Management Team

J. Christopher Brengard — Chief Executive Officer
Chris Brengard founded U.S. Renal Care in 2000 and has served as its President and CEO since inception. Prior to founding USRC, Mr. Brengard served as Vice President of Outpatient Operations for Select Medical Corporation from 1998 to 2000. In addition, in 1992, he was the founder of MediFit Rehabilitation Group in Houston Texas and served as its President and CEO until 1998. Prior to MediFit, he held various positions with Continental Medical Systems in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Stephen Pirri, President — Chief Operating Officer
Stephen Pirri joined U.S. Renal Care in April of 2007. Mr. Pirri has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Most recently, he served as general manager with Baxter Renal Division, working in the U.S. and internationally. Prior to that, he was senior vice president for Gambro Healthcare, working in both sales and operational roles. He has also held executive level positions with Urotherapies Inc., Haemonetics Corporation and Coram Healthcare.

James D. Shelton, Executive Vice President — Chief Financial Officer
James Shelton joined U.S. Renal Care in May of 2007. Mr. Shelton has more than 20 years of experience in senior healthcare management for public and privately owned companies in a variety of healthcare sectors. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer of LifeCare Holdings, Inc. a long-term acute care hospital company that operated 21 hospitals in nine states with more than $360 million in annual revenues. Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer of several healthcare companies including PharMerica, Inc., Capstone Pharmacy Services, Inc., Allied Pharmacy Management, Inc. (a subsidiary of Cardinal Health, Inc.) and National Heritage, Inc.

Dr. Stan Lindenfeld — Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Lindenfeld has been a board certified internist and nephrologist since 1976. Prior to joining USRC, Dr. Lindenfeld served as Chief Medical Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of Pentec Health, a leading national provider of parenteral nutrition to dialysis patients. Previously, Dr. Lindenfeld served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for DaVita (formerly Total Renal Care) from 1995 until 2000. During this time he oversaw all clinical program development and helped grow the Company from 37 facilities in the U.S. to more than 500 internationally.

Jack F. Egan — Senior Vice President
Jack Egan has been a senior manager of U.S. Renal Care since the company’s inception. Mr. Egan’s credentials include serving as a Sr. Vice President of Select Medical Corporation from 1997 to 2000. From 1991 to 1997, he was President/COO of RehabWorks, Inc., a subsidiary of Continental Medical Systems. From 1987 to 1991 Mr. Egan served as CFO/EVP of RehabWorks in Clearwater Florida.

Jack N. Harrington — Senior Vice President, Administration
Jack Harrington, a founding partner of U.S. Renal Care, serves as Sr. Vice President. Prior to USRC, from 1990 to 2000, Mr. Harrington was COO of NEA Clinic of Jonesboro, Arkansas, a large multi-specialty medical clinic with 26 specialties and more than 70 physicians. From 1983 to 1990 Mr. Harrington was Vice President of United Federal S&L of Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Thomas L. Weinberg — Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Thomas Weinberg joined U.S. Renal Care in September 2006. Prior to joining U.S. Renal Care, Mr. Weinberg served as Vice President, Public Policy, with DaVita Inc., in Washington, D.C., and Assistant General Counsel for DaVita in Tacoma, Washington. From 1990 to 1998, Mr. Weinberg practiced law in Seattle with the law firms of Bennett Bigelow & Leedom and Foster Pepper & Shefelman.

Scott Sasserson — Senior Vice President, Operations
Scott Sasserson joined U.S. Renal Care in June of 2011. Scott has more than 11 years management experience in the healthcare industry. Most recently, he served as a Senior Vice President with Apria Healthcare, one of the largest Durable Medical Equipment Providers in the US. Scott also held positions as Division Vice President, Region Vice President, and Area Sales Manager with Apria. Previous to that Scott was a Region Manager with Lifeplus, Inc. where he managed sales and operations.

Lauren McDowell — Vice President of Human Resources
Lauren McDowell joined U.S. Renal Care in October of 2006. Ms. McDowell has more than 20 years comprehensive Human Resource experience with both national and multinational companies in the private sector as well as state government.  Prior to coming to U. S. Renal Care she served as Director of Human Resources within the hospitality and manufacturing industries.  She is trainer certified by nationally known Franklin Covey and Novations, and her expertise includes employee relations, talent and performance management, training and benefits.

Charla Williams — Vice President, Reimbursement
Before joining U.S. Renal Care in March of 2006, Charla Williams was the Managing Partner of ProMedX Billing Solutions, LLC, a multi speciality billing company. Prior to ProMedX, Ms. Williams held the following positions: V.P. of Operations at Medical Business Management, an Orthopaedic practice management company; V.P. of Operations for Physician Support Systems, the physician division of National Data Corporation; and V.P. of Operations for Advacare, a public traded physician billing company. Ms. Williams brings over 20 years experience in billing and reimbursement to U.S. Renal Care.

Karen Walton-Brown — Vice President, Clinical Operations
Karen Walton-Brown has spent 27 years in the nephrology field. Prior to joining U.S. Renal Care in April of 2007, she was vice president of quality for the Southwest business unit of Fresenius Medical Care. Prior to that, she was director of clinical services for Renal Care Group. She has also held management positions with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and East Texas Medical Center. Her experience includes chronic outpatient, acute inpatient, home therapy, renal transplant and pheresis. She has directed the education processes for both staff and patients as it relates to end stage renal disease.

Ms. Walton-Brown is a certified nephrology nurse. She served as president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, East Texas Chapter, in 1993 and 1994.

Richard P. Maniscalco — Vice President, Business Development
Rick Maniscalco joined U.S. Renal Care in May of 2008.  Prior to this Mr. Maniscalco held several positions with Renal Care Group, Inc since 1996 (acquired by Fresenius Medical Care in April, 2006) in the areas of Finance, Operations, and Development, including Vice President of Business Development at Fresenius Medical Care.  In addition to his 15 years of dialysis related experience, Mr. Maniscalco holds a BS in Accounting and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Tim Thomasson — Chief Information Officer
Tim Thomasson joined U.S. Renal Care in February of 2010. Mr. Thomasson has 20 years of experience in the healthcare information technology field. Most recently, he served as Chief Information Officer for Medical Edge Healthcare, a multi-disciplinary medical practice management group. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Information Technology at Magella Healthcare, a national group of Neonatal and Maternal Fetal Medicine providers. He has also held senior IT management positions with Pediatrix Medical Group and the Metroplex Emergency Physicians group.

Joanne Zimmerman — Vice President, Clinical Services
Ms. Zimmerman is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years of nephrology and critical care experience. Prior to joining the management team of U.S. Renal Care (USRC), she served as Vice President of Clinical Services for Dialysis Corporation of America (NASDAQ:DCA). Ms. Zimmerman brings a uniquely powerful combination of hands-on clinical expertise coupled with regulatory oversight, policy development, and senior executive talents to USRC. Her broad array of skills include establishing and monitoring quality standards for over 2000 dialysis patients, managing the regulatory aspects of clinical services delivered throughout a multi-state operation that included over 50 acute and chronic outpatient dialysis facilities, as well as ensuring compliance with federal HIPAA regulations, having served as DCA’s Compliance Officer.

Ms. Zimmerman is a member of the American Nephrology Nurses Association and is a Certified Nephrology Nurse.