Sheila Schmidt is Managing Director of Strategy and Development at Meridian. Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Sheila is responsible for the acquisition and development activities in the Southwest.

Sheila brings over 17 years of commercial real estate experience to Meridian, having worked in the construction industry with a focus in healthcare real estate.

Prior to joining Meridian, Sheila was Director of Real Estate Development, Healthcare for a large national firm. Sheila has been responsible for site selection and land acquisition, municipal approvals, constraint analysis and due diligence, design and construction coordination, and lease negotiations. Sheila has a strong history of increasing market share and brand recognition through continually building, leveraging and bringing value to her network. Sheila is passionate about adding value to her clients through the development process and forming relationships built on trust that are mutually beneficial.

Sheila is a LEED Accredited Professional. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives -Arizona Healthcare Executives; the Dignity Health Foundation – East Valley; Special Olympics Arizona and past Board member of CoreNet Global, Arizona Chapter.

Mr. Golik has more than 17 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, with the past 12 years focused exclusively on healthcare. He has been responsible for the development and financing of acute care and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and medical office buildings. In addition to his role at Carter Validus, Mr. Golik has led a variety of efforts in healthcare such as acquisitions, development, underwriting and investment at KDC and The Cirrus Group. To date he has completed projects in excess of $300 million. He started his career at Archon Group a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.

Sean Miller is a Senior Vice President of Development with Anchor Health Properties and brings more than 20 years of construction experience ranging from entry level project management to executive level management.

His career has encompassed managing operations and field construction teams on large, complex projects nationwide. His broad, hands-on construction experience in a wide-range of markets and project delivery methods allows him to better advise and collaborate with clients and business partners through the design and construction phases of their projects. Mr. Miller is responsible for leading the development process and managing project teams, including architects, construction managers, engineers, attorneys, and other specialists, to ensure that our client’s needs are met and deliver a successful healthcare development strategy.

Prior to joining Anchor, he served in a key role with McCarthy as Business Development Director where he collaborated with clients in healthcare, parking structures, justice, municipal and aviation to achieve their business and community goals through construction projects.

Mr. Miller earned his Master of Business / Healthcare Administration from Southern Nazarene University and his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Technology from Oklahoma State University. He is LEAN Green Certified through the University of Pittsburgh and holds a Healthcare Construction Certification.

Eric Zuhlke is the Vice President of Ambulatory Integration and Operational Excellence for HonorHealth. He has over 25 years’ experience in healthcare operations, information technology, and project management. His current responsibilities are the strategic guidance and day to day operations of the HonorHealth Laboratories, Radiology, and Hospital Outpatient Departments (50+ locations including but not limited to: Outpatient Therapies, Wound, Sleep, etc.). He also leads for the HonorHealth Financial Improvement Portfolio. Through this portfolio, he partners with Executive Leaders and Strategic Planning to ensure the right resources are aligned on the most strategic projects to ensure optimal planning and execution.

Prior to this role, he was the Associate Vice President (AVP), Laboratory Services and Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) after three years spent as AVP, IT Network Applications for HonorHealth. In this role, he was part of the senior executive information technology leadership team and led all the software applications (clinical, business, and financial) across the HonorHealth network. He had primary responsibility over the implementation and standardization of the electronic medical record (Epic). In addition, he was a member of the Innovative Care Partners (Accountable Care Organization) Board and led both the training and interface teams.

Prior to joining HonorHealth, Eric served in career progressive roles as a RN to PMO Director to Ambulatory Applications Senior Director (Banner Health in Phoenix, AZ) to CIO (Abrazo Health Care). Prior to HonorHealth, he embarked on a consulting career in which he assisted organizations with interim leadership positions and strategic projects ranging from ACO formations to ICD-10 to electronic medical record replacements.

Eric maintains active involvement in several community organizations (Deer Valley Unified School District Education Foundation Board, Project Management Institute, Jr. Eagle Football Academy – coach), with always keeping family first. His wife, Elizabeth is a Speech Pathologist in the Paradise Valley School District. His daughter, Brooke currently attends Northern Arizona University studying Interior Design and son, Cameron who “dreams of the NFL.”

Stephanie Kinnard serves as a project executive at Gilbane Building Company. She brings 17 years of project management experience, including nearly a decade specializing in healthcare construction throughout the Phoenix market. Her expertise encompasses infrastructure upgrades, Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) buildouts, and renovations of existing facilities through both Design-Build and Construction Manager-At-Risk (CMAR) contracts.

As a registered Professional Engineer, Stephanie excels in preconstruction services, including target value design and conceptual estimating, helping owners and developers optimize their budgets and schedules. She demonstrates her commitment to industry advancement through her service on the Board of the ACE Mentor Program of Phoenix and active membership in both CASHE and Arizona Healthcare Executives.

Laurie Sandau has been with the Land Advisors Organization since 2020, bringing over 21 years of local and national commercial real estate experience. Recognized for her unmatched professionalism, dedication, and ethical standards, Laurie specializes in site selection, landlord and tenant representation, leasing, and existing building analysis. Her expertise and commitment to excellence make her an invaluable asset to clients and colleagues alike.

Throughout her career, Laurie has partnered with a diverse client portfolio, including national banks, law firms, medical office developers, assisted living developers, and hospital systems. She has provided strategic advisory services for school land and building acquisitions and developed tailored disposition strategies for medical office buildings. Laurie consistently works with developers, investors, landlords, and tenants to deliver value-driven real estate solutions.

Laurie has served as an active board member for organizations such as NAIOP, AZCrew, and ACMLA. She has also held leadership roles in industry organizations including ICSC, Valley Partnership, and Westmarc.

A resident of Arizona for over 36 years, Laurie has cultivated a robust professional network and remains an active participant in the local community through her industry and leadership roles. She is currently servicing on the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children’s advisory board and active in Christian ministries.

Kurt Rosene began his career in commercial development over 30 years ago and throughout his career has led the development of millions of square feet of office, industrial, medical and mixed-use projects that incorporated hospitality, multi-family, retail and entertainment in over 25 states. Whether a large master planned development, or a single building, Kurt values his approach and the high standards utilized during his analysis of each potential project, delivering accountability, creativity and cost-effective solutions.

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare architecture, I am honored to serve as the President of Healthcare Development at BR Companies. In this role, I bring a wealth of expertise in creating innovative healthcare environments that improve patient outcomes and meet the evolving needs of communities.

Before joining BR Companies, I was the Healthcare Market Sector Leader at Corgan, where I played a pivotal role in expanding the firm’s national healthcare practice. Based in Phoenix, I led high-impact projects, developed client relationships, and drove strategic initiatives that shaped the future of healthcare facilities, including ambulatory care, urgent care, and specialty centers.

My career has focused on the architectural planning and design of hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, and centers of excellence, with both domestic and international project experience. I hold a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington and am licensed in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Minnesota. I am also certified in sustainability and evidence-based design (LEED AP BD+C, EDAC) and hold board certification in healthcare architecture (ACHA).

Recognized as one of Arizona’s top architectural leaders in 2021, 2023, and 2024, I am deeply passionate about how thoughtful healthcare design impacts both patient care and the broader healthcare ecosystem. I contribute regularly to industry conversations as a speaker, and I serve on several nonprofit and professional boards, including as President of the Arizona Healthcare Executives, a chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

At BR Companies, I am excited to lead our healthcare development initiatives, leveraging my background to drive innovation and expand our portfolio in response to Phoenix's rapid urban growth and the changing demands of the healthcare landscape.

Aaron is a Senior Project Executive in Facility Services for Banner Health. He leads a team that oversees development, design, and construction of Inpatient & Ambulatory healthcare facilities primarily in the greater Phoenix, AZ area. This has included large scale IPD campus expansions, new Medical Office Buildings, and annual renewal of equipment & infrastructure. His background in construction and passion for improving the healing environment has led to an adoption of lean practices in a challenging time for healthcare.

A desire to help after 9/11 motivated Tara to focus her career on healthcare design. Even though she

would not be in the ER treating patients herself, she found comfort in knowing she could help by

providing healthcare workers with high-quality environments for patient care.

Having worked in healthcare design for nearly 30 years, Tara has cultivated a deep sense of empathy for

patients and a keen awareness of the power of design to improve highly stressful experiences.

As a Health Principal in HDR’s Phoenix, Arizona, architecture studio, Tara leverages her network,

reputation and experience to establish and maintain long-term relationships with new and existing

healthcare clients. With two IPD-lite projects with co-located Big Rooms under her belt, Tara has a

proven track record of working with multidisciplinary teams to deliver designs on time and on budget.

As a mentor, Tara encourages designers to engage in imaginative thinking to develop design solutions

that meet and exceed the needs of various hospital stakeholders.

An active member of the local design community, Tara is the Arizona sponsorship chair of NOMA’s

Phoenix chapter, the co-chair of the Women in Healthcare mentorship committee, and a member of the

Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI).

Jennifer’s design and construction management career spans over four decades and includes large, complex building programs in healthcare and justice. With expertise in accessibility, historic preservation, green building, and problem-solving, Jennifer has provided program management and architectural design for a wide range of projects and programs, including hospitals, courthouses, behavioral health facilities, juvenile and adult corrections, education and government buildings. Jennifer is a licensed architect, EDAC certified, and a LEED-accredited professional. For the past five years, she has taught the Sustainability and Professional Practice modules of the Professional Construction Management courses for CMAA.

Jennifer is skilled at pulling together teams to manage all major aspects of large building programs. Recently her team completed the Care Reimagined program at Valleywise Health (formerly Maricopa Integrated Health System), which included demographic analysis, rebranding and community outreach, as well as managing the programming, design and construction of new, renovated, and repurposed healthcare facilities.

Jacob Lester is a Business Development Executive at MiiHealth, where he drives growth and forms strategic partnerships within the healthcare technology sector. With a background in business and venture development, he specializes in identifying new opportunities, building client relationships, and bringing innovative healthcare solutions to market. Previously, Jacob served as a Venture and Business Development Consultant at Skysong Innovations, the technology transfer office for Arizona State University. He holds degrees in Business Law and Business Entrepreneurship from ASU and is passionate about leveraging technology to enhance healthcare outcomes.

Abbie Richie is the Tech Guru at The Smarter Service. She is the host of Tech Smarter and Tech Talks on CBS Channel 3/5. Abbie is an experienced keynote speaker and has delivered presentations at TEDx, ICAA, AgeTechX Japan, LeadingAge AZ 2024, Evolve, and AZ ALFA. She has been featured on The List TV, ABC, FOX, USA Today, AARP, and the Washington Post. You can reach out to her online at www.thesmarterservice.com and on social media, where she shares more tech tips via Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.