ABOUT US
Established in 1998, UltraGroup is a healthcare management company providing comprehensive solutions to rural health hospitals for inpatient and outpatient adult and senior behavioral healthcare and medical stabilization services. UltraGroup's commitment to the vision of providing quality health services is demonstrated through its steadfast dedication to ethical business practices in a highly professional manner. We consistently follow our standards of:
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Integrity: Consistently provide honest and truthful information.
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Respect: Treat all patients, clients and associates with the utmost respect at all times.
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Responsibility: Always be responsible for our actions and commitments.
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Professionalism: Passionate about the high level of our demonstrated professionalism.
Meet the Team
Kelly McBryde
Chief Executive Officer
As co-founder and principal of UltraGroup, Kelly brings a strong hospital operations background to the outsourcing industry. He has worked with several private and publicly traded companies including HCA and HealthTrust, as well as served as CEO of small rural hospitals and large tertiary facilities. His responsibilities have also included a 120 bed psychiatric hospital, which is still a regional leader in service line development and clinical modeling. With a BS from Tennessee Tech and an MHA from Duke University, Kelly has provided strategic and operating management services to numerous businesses and healthcare ventures for over 30 years.
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Sherri Shaw, MS, LPC, NCC
Vice President of Inpatient Services
Sherri is a Southeast Regional Director for UltraGroup. For over 20 years, she has provided behavioral health services to those in both rural and urban settings. She has served in key leadership roles in both CAHs and one of the largest behavioral health facilities in the United States. This experience allows her to offer insights, practical applications and assistance to allow hospitals to better serve seniors. She is also a certified instructor for Non-Crisis Prevention Institute. Sherri graduated from Troy University where she earned her MS degrees in both Counseling and Psychology. Sherri also earned her Ph.D in Forensic Psychology from Auburn University.
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Karen Fauer
Chief Financial Officer
As co-founder and principal of UltraGroup, Karen has served as the Chief Financial officer since 1998, directing the firm’s financial services, including cost report analysis, financial projections, coding audits and hospital charge-master reviews. Karen brings a broad array of “real world” experiences, including serving as CFO in a rural hospital. Additionally, she served as Corporate Controller for a multi-hospital system and was responsible for the financial management and reporting of all the system’s small rural hospitals. She graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She is a CPA, and has over 20 years experience in health care auditing and consulting.
Kenna Dunlap Johnson,
MBA, MSW, LCSW
Vice President of Outpatient Services
Kenna has over 16 years of experience working in the behavioral health industry. She has worked in both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health settings with a primary focus on both the older adult and child/adolescent populations. Kenna has served as the Program Director for an UltraGroup IOP as well as the Director of Behavioral Health for a rural hospital system. She has also served as the Director of Admissions/Intake for a 106-bed free standing psychiatric and addictions treatment hospital. Kenna earned both her BS in Psychology and Master in social work from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In addition, she earned her Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Healthcare Administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL. Kenna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and carries expertise in clinical leadership, integrated behavioral health in primary care, telehealth, workforce development and the provision of psychotherapeutic services.
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Tashua Grizzle, PhD, LNHA
Vice President of Quality Management
Tashua is a Regional Director for the Southeast Region with over 25 years of healthcare experience. She joins the UltraGroup team specializing in healthcare leadership, long-term care, behavioral health, quality assurance, risk management and performance improvement. She has served in numerous leadership roles for the U.S. Army, the State of Georgia, and a large metro Atlanta hospital. Her leadership roles have included direct oversight for outpatient medical clinics, adult mental health, skilled nursing facilities, developmental disability, and addictive diseases service programs. Tashua earned both a Bachelor degree and Masters in Health Administration (MHA) from Clayton State University. She received her PhD in Health Services from Walden University. Tashua earned her RN license through Capscare Academy and is also a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator.
Sheila Frazier, RN
Director of Performance Improvement & Compliance
Sheila develops and revises policies and procedures to meet CMS and state regulations, assists with new program staff orientation and training, identifies opportunities for improvement in existing programs, and performs chart audits. Sheila brings over 30 years of Nursing expertise to UltraGroup with broad range of experience including urban emergency rooms, rural home health, long term care with case management, quality assurance and educational training and leadership. Sheila graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with an Associate of Arts degree in Allied Health & Nursing and from McKendree University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
James Huff, RN
Regional Director
James is a Regional Director for UltraGroup with a strong background in mental health nursing skills. He has over 15 years of experience working in both adult and geriatric inpatient psychiatric units as a Nurse, and as a Program Director. He also has experience as a nurse on Med-Surg, ICU, & ED units as well. James worked with UltraGroup to develop and open a highly successful Geriatric Inpatient Psychiatric unit that provided much needed services to clients and their families in rural Kentucky. After this successful venture James joined UltraGroup as an Outreach Coordinator and was soon promoted to his current Regional Director position working with both Inpatient and Intensive Outpatient Programs. He graduated with an Associate in Arts degree and an Associate in Nursing degree from Southeastern Kentucky Technical college.
Keri Williams, LCSW
Regional Director
Keri is a Regional Director for UltraGroup and has 30 years of experience in social work and clinical leadership in several healthcare settings. She has served as the Director of Community Living Services at United Cerebral Palsy in Dallas, TX, Chief Clinical Officer at Shepherd’s Cove Hospice in Albertville, AL and most recently the Program Director over two UltraGroup IOP programs in KY. Keri’s experience in clinical programming, quality improvement and leadership allow her to assist others in developing quality programs for seniors. Keri earned her BS in Psychology at Abilene Christian University and her Masters Degree in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Allen Creamean, MA, LCPC
Regional Director
Allen has 13 years of experience working in behavioral healthcare (both inpatient and outpatient settings), as a clinician and administrator. Allen has held multiple titles within a 148-bed behavioral health system including Director of Intake, Director of Risk Management and Performance Improvement, Compliance Officer, and most recently serving as the Chief Clinical Officer. Within this role, he was responsible all regulatory oversight while overseeing clinical operations for programs including youth residential treatment as well as psychiatric and substance abuse partial and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for youth and adults. Allen earned his BA in Psychology from Illinois State University, MA in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Illinois University, and is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) within the State of Illinois. Allen specializes in behavioral healthcare regulation, process analysis, and risk management, with a focus toward building sustainability and efficiency within program operations to improve patient care.
Jacob Shaheen, MBA
Director of Business Development
As Director of Business Development, Jacob provides support and direction to UltraGroup programs on referral generation, community outreach and growth opportunities. He has worked in several different roles within the behavioral health industry including inpatient and outpatient services. Jacob began his career in behavioral health as a Mental Health Tech in a 112-bed, free-standing psychiatric facility. Since then, he has worked as a HR/Compliance Coordinator, Financial Counselor, and Director of Business Development in different inpatient facilities across the country. Jacob earned a BS in Healthcare Administration from Auburn University. He earned his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Lucas McBryde, MD, MS
Director of Healthcare Informatics
As Director of Healthcare Informatics, Lucas provides guidance in navigating the intersection of healthcare, data science, and information technology. Informatics is the future of the healthcare industry, and UltraGroup aims to lead the way in the arena of psychiatric services. Lucas has worked in multiple hospital systems across the United States during his medical training in both metropolitan and rural settings with a focus in family medicine and psychiatry. Prior to obtaining his Medical Doctorate, Lucas worked in biomedical research. After graduating from medical school, he went on to earn a Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics from Lipscomb University with an emphasis in electronic health record systems and telehealth.