Carl O’Connell is a visionary and transformational executive who leads organizations to achieve impressive wins through strategic leadership. The through line in his career is a commitment to operational excellence that enables companies to achieve meaningful financial and market share growth, as well as his ability to guide organizations through periods of significant change to emerge stable and successful on the other side.
Throughout his career, Carl has made it his mission to build and develop high-performing teams that make up the backbone of a successful organization. With an eye for finding outstanding talent, he consistently builds companies’ competencies to strengthen the organizations’ ability to capitalize upon new opportunities. As a high-energy and high-trust team leader, Mr. O’Connell is a servant leader who demonstrates and expects integrity, honesty, and respect and cultivates authentic collaboration and synergies across large organizations.
Often sought out by companies to lead change management and organizational transformations, Carl brings focus, patience, and drive to achieve results. Having worked with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 powerhouses, he has been involved in large-scale mergers and acquisitions, integrations, and restructurings.
Keeping an intentional finger on the pulse of market trends, competitor developments, customer needs, and key opinion leader (KOL) insights, Mr. O’Connell brings an innovation-focused and problem-solver mindset that enables him to position companies for double-digit growth. Approaching challenges with creativity, he defines bold strategy and rallies company resources to put plans into action, drawing on past successes and proven strategies.
As a competitive, results-driven individual, Carl has developed wide-ranging expertise and has established a track record of challenging the status quo to lead companies to greater things. With extensive industry experience, including on the capital and funding side, he is well equipped to reshape, refine, and optimize companies in meeting and exceeding performance goals and objectives. Enhancing his experience is his indepth knowledge and hands-on practice of Agile, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, and High Performance Management System methodologies, which he leverages to streamline operations, cut costs, and improve financial results while driving market-leading initiatives.
Well travelled and culturally competent, Mr. O’Connell has lived and travelled overseas and has worked extensively with global teams. Carl consistently demonstrates the ability to navigate an increasingly globalized and heavily regulated industry with ease.
Amy Ables brings nearly 20 years of medical device experience to Catalyst, including more than a decade in upper extremity orthopedics. She has held leadership roles in sales, marketing, medical education and sales training at Tornier and Wright Medical before departing for ATEC spine.
Most recently, Ables served as the vice president of Customer Engagement and Sales Excellence at Cutera, a medical aesthetics organization. Prior to Cutera and through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ables was the chief learning officer at Vyaire Medical, a global organization focused on respiratory care.
Throughout her career, Ables built a reputation as a strong leader focused on the customer, with an incomparable energy for continuous learning, strategy development and execution. Ables is a highly skilled, relatable leader driven to deliver results through team achievement. She is a culture carrier who believes credibility is critical, and always leads by example.
Ables received a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from the University of Charleston, a master’s in Biomechanics and a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Texas Woman’s University in 2003.
Mark Quick joined Catalyst in 2023 as Chief Financial Officer. With over two decades of medical device experience, he was previously at Orthofix Medical Inc., where he served in financial leadership roles of increasing responsibility across financial planning and analysis, investor relations, and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to Orthofix, he served as a sell-side equity research analyst covering the medical device industry at Canaccord Genuity. Quick holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an International Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.
Dale Davison is the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Product Development for Catalyst Orthoscience. Recently, he was the Vice President of Engineering for NextStep Arthropedix, and Integra Spine that was previously Theken Spine. Prior to Theken Spine he spent 21 years at DePuy Orthopedics (a Johnson & Johnson Co.) in various R&D functions and has product development experience in total joints, trauma, spine, sports medicine and general instrumentation. Dale has a Master’s Degree in Business and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Bob Jacobs was named vice president of sales in October 2018. He has been with Catalyst since February 2018, joining as the regional sales director for the central U.S. region. He has 15 years’ experience in sales and sales management in surgical and medical devices, with a focus on working in highly competitive markets and bringing new technologies to market. Jacobs was at RTI Surgical Inc. for six years leading sales in the central U.S. region, as well as serving as the interim vice president of sales for the sports franchise prior to joining Catalyst. Previously, he held a variety of sales roles from companies like MedShape, Covidien and Team Surgical Inc. He has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. and studied at the Loyola University Chicago Rome Center in Rome, Italy.
Ephraim is the Vice President of Research and Development at Catalyst OrthoScience. He began working with Catalyst in a consulting role in 2014 and joined Catalyst full time in 2017. He has over 20 years of research, development, and commercialization experience in the medical device field, including spine, sports medicine, adult reconstruction, extremities, and general surgery. His professional career started at Medicine Lodge Inc, where he partnered with various OEMs including J&J DePuy, ConMed, Stryker, OsteoMed and TranS1. More recently he co-founded a product development firm, Marker Medical, which helped surgeon inventors and early-stage companies to develop medical devices at various stages from concept through to clinical release. He has a history of proven innovation with over 50 issued or pending patents. He has 11 publications in peer-reviewed journals and over 10 papers presented at major medical conferences. Ephraim holds a PhD and MS in Bioengineering from the University of Utah and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University.
Garrett Campbell joined Catalyst in 2023 as Sr. Director of US Marketing, bringing 13 years of experience in medical device to the organization. He spent 10 years at Stryker, first as an engineer focused on Customized Patient Specific Implants in the Craniomaxillofacial space, dedicated to helping surgeons in product design and in the operation room, before transitioning to a sales role in the Northeast. Yearning to connect his background in product development with the real-world experience in the field, Garrett entered the upper extremities division to lead the marketing portfolio efforts for shoulder arthroplasty and robotics, focused on building and driving international surgeon design teams, clinical studies, and training as a Big Picture Marketing theory expert. He then joined Henry Schein, leading cross-divisional Marketing and international Product Development teams in the Handpiece & Small Equipment space, launching multiple product lines and branding efforts to practitioners in North America.
Garrett holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and has multiple patents in the shoulder arthroplasty space.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Daniel Fleming
Dan Fleming is President at River Cities Capital Funds. Dan began his private equity career in 1996 and joined RCC in 2001.
Prior to his career in private equity, Dan held various technically oriented positions including design engineering at Kodak and operations management with Owens-Illinois and Procter & Gamble. He also worked in strategic consulting with Towers Perrin. Upon returning to Cincinnati after business school, he rejoined P&G where he held several positions in financial analysis and strategic planning for the company.
Dan graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS, cum laude, in Engineering in 1986 and obtained an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1991 with an emphasis in Finance and Business Strategy.
Dan is on the board of trustees of Cincinnati Works, a non-profit that offers job development services, and has served in various leadership capacities at his place of worship. Dan also serves on the board of directors of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which offers emergency aid and spiritual support to the poor and vulnerable members of the community.
Steven S. Goldberg, MD
Dr. Steven S. Goldberg is the Founder of Catalyst OrthoScience. He is a board certified orthopedic surgeon and is the Chief of the Division of Orthopedic Surgery at Physicians Regional Healthcare System in Naples. He is the lead author on several research articles including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the leading journal in the orthopedic field. He received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Virginia and his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Goldberg completed a fellowship in Shoulder Surgery and Sports Medicine at Columbia University in New York City. Founded by Dr. Charles Neer, who is known as the “father of modern shoulder surgery,” this is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious shoulder fellowship.
Carter McNabb
Carter McNabb is a managing director at River Cities Capital Funds and leads the firm’s healthcare investing practice. He has been instrumental in setting River Cities’ healthcare strategy and establishing the firm’s credibility within the healthcare vertical. Previously, Carter worked in marketing and business development for Home Technology Healthcare, a comprehensive home healthcare company offering nursing, DME, infusion therapy and hospice services. Home Technology Healthcare was private equity financed by Continental Illinois and acquired by Integrated Health Services in 1997. As the 1998 recipient of the Bradford Fellowship for achievements in corporate finance, Carter worked in equity research at J.C. Bradford & Co. while attending business school at Vanderbilt. Carter has achieved numerous highly profitable exits in healthcare services and medical technology, including Suros Surgical Systems, Accelecare, SurgiQuest, OrthoHelix, Invivodata, PerfectServe, TissueTech and Orthoscan. He currently serves on the boards of Nico, OrthAlign, Bolder Surgical and Catalyst Orthoscience. Carter is also an independent board member of Ischemia Care. Carter holds a BA in Classical Studies from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) where he was awarded the James Goodwin Prize, the oldest academic honor at the college, and received his MBA from Vanderbilt University.
Carl O’Connell
Carl O’Connell is a visionary and transformational executive who leads organizations to achieve impressive wins through strategic leadership. The through line in his career is a commitment to operational excellence that enables companies to achieve meaningful financial and market share growth, as well as his ability to guide organizations through periods of significant change to emerge stable and successful on the other side. Throughout his career, Carl has made it his mission to build and develop high-performing teams that make up the backbone of a successful organization. With an eye for finding outstanding talent, he consistently builds companies’ competencies to strengthen the organizations’ ability to capitalize upon new opportunities. As a high-energy and high-trust team leader, Mr. O’Connell is a servant leader who demonstrates and expects integrity, honesty, and respect and cultivates authentic collaboration and synergies across large organizations. Often sought out by companies to lead change management and organizational transformations, Carl brings focus, patience, and drive to achieve results. Having worked with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 powerhouses, he has been involved in large-scale mergers and acquisitions, integrations, and restructurings. Keeping an intentional finger on the pulse of market trends, competitor developments, customer needs, and key opinion leader (KOL) insights, Mr. O’Connell brings an innovation-focused and problem-solver mindset that enables him to position companies for double-digit growth. Approaching challenges with creativity, he defines bold strategy and rallies company resources to put plans into action, drawing on past successes and proven strategies. As a competitive, results-driven individual, Carl has developed wide-ranging expertise and has established a track record of challenging the status quo to lead companies to greater things. With extensive industry experience, including on the capital and funding side, he is well equipped to reshape, refine, and optimize companies in meeting and exceeding performance goals and objectives. Enhancing his experience is his indepth knowledge and hands-on practice of Agile, Kaizen, Lean, Six Sigma, and High Performance Management System methodologies, which he leverages to streamline operations, cut costs, and improve financial results while driving market-leading initiatives. Well travelled and culturally competent, Mr. O’Connell has lived and travelled overseas and has worked extensively with global teams. Carl consistently demonstrates the ability to navigate an increasingly globalized and heavily regulated industry with ease.
Cameron Rubino
Co-Founder & Managing Director at Navigation Fund Services
Derace Schaffer, MD
Derace Schaffer, MD is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the LAN Group, a venture capital firm specializing in healthcare and technology investments. Dr. Schaffer has either founded or co-founded more than 20 companies, both public and private, and he currently sits on the Board of Directors of three public companies in addition to Medical Tracking Solutions. He completed his postgraduate medical training at the Harvard Medical School and at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was Chief Resident. Dr. Schaffer has been a Professor at both the University of Rochester School of Medicine and the Cornell School of Medicine. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Medical Honor Society.
Wayne Wallace
Wayne co-founded Mutual Capital Partners Funds in 2004 and leads the firm’s healthcare investing practice. He has been instrumental in setting MCPF’s healthcare strategy and establishing the firm’s credibility within the healthcare market. Previously, Wayne worked in investment banking for both National City Investments and McDonald & Company. Wayne was the first employee hired by the new co-heads of the investment banking group and played an integral role in sourcing and executing transactions, recruiting talented professionals, and significantly growing the group’s revenue. Wayne performed substantial financial, economic, and industry analysis and provided client advice, financial structuring, and investor contacts for companies seeking to raise capital or engage in merger, acquisition, and divestiture activities. His investment banking experience includes engagements with numerous private and public companies including Actron, Dots, Cumberland Gap Provision, Royal Appliance, Plantronics, and others. Wayne’s most recent highly profitable exit in orthopedics was OrthoHelix Surgical Designs. (Sold to NASDAQ: TRNX) While Wayne was on the board the company’s revenue grew over 8,000% and the exit generated more than a 5x cash on cash return. Wayne holds a B.S. in in Business Administration with a specialty in Finance from The Ohio State University and was recently named One of Northeast Ohio’s Leading Young Executives. Wayne serves on the Lakewood Catholic Academy board of directors and resides in Lakewood, Ohio with his wife Kristen and three children.
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