenthal

Senior Vice President – Population Health Management
Stephen Rosenthal is Senior Vice President - Population Health Management for Montefiore’s integrated delivery system and President of CMO, Montefiore Care Management, a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of Montefiore Health System. Mr. Rosenthal has been a leader in the development of programs and initiatives in Care Management interventions. These programs and those for the frail and vulnerable populations have supported the growth of Montefiore’s integrated delivery system, and its provider network of approximately 5,000 physicians, its Home Health Agency, Rehabilitation Facility and acute care hospitals.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Rosenthal served as Vice President of Montefiore’s Professional Services, where he developed and managed Montefiore’s Faculty Practice of employed physicians. Earlier in his career, he practiced as a Clinical Audiologist. He is also an Associate in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Maureen Scanlan, MSN, RN, NEA-BC

Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive
Maureen Scanlan, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, oversees all aspects of the professional practice of nursing at Montefiore Einstein. In her three decades at Montefiore, Ms. Scanlan started as a bedside staff nurse and has held positions of progressive leadership responsibilities prior to her appointment as Senior Vice President of Nursing in 2022.

Ms. Scanlan led the Medical Center’s effort to drive patient safety through the utilization of evidence based best practice models. She was the Principal Investigator on a multi-center study focusing on reduction of patient falls which resulted in sustained improvement in patient safety and positioned Montefiore as a national leader in quality.

Ms. Scanlan coordinated the design of a nursing strategic plan, and under her leadership, the Wakefield Hospital achieved Magnet® designation, awarded to only 9% of US hospitals, recognizing organizational excellence.

Ms. Scanlan obtained her Bachelor’s and Masters of Science degrees in Nursing from the College of Mount Saint Vincent where she later served as Adjunct Faculty. She obtained her Post Master’s Certificate in Nursing Informatics from Duke University and has received ANCC Certification in Nursing Informatics and Advanced Certification in Nurse Executive.

Peter P. Semczuk, DDS, MPH

Senior Vice President & Executive Director, Moses and Wakefield Campuses
Peter P. Semczuk serves as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Moses and Wakefield Campuses, Montefiore’s largest campus which includes Montefiore Hospital and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. He is well known for his work in emergency services, having overseen the expansion of Montefiore’s Department of Emergency Medicine to the second busiest in the nation. Dr. Semczuk has lectured extensively and received numerous awards in patient satisfaction from eminent industry organization including Press Ganey and Studer Group.

Prior to joining Montefiore, Dr. Semczuk was the Associate Director of Operations at North Central Bronx Hospital, a position which primarily focused on leadership development and performance improvement. He holds a BA in Economics from Hofstra University, a MPH from Columbia University and a DDS from New York University. He also completed his general practice residency at the VA Medical Center in Brooklyn. He is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and was recently profiled as one of the Healthleaders 20 who are making a difference in healthcare.

Catherine C. Skae, MD

Senior Vice President – Graduate Medical Education
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Catherine C. Skae, MD, serves as Montefiore Einstein’s principal liaison with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for our 100 ACGME-accredited training programs. In addition, she oversees numerous other programs that are accredited by different national bodies. GME at Montefiore Einstein involves over 1,500 residents and fellows—one of the largest training programs in the country.

Over the past decade, Dr. Skae has played a leading role at the Montefiore Einstein Graduate Medical Education Committee and its subcommittees on the Next Accreditation System, the Clinical Learning Environment and House Staff Well-being. She is recognized as a national leader and has proven herself a tireless advocate for house staff throughout her career. She has mentored scores of house officers, faculty, and program coordinators.

Dr. Skae serves as Principal Investigator for a competitive Reimagining Residency Grant from the American Medical Association entitled Residency Training to Effectively Address Social Determinants of Health: Applying a Curricular Framework Across Four Primary Care Specialties. She has also received numerous master teaching awards.

Dr. Skae received her MD degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and Biological Sciences then completed her Internship, Residency, and Chief Residency at Montefiore Einstein before being recruited to the faculty in the Department of Pediatrics where she served as Assistant Chief of Service, Residency Training Director, and Vice Chair for Education.

Joe Solmonese

Senior Vice President - Government Relations and Strategic Communications
Joe Solmonese is Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Strategic Communications. He oversees the organization’s government relations efforts at both the federal and state levels, as well as managing all aspects of strategic communications.

Mr. Solmonese has broad experience managing large and complex organizations, most recently serving as CEO of the Democratic National Convention, successfully planning and executing the first entirely virtual convention. Prior to this, he was the transition chair for Planned Parenthood Federation, managing the day-to-day operations of the national office, interfacing with 50 affiliates in providing care to those who need it most. And, as a partner at Gavin/Solmonese, he assisted corporate clients in navigating public policy issues and improving corporate responsibility.

Having spent an entire career advocating for equality and human rights, Mr. Solmonese served as president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization. Prior to joining the Human Rights Campaign, Mr. Solmonese worked for thirteen years at EMILY’s List, serving as CEO in his final two.

Mr. Solmonese is currently on the board of directors of the National Partnership for Women and Families, as well as the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the advisory board of the Obama Scholars Program at Occidental College.

Jeffrey M. Weiss, MD

Senior Vice President – Medical Affairs

Jeffrey M. Weiss, MD, is Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Montefiore and Associate Professor, Department of Medicine (General Internal Medicine) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Weiss has a long and distinguished career as a senior physician leader at Montefiore, and in his current role, drives the advancement of clinical performance excellence at Montefiore.

While maintaining an active clinical practice, Dr. Weiss chairs the Medical Executive Committee and leads the organization’s Quality Management enterprise, including peer review, professional practice evaluation, and regulatory reporting. He leads a team of hospital-based Medical Directors in driving physician alignment and creating an integrated approach to quality and clinical and operational performance across the system. He also has spearheaded the development and maturation of Montefiore’s Physicians Leadership Academy as a model professional development program for physician leaders.

He has garnered a national reputation in clinical leadership and patient safety, and his contributions to the dissemination of Just Culture in the evaluation of event analysis has been championed by The Joint Commission as an institutional tool for use nationwide.

Dr. Weiss received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his MD from Stony Brook School of Medicine. He completed an internship, residency and Chief Residency at Montefiore before joining the faculty as an attending.