Our Experts
Leaders
CLS founder Brian Lee, CSP serves as CLS thought leader and has earned the reputation Healthcare's Engagement expert over past 36 years through his dynamic, inspiring keynote presentations centered around our mission of creating cultures of healing kindness that engage, empower and transform.
Pat is the Chair of the HealthCare Service Excellence Conference, currently celebrating its 18th year as a top-rated motivational, content-rich, conference. She is equally comfortable orchestrating the behind-the-scenes activities as she is taking center stage as an MC.
A forward looking individual who is counted on for strategic and futuristic strengths that drive innovation, collaboration and commitment by all stakeholders.
Speakers
Michael Bayer is a change expert, with 15 years experience leading total quality management initiatives at Transport Canada and more than 22 years of experience leading successful, self sustaining LEAN initiatives in healthcare organizations across the United States and Canada.
Since 2005, Michele has implemented our Service Excellence Initiative within over 50 healthcare organizations to improve the patient experience through process improvement and employee engagement. Her client, Memorial Hospital in Carthage, IL earned and maintained a 5-star status from CMS since the Covid pandemic.
Tim is an expert in VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) and has a deep understanding about how these conditions impact organizations and individuals. He has been developing leaders to succeed in a VUCA environment for more than years.
Lynn is a graduate from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Social Organization and Human Relations. She also graduated from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto with a certificate in Advanced Human Resources Management.
Andrew combines his diverse background as a commercial pilot, minister, and professional mediator to help people look beyond their differences and function together with unprecedented efficiency.
Richard Hadden is a Certified Speaking Professional who focuses on connecting people to profit. He is co-author of the popular Contented Cows leadership book series, including his latest book, Contented Cows STILL Give Better Milk, and also the book Rebooting Leadership.
With 35 years of leadership experience, Kevin utilizes a distinct understanding of nature, the environment, and human interactions. He enjoys bringing out the best in front-line workers and executive management. His driving motivation is to bring inspiration to others that develops a desire to live with significance, meaning, joy and humor.
Inspiring organizations and individuals to KICK IT IN® and TAKE THE LEAD with better leadership and smarter followership to grow faster long-term results.
Helping companies take care of employees, so that employees will WANT to take care of the company.
Clients appreciate the extensive experience that Larry brings to them, spanning various industries, organizational types, and sizes from around the globe. Larry consistently garners five-star reviews from participants in his training sessions.
Coaches
Ron understands the issues that health care organizations face, with over 35 years experience in the health care field. He has been CEO of hospitals in Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Louisiana, New Mexico and Montana.
In his role as an Executive Coach with Custom Learning Systems, Mark assists healthcare clients improve their organization’s culture, patient satisfaction and operational metrics including Length of Stay and ED throughput.
Mike Kolenda assists healthcare organizations with implementing and/or improving service delivery programs and systems related to outpatient clinical care, staff training and development.
Dennis is a servant leader. He believes that he was put on this earth to serve others, and his focus is to do all he can to keep rural hospitals vibrant and to grow and develop healthcare leaders and medical providers. Work/life balance for CEOs and physicians is another passion of his, which he feels is greatly needed. His faith is his North Star.
Rachel is an experienced Healthcare Executive with extensive knowledge, experience, and proven outcomes with Patient Experience, Employee Engagement, Virtual Nursing Models, Magnet® Designation, and Professional Nursing Practice.
Angie Schierer is an accomplished C-suite executive consultant specializing in rural healthcare administration. With a robust background in operations, quality, process improvement, and team development, I thrive on tackling new challenges and leading diverse teams through transformational growth and innovative thinking.
Dr. Klein’s passion for patient experience and advocacy for physicians was evident to the founders of Custom Learning Systems when he presented for them at their national conference and he subsequently accepted their offer to become our first Chief Medical Officer.
Supports
With expertise in project management and production and with a passion for healthcare, Dorian ensures that the content development and delivery process is successful.
Bruce brings a history of innovative marketing strategies and is passionate to ensure that educational materials deliver a hands-on approach
Chelan is the champion at managing our client’s expectations. She ensures that everyone has the tools and resources needed to create their own 5-star experience.
Rhonda has a talent for creating relationships. Her positivity allows her to share our message and the importance of our CLS product platform.
Christy is the behind the scenes genius to ensure nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Her organization and ability to keep our development team on target is outstanding.
Sue has been with CLS for over 25 years and is the driving force behind our graphics, videos, and brochures. She brings creativity by visually communicating our mission to the world.
Annie is the executive assistant to Brian Lee. Her expertise lies in being able to proactively work with him to achieve our goals.
Mandy specializes in training and problem solving to drive organizational success with major projects such as the 5 Star Swing Bed Growth Academy™, Accelerated Staffing Fix™, everything CareSay™, and the Everyone's a Caregiver® Micro-Webinar Platform.
Martha is the rockstar who manages all CLS functional systems both internally and externally. She works closely with all team members to ensure that everyone has the appropriate tools needed to achieve our everyday mission.
As a member of the Client Services team, Christine’s skills are put to their best use when she’s faced with a tricky project full of details. She is able to step into most situations and find something that suits her, particularly in administration and creative writing.
Kassandra joined CLS in February 2024, bringing experience in events, marketing, and education. She holds a degree in Communications and Marketing from the University of Calgary and an Education degree from the University of Alberta. With a passion for design and process development, Kassandra has quickly integrated into our marketing department.
Sara joined CLS as a Client Services Coordinator where she offers support to facilities, and plays a key role in preparing and customizing materials for the Service Excellence Initiative™. Sara's passion for excellence in client-focused positions, make her well-suited for this position. Her proficiency shines in projects that demand a high level of attention to detail and creativity.
Layne is an experienced Client Services Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Skilled in Communication, Critical Thinking, Proofreading, Customer Satisfaction, and Conflict Resolution.
In her role as a Graphic Designer, Victoria designs digital and print brochures, logos, HTML emails, explainer videos, social media content, PowerPoint and workbook templates, and vector illustrations. Most recently, she has been exploring UI and UX design.
With a strong background in administrative work, Caitlin is a dedicated professional who thrives on organization and efficiency. As a member of the Client Service Team, she loves a challenge and is up for whatever is thrown her way.