Staff Biographies

Dr. Kenneth Michael (Mike) Walker
Chief Audit & Compliance Officer
UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Mike was appointed Chief Audit & Compliance Officer for the University of Connecticut (UConn) and for the UConn Health Center in January of 2005.  His responsibilities include the leadership and oversight of the audit and compliance functions at the main campus at Storrs, the Health Center campus in Farmington, and seven satellite campuses.  A major focus of his current responsibilities includes the oversight of the campus expansion and renovation effort known as UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn.  Combined, this is a $2.3 billion State-funded expansion and renovation program designed to establish and maintain UConn’s dominance as the number one public university in New England. 

Prior higher education experience includes serving as Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University and multiple faculty and staff positions at Wake Forest University (WFU).  In 1998, Mike assumed leadership of a newly formed compliance and audit function at WFU, serving in that capacity through 2004.

He is well versed in health care and higher education issues having served on multiple committees for both WFU and UConn.  Additionally, Mike was formally trained as an Army Inspector General; served five years as the Co-Chair for HIPAA implementation for WFU and WFU Baptist Medical Center; and as Chair for the Sarbanes-Oxley implementation at WFU. 

Mike received his B.S. from Chaminade University and masters degrees from Central Michigan University and Appalachian State University in Personnel Management and Education Administration, respectively.  Mike’s Ph.D. is from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.   He is also a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College and other military schools including the Army Ranger School and Airborne School.  Mike’s military experience includes serving as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a Gulf War Veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star for service in the Gulf War and Legion of Merit Award for life-time achievement.

Mike has authored numerous articles for national publication. He has served as speaker and panel member for the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and the North Carolina Health Information Communications Alliance (NCHICA).   He also holds the “CHC” certification from the Health Care Compliance Association. Mike is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, HCCA, AAMC and NCHICA.

Mike is married to the former Ms. Sue Daniel of Parkton, NC and has three sons; Mike, Chris, and Aaron.

Marie Liskom, CCEP
Administrative Assistant, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Marie joined the OACE after a three year period of employment with the Human Resource Department at UConn.  Her business background includes working in the fields of public education and private industry. Marie attended Bryant College and is currently pursuing a degree from Eastern Connecticut State University. She is certified as a Compliance and Ethics Professional through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).

As Administrative Assistant Marie supports the Chief Audit & Compliance Officer, the Director of Compliance and the OACE staff.

Administration

Rose Unwin
Administrative Officer, UCHC 

Rose has been at the University of Connecticut Health Center for 21 years, having worked in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Traumatology and Emergency Medicine (DTEM). She began as a medical typist, advanced to the Surgery Education Coordinator and Administrative Assistant for several faculty members for 10 years, and then was promoted to the department administrator for DTEM. In 2003, she joined the OACE as a part-time Administrative Officer responsible for all administrative functions of the UCHC Compliance and Audit departments.

Pam Hickey
Administrative Program Assistant, UCHC

Pam Hickey started at the University of Connecticut in January 2005 in the Information Technology Department working part-time as an Administrative Assistant I.  She was then hired by the Office of Corporate Compliance in June 2006 as a full-time Administrative Program Assistant II.  She has a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education, and is presently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling at Central Connecticut State University. 

Compliance

Rachel S. Rubin, J.D.
Director of Compliance, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Rachel S. Rubin is currently Director of Compliance for Storrs and Regional Campuses at the University of Connecticut.  Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed Rachel as her Special Counsel for Ethics Compliance for the executive branch from July 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006.  As Special Counsel, her duties include advising the Governor on public integrity issues and serving as a resource to the Executive Branch, staff of the Office of the Governor and all agency heads, on ethics laws and any ethics guidelines adopted by the Governor.

Rachel served as Managing Director and Commission Counsel for the State Ethics Commission from 1988 until 2000.  She then served as a legal counsel in government affairs for ING – North America, before joining the staff of the University of Connecticut.

Rachel holds a B.S. in Business from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Mass.  She has also been an active member of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) and the Northeastern Regional Conference on Lobbying (NORCOL).

Iris Mauriello, RN, CHC
Corporate Compliance Integrity/Privacy Officer, UCHC

Iris Mauriello is a registered nurse, leading the UCHC Compliance Office since 2000. She has 28 years of experience in healthcare, the majority of this time spent as a clinical RN and Nursing Manager in diverse settings including physical rehab, medical/surgical, psychiatric/substance abuse, emergency department, interventional radiology nursing and risk management.

Her responsibilities as Corporate Compliance Integrity/Privacy Officer include the oversight of operations for five separate domains of the University of Connecticut Health Center's Compliance Program.  They are: Clinical, Research, Administrative, Finance and Education.  She is also the Corporate Privacy Officer, a designation required by the HIPAA Privacy regulation. As the Privacy Officer, Iris oversees the development, implementation and adherence to UCHC policies and procedures covering the privacy of patient protected health information in accordance with Federal and State laws. 

Iris is pursuing a Bachelors Degree at the University of Connecticut. She is an active member of the Association of American Medical Colleges Compliance Officers Forum, the Health Care Compliance Association and is past chairperson of the Connecticut Hospital Association Corporate Compliance Officers Group.  She also holds a certification in Health Care Compliance (CHC) awarded by the Health Care Compliance Association Board.

Nancy Day Adams, MD
Compliance Education Director & Faculty Liaison, UCHC

Nancy Day Adams, MD, is Compliance Education Director & Faculty Liaison at University of Connecticut Health Center.  She was appointed Executive Director of Corporate Compliance by the EVP in July 2004.  With development of the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics of the University of Connecticut and the appointment of Kenneth “Mike” Walker, her position changed to the present one. 

Dr. Adams is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Nephrology.  She has been a member of the Health Center’s Ethics Committee since 1988, was Chair of the School of Medicine Council 2001-2003, Chair of the LCME Task Force and Task Force Steering Committee for the accreditation of the medical school, and has served on and chaired ad hoc investigation committees regarding various allegations within the health center.

Dr. Adams received her BA in Biology from Reed College, Portland, Oregon and her MD from the University of Oregon School of Medicine [now Oregon Health Sciences University].  She completed Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She has been a faculty member at UCHC since 1984.  She is an active member of the AAMC’s Compliance Officer’s Forum and Forum on Conflict of Interest in Academe, and serves on a University Healthcare Consortium’s Task Force on Conflicts of Interest.

Joan M. Caron, Ph.D., CHC
Director, Office of Research Compliance, UCHC
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Dr. Caron was appointed the Director of the Office of Research Compliance in 2000.  This was a new office for UCHC.  Dr. Caron developed a research compliance program that includes policies, procedures, and monitoring plans for: Individual Conflicts of Interest in Research, Time & Effort Reporting for researchers, inquiries and investigations into allegations of scientific misconduct or improper scientific activities.  Dr. Caron designed the Adverse Event Reporting system for human subjects in our clinical trials, and is co-chair of the Research Adverse Event Committee.  Dr. Caron also tracks the monitoring activities of the Human Subject Protection Office and the Office of Research Safety.

Dr Caron’s teaching responsibilities include responsible conduct of research, biomedical research and one-on-one research compliance training as requested. Dr. Caron also headed a collaborative effort to develop the human embryonic stem cell compliance course.

Dr. Caron earned her Ph.D. in Cellular Biology and Biophysics from the University of Connecticut School Of Medicine in 1981.  Dr. Caron took a postdoctoral position at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry.  After promotion to Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dr. Caron continued her research in San Francisco until 1992 when she accepted a faculty position at University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Cell Biology.  Dr. Caron has been awarded several grants for her research on cancer (e.g., American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Donaghue Foundation New Investigator award, Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research, Ct Breast Health Initiative). 

Virginia Pack, APRN, CCEP
Associate Education/Administration Compliance Officer, UCHC

Virginia Pack joined the Office of Corporate Compliance at UCHC in September of 2005.  Her responsibilities include the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs related to all areas of compliance.  In addition, her role involves assisting with and overseeing adherence to state and federal laws and UCHC policies in the following areas: School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, Graduate School, Human Resources, Office of Diversity and Equity, Facilities Management, Campus Planning, Public Safety and Information Technology. 
 
Virginia has 30 years of clinical and administrative health care experience in adult mental health and health care education.  Most recently she was the Program Manager for Education and Training in UCHC’s Correctional Managed Health Care.

Virginia holds an A.S. degree in Nursing from Mattatuck Community College, a B.S. degree in Psychology from Elizabethtown College, a M.S. degree in Nursing from Saint Joseph College and is certified as a Clinical Nurse Specialist through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.  She is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association.

Gustavo Fernandez, MV
Research Compliance Monitor, UCHC

Dr. Fernandez joined the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) in 1993 as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology.  In 2001 Dr. Fernandez was named Research Compliance Monitor for the Office of Research Compliance at UCHC.

Dr. Fernandez is responsible for implementing and monitoring several areas of research compliance including Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research, Adverse Event Reporting for Human Subject Research, Time and Effort Reporting, and compliance training module for hESC Research.  Dr. Fernandez is involved in writing policies and educating researchers on compliance issues, He also investigates allegations of research misconduct or non-compliance of UCHC policies, state and federal regulations and guidelines.  Dr. Fernandez also developed and maintains databases for all of the activities listed above for the Office of Research Compliance.  Dr. Fernandez works collaboratively with other offices such as the Human Subjects Protection Office and Research Finance.

Dr. Fernandez co-authored several publications on the molecular and cellular biology of immunology and cell signaling and has presented at national conferences on compliance.

Dr. Fernandez holds a Veterinarian degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R).

Rachel Krinsky Rudnick, JD, CIPP
Assistant Director Privacy, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Rachel Krinsky Rudnick serves as the Assistant Director Privacy for Storrs and Regional Campuses at the University of Connecticut. As Assistant Director Privacy, Rachel oversees development, implementation, maintenance of, and adherence to University policies and procedures covering the privacy of, and access to, student and employee information. As part of her OACE duties, Rachel also serves as an assistant compliance officer, supporting the University's efforts towards overall compliance with Federal and State laws.

Prior to coming to UCONN, Rachel was an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C. in Milford, Connecticut, where she advised boards of education and school administrators regarding general education, special education, and employment matters.

Rachel holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and a member of the American Bar Association and Connecticut Bar Association.

Kimberly Fearney, CCEP
Assistant Director Education & Administration, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Kimberly Fearney has been with the University of Connecticut since 1997, previously working in the Department of Human Resources.  Kim’s experience includes employment classification and compensation, benefits administration, training, contract interpretation and employee discipline.

Her responsibilities include the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs related to all areas of compliance.  In addition, Kim assists the University’s Compliance Officer in the development, monitoring and day-to-day implementation of the University’s compliance program.

Kim holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.  She is certified as a Compliance and Ethics Professional through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

Margaret DeMeo, RN, CHC
Associate Clinical Compliance Officer, UCHC

Margaret DeMeo joined the professional staff of the Compliance Office in September 2005.  She has a clinical nursing and medical quality management background with expertise in general medicine, oncology, surgery, women’s health and clinical research, which well-prepared her for this role.  Prior to coming to the Corporate Compliance office, Ms. DeMeo was responsible for designing and implementing the human subjects research compliance monitoring program for the Health Center.  She formerly served as a primary reviewer of research adverse events and co-chaired the Research Adverse Events Committee.

As the Associate Compliance Officer for the Clinical Domain, she is responsible for overseeing the clinical compliance plan with respect to delivery of health care within the scope of regulatory, quality, safety and ethical parameters.

Ms. DeMeo holds a B.S. in Biology and Nursing from St. Joseph College, and is presently enrolled in a graduate program in BioEthics and Health Policy at Loyola University Chicago.  She has published several articles and formerly reviewed toxicology manuscripts for the Journal of Emergency Nursing.  Memberships include: Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society, the UCHC Ethics, Patient Safety and Regulatory committees, and the Health Care Compliance Association.  She presently chairs the UCHC Clinical Compliance Committee and formerly co-chaired, the Connecticut Hospital Association’s Compliance Officers Committee. She also holds a certification in Health Care Compliance (CHC) awarded by the Health Care Compliance Association Board.

Kathleen Salomone, MSW, APRN
Research Monitor, UCHC

Kathy Salomone is currently the Research Subject Advocate in the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She began serving in this position in September 2006. This position is mandated by the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the NIH with the primary function of making certain that all GCRC studies are designed and conducted safely and ethically with the protection of human subjects accorded the highest priority. 

Kathy has worked at the Health Center for 30 years. Prior to her current position, she served as a Pediatric Diabetes Nurse Educator for 19 years, a Research Facilitator in the GCRC and a Program Manager for Discharge Planning and Halfway Houses with Correctional Managed Health Care.

Kathy holds a BSN from North Park University in Chicago, MSW from University of Connecticut and an MSN from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT.

Janice McDonnell, RHIT, CCS
Compliance Specialist, UCHC

Janice McDonnell joined the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics at UCHC in May 2007. Her responsibilities will include the development and monitoring of a documentation and coding compliance program for hospital and physician practices.

Janice comes to UCHC after working twenty years for Connecticut’s Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Qualidigm.  At Qualidigm Janice was the Project Coordinator for the Hospital Payment Monitoring Program. Her responsibilities included the evaluation of Medicare payment errors for inpatient stays in the acute care hospitals.  She assisted hospitals in identifying the root cause of payment errors related to coding, billing and utilization. Janice also served as a coding consultant to the National Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System project. 

Janice graduated from Holyoke Community College with an AS in the Health Information Management Program in 1985 and became a Certified Coding Specialist CCS in 2000. She is a member of the American Health Information Association (AHIMA) and its' affiliate the Society for Clinical Coding. She also serves on the CT Health Information Management Association Coding Roundtable Steering Committee.

Elizabeth Vitullo
Compliance and Public Information Specialist, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Liz Vitullo joined the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics in 2007 as a Compliance and Public Information Specialist.  Prior to joining the University, she worked for the City of Hartford and the private sector.

Her responsibilities include supporting the Director of Compliance, Assistant Director Training & Administration and the Assistant Director Privacy.  She assists with Freedom of Information requests, various investigations and Code of Conduct training.

Liz holds a B.A. degree in English from Fairfield University.  She has a paralegal certificate from the University of Connecticut.

Kimberly Bailot
Compliance Officer - Finance Domain, UCHC

Kimberly Bailot has joined the University of Connecticut Health Center’s Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics as the Associate Compliance Officer for the Finance Domain. 

Her primary responsibilities will be to support the Corporate Compliance Integrity and Privacy Officer in overseeing the compliance activities related to the Health Center’s financial operations.

Kim most recently served in the Compliance Department at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.  Kim has twenty years experience in the health care finance field focusing on compliance, reimbursement, financial analysis, budgeting and managed care.  She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Care Administration from Ithaca College.

Internal Auditing

Cheryl M. Chiaputti, CPA
Director of Audit Services, Storrs & Regional Campuses & UCHC

Cheryl Chiaputti joined the professional staff of Internal Auditing in September of 1997.  Prior to this she worked in public practice for eleven years.

As the Director of Audit Services, Cheryl provides leadership and administrative management to all the audit staff at all University Campuses.

Cheryl holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of Connecticut and a current member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of College and University Auditors and the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Karen Violette
Audit Assistant, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Karen Violette has been employed at the University of Connecticut’s Office of Audit, Compliance & Ethics since 1985.

As the Audit Assistant, Karen is required to assist auditors with operational, financial and compliance audits at various levels of the University.  Karen is also responsible for administrative and computer support to all office staff including the web-page and is the Secretary to the Joint Audit and Compliance Committee (JACC).

Karen is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA).

Julie W. Nichols, CIA, CISA
Assistant Director IT, UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Julie W. Nichols joined the Office of Internal Auditing in April 1999.  Prior to that time she was an Internal Auditor in the corporate sector. 

Julie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and Organization from Central Connecticut State University.  She is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

As the Assistant Director of IT, Julie is responsible for leading the IT audit function for the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics for Storrs, the Regional Campuses and the Health Center.

Julie is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, the Association of College and University Auditors, the Little 10+ IT Audit Directors Group, and EDUCAUSE.

Katherine A. Goss, CPA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Katherine A. Goss became an Internal Auditor for the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2005.  Her duties include the performance of operational and compliance audits and investigations of hotline complaints.

Prior to joining the Office of Audit, Compliance & Ethics, Katherine was in public practice in Vermont for eight years.

Katherine holds a B.S. from Cornell University.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Vermont Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of College & University Auditors.

Kaye Johnson, CPA, MBA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Kaye Johnson joined the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics in 2005.  Prior to that time, she worked in the Office for Sponsored Programs at UConn, and has five years of experience in corporate internal auditing and public accounting.

Kaye holds a BS and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.  She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.  She is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of College and University Auditors.

As Staff Auditor, Kaye performs operational, financial and compliance audits.

Elaine C. Zincavage, CPA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Elaine joined the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics in July 2006. Prior to joining OACE, she worked as a Grant Manager in the Office of Sponsored Programs at UCONN.

Elaine’s relevant experience spans 12 years in a variety of public and private accounting and auditing assignments, including manufacturing, financial services, distribution and governmental organizations. She has also worked as an educator in public education and corporate training.

Elaine holds BS and MA degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Connecticut and a member of the Association of College and University Auditors.

Carrie Gray, CISSP, CISA, GSNA
Internal Auditor IT, UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Carrie Gray joined the Office of Audit, Compliance, and Ethics in July 2007. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut Carrie focused on control and governance of IT systems in the corporate sector.

Carrie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology. She is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and a certified GIAC Systems and Network Auditor (GSNA).

Carrie is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of College and University Auditors, and the Information Systems Security Association.

Angelo Quaresima, CIA, CFE
Internal Auditor, UCHC

Angelo Quaresima joined the Office of Audit, Compliance & Ethics as an Internal Auditor in January 2008.  He is responsible for conducting financial, operational and compliance audits at the UConn Health Center. 

Prior to joining the UCHC, Angelo was employed by the CT State Auditors where he performed OMB A-133 audits and financial & compliance audits at various State agencies.

Angelo holds a B.S. in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.  He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Paula King, RN
Internal Medical Auditor, UCHC

Paula King is a registered nurse and joined the Healthcenter Internal Audit and Compliance staff in 1997 as a medical auditor. Her prior experience included several years with a Fiscal Intermediary (Medicare Part A contractor) and a health insurance private payer.  She also has an extensive clinical background on all levels of care.

Paula is responsible for the clinical audits at UCHC which include regulatory compliance, coding and billing. Paula is a graduate of Hartford Hospital School of Nursing and holds a BSN from the University of Hartford.

Donna Barberi, CIA
Internal Auditor, UCHC

Donna Barberi joined the Office of Audit, Compliance & Ethics as an Internal Auditor in April 2008.  Her primary responsibilities include conducting financial, operational and compliance audits at the UConn Health Center. 

Prior to joining the UCHC, Donna was employed by UHY Advisors where she performed various internal audits and special projects for hospital clients.  Prior to UHY, Donna was employed by Fleet Bank for ten years performing various internal audits specializing in trust and investment services and conducting various internal fraud investigations.

Donna holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a M.S. in Professional Accounting from the University of Hartford and is a Certified Internal Auditor.  She is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Ying Liu, CPA
Internal Auditor - UCHC

Ying Liu joined the Office of Audit, Compliance, and Ethics in April 2008. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut Ying worked in public accounting and corporate sector.

Ying has a Bachelor of Science Degree in accounting and master degree in management information system. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).