
Our Team
Meet Dr. K

Dr. Kemia M. Sarraf
MD, MPH, CCC, TIPC
Lodestar Founder + CEO
Dr. Kemia Sarraf (“Dr. K” ) completed her Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and her residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine. The arc of her more than two decade career has included patient care, public health programming and development, nonprofit leadership, multiple board positions in both the public and private sector, and trauma-mitigation work in medical education, and private business ownership.
Dr. K's deep and expansive background in public health, trauma, and a trauma-informed approach to professional coaching led her to develop a unique paradigm honed for professionals working in environments of chronic toxic stress.
Dr. K founded Lodestar in 2016, responding to a growing need for trauma-mitigation subspecialty coaching methods for physician colleagues who were reporting alarmingly high levels of severe burnout, vicarious trauma, and moral injury. She serves as adjunct faculty at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
Our Faculty & Affiliates
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Ann V. Deaton, Ph.D, PCC, CTPC, TIPC
Director, Faculty Development | Executive Coach
Ann brings a two-decade career as a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Division Director to professional coaching. Celebrated author, Master Trainer, Executive Coach and Certified Team Performance coach; Ann co-created the Trauma-Informed Professional Coaching curriculum for health care leaders, and the Trauma Mitigation Master Class for professional coaches.
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Antoinette DuBois Ayers, RCC, CPCC, TIPC
Director, Training Development | Executive Coach
Antoinette DuBois Ayers is a 20 year veteran of Executive Coaching, specializing in Leadership Development, Innovation, Team Productivity and Diversity. Her clients include Financial Services, Healthcare and Nonprofits.
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Kiana S. Joersz, J.D., SHRM-SCP, TIPC
COO/CFO
Kiana S. Joersz is an Attorney specializing in Employment Law and Administrative Policy and specializes in business development and consulting. During her 20 year career, Kiana has served as a Vice President of Employee Relations at a Fortune 50 investment bank in New York, and as an advisor and manager at a private law firm.
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Michael Forlenza, PhD, MPH, PCC, TIPC
Director, All Of Us Programming | Executive Coach
Michael Forlenza is an experienced leader, international leadership consultant, and leadership development coach, working for over a decade with leaders across diverse sectors, including academic medicine and healthcare, legal services, law enforcement, sales, government, biotechnology, and engineering.
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Kerri Lockhart, MD, FAAP, CPC, TIPC
Director of Client Engagement | Executive Coach
Dr. Lockhart is a board-certified pediatrician and Fellow in ACGME inaugural officers Equity Matters National Initiative. She also holds a Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certification through Northwestern University. She is dedicated to creating inclusive organizations and devotes time to presentations on this important topic.
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Sunny Nakae, PhD, MSW, TIPC
Director of Professional Development | Executive Coach
Dr. Nakae is the Director of Professional Development for Lodestar, and a Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Medical Education at the California University of Science and Medicine.
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Greg Pawlson, MD, MPH, FACP, AGSF
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Pawlson has held senior positions in academic medicine, public policy/governmental organizations and the payer community. His primary focus is now on Executive Coaching and leadership development, and he is a coach for the National Academy of Science/National Academy of Medicine Fellowship Programs.
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Wendi Wills El-Amin, MD, RCC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Wendi Wills El-Amin, M.D. is the Associate Dean and faculty in the Department of Family Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, a tireless advocate for her students and patients, and a dedicated steward of young physicians and students.
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Lynn Black, MD, MPH, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Black earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master's Degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently on the clinical staff of the Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School.
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Ken Jenkins, MA.S, ACC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Ken Jenkins is a professional emergency manager with extensive experience in planning, logistics, training, deployment, response, and after-action analysis. Ken has built a remarkable track record, successfully preparing for and responding to emergencies, including terrorist attacks.
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Floyd Carlson, MS, ORSCC, TIPC, CNTC, PCC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Floyd Carlson is a Team and Executive Coach with over 35 years of experience leading teams across a range of sectors from manufacturing, military, and technology. He is passionate about developing people so they can be and create the positive impact they want to enable in their organizations.
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Jean Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Johnson is the founding dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing (GWSON), professor emerita and a certified executive coach from the Hudson Institute’s coaching program. Dr. Johnson has previously served as Dean as well as President of two national nursing organizations.
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Laura Berenstain, MD, FASA, ACC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Laura Berenstain is a physician, coach, author, and speaker who combines executive leadership coaching with the practice of pediatric cardiac anesthesiology. Dr. Berenstain is an ICF Certified Coach, Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard McLean Hospital, and volunteer Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Cincinnati.
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Dianne Rizzo, RN, PCC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dianne Rizzo is an leadership and executive coach, specializing in personal and organizational leadership development. She has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, both as a practicing clinician and as the leader of multidisciplinary teams.
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Kate Deaton, MS, PCC, TIPC, CPCC, OTR/L
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Kate is a trauma-informed coach and Occupational Therapist who brings over 30 years of experience in the Healthcare, education, and business worlds. Kate is certified through the Coaches Training Institute and the International Coaches Federation.
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Stephanie Byerly, MD, CLC, ACC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Byerly is an academic anesthesiologist, Certified Life Coach, and published author, and has served in numerous leadership positions throughout her career, including as the Chief of Staff, Medical Director, Chair of Resident Recruitment, and as Chair of The American Society of Anesthesiologists.
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Lydia Johnson, MD, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Lydia Johnson is a physician with more than 20 years of experience as a Board-Certified dermatologist in academic and private practice settings.
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Michael Hersh, MD, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Michael Hersh is a Gastroenterologist, husband, father, podcaster, and physician coach,. He coaches physicians on work-life balance, stress management, reducing overwhelm, and feeling more present at home and less annoyed at work.
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Debbie Beardslee, RN, BSN, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Debbie Beardslee received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Barnes College in 1993. She has spent her career primarily working in critical care across specialties, including at Barnes Hospital (BJC).
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Jennifer Pernfuss, LL.B, BA, ORSCC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive and Systems Coach
Trained as an attorney, mediator and restoration practitioner, Jennifer works in the area of workplace human rights and complaint resolution. She is founder and principal of RESPECT: Conciliation & Education in Toronto, Canada.
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Tennaile Timbrook, JD, LTC (Reserves), TIPC
Senior Faculty
Tennaile Timbrook is an attorney with over 18 years of leadership experience in the Federal sector. Currently serving as a senior strategic policy advisor for the US Army Labor and Employment Division, Office of The Judge Advocate General's Corps.
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Liz Peintner, MSW, PCC, CPCC, TIPC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Liz Peintner is a certified leader and executive coach and facilitator, and her work centers on amplifying the resilience, self-awareness, and impact of mission-driven leaders and organizations.
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Ann-Gel Palermo, DrPH, MPH, TIPC, ACC
Senior Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Ann-Gel S. Palermo DrPH, MPH is the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer in Education and Research of the Mount Sinai Health System’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Palermo is also the co-director of the ISMMS Center for Anti-racism in Practice.
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Kelly Hurst, Ed.D., M.Ed, TIPC
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Steve Wendell, PhD, ACC, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Affiliate Coach
Dr. Wendell is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, having earned his PhD in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota.
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Lawrence Henderson PhD, MSHRD, PCC, CPC, TIPC
Senior Faculty
Dr. Lawrence Henderson is the CEO of Business Operational Support Services (BOSS), LLC, specializing in leadership development, executive coaching, and organizational excellence. A Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and a U.S. Army veteran, he brings 20 years of expertise in equipping leaders and teams for success. Dr. Henderson has worked with top organizations, including the FDA and Pfizer.
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Sookyung Suh, PhD, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Sookyung Suh is an organizational change management and human performance expert and researcher. She earned her PhD and master’s degree from Florida State University. She is currently on staff at SIU Medicine, and has been since January 2018.
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Eliza Humphreys, MD, MPH, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Eliza Humphreys, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician practicing in Massachusetts. She is a trauma-informed certified coach and trained volunteer physician peer supporter through the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety.
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Neil Gordon
Executive Strategy | Director of Communications | Special Advisor
As Lodestar's Communications Director, Neil Gordon draws upon his extensive experience helping experts, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and other visionaries to become the face of a movement.
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Devika Bhushan, MD, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Bhushan is a pediatrician and public health leader on a mission to drive health innovation, promote equity, destigmatize mental illness, and spread tools for resilience. As California’s Acting Surgeon General (2022), she was a key advisor to the California Governor, and led policy and practice innovation at a statewide level by co-leading the launch of the ACEs Aware initiative.
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Ashlea Winfield, MD, MSPH, TIPC, TMMC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Ashlea Winfield is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and the Associate Director of the Cook County Health Simulation Center in Chicago, IL. Dr. Winfield earned her Master of Science in Public Health from the Tulane University School of Public Health and medical doctorate from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-School of Medicine in New Orleans.
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Jill Wener, MD, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Jill Wener, MD is a board-certified Internist, expert in physician wellness, EFT/tapping practitioner, anti-racism educator, allyship coach, and the CEO of Conscious Anti-Racism, LLC. She is passionate about helping people take responsibility for their problems and teaching them practical, easy, rewarding, and trauma-informed tools to take self-improvement to the next level.
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Eliotte (Ellie) Hirshberg, MD, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Hirshberg currently serves as a Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Utah and is in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care and the Division of Pediatric Critical Care. She is an Adult and Pediatric Critical Care specialist and was a front-line responder in the COVID pandemic.
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Julia Huber, MD, TIPC, ACC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Julia is a Diplomate of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, CTI certified professional coach, trauma informed professional coach and yoga instructor, and a doctor mom. Julia offers Lifestyle Medicine consultations to residents of KY and VA so they may optimize their health, address stress and other wellness issue.
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Rikeesha Phelon, MA, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Phelon is a public speaker and coach who guides leaders through external and internal communications challenges.
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Suzanne Maxwell, PhD, PCC, TIPC, CTPC, CTIPC, WBECS, CCIC, CCM, ACC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Suzanne L. Maxwell – more familiarly known as Max - combines her academic background and corporate work experience to serve clients as an educator, a business consultant, and an executive coach.
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Maiysha Claireborne, MD, TIPC, MCNP
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Dr. Maiysha Clairborne is a Physician, Thought Leader, Consultant, and Master Trainer of Neurolinguistic Programming. The founder of the Mind Re-Mapping Co., she helps individuals and organizations better understand trauma and how it affects the brain, behavior, and communication through her training, consulting, and coaching.
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Jo Deaton, MS, APRN-BC, TIPC
Associate Faculty | Executive Coach
Jo is a Trauma Informed Professional Coach and a Certified Life and Engagement Coach. She brings knowledge of psychiatry, addictions, therapy, leadership and nursing from her prior long career.
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Joseph Goldstein, BA
Senior Associate | Executive Office
Joseph graduated from Middlebury College in May of 2023 where he received a BA in Environmental Studies and Biology with a minor in Global Health. He currently resides in Illinois and is excited to be joining and learning from the Lodestar team through January. In his free time you can find Joseph fishing or deep underwater scuba diving.
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Allison Moss, BIS, PMP
Administrative Assistant | Support Staff, Executive Office
Allison works directly with the Senior Administrator + Special Projects to help streamline processes within Lodestar's operations team.
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Ivy Grisham
Administrative Assistant | Support Staff, Executive Office
Ivy works as an administrative assistant for Lodestar and is excited to fully engage herself in her role in 2024. She is an art school graduate and an art history award winner. Ivy is also a proud cat mom and enjoys traveling, staying active, and being creative during her free time.