Meet the Authors

Steve DeBiasi is the Chief Executive Officer of Curi Advisory. He joined the firm in 2022. Before Curi, Steve served as co-Chief Executive Officer of EmergeOrtho, one of the nation’s largest physician-owned orthopedic practices, and as CEO of EmergeOrtho’s Triad and Wilmington, North Carolina regions. Steve earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Communication from Babson College and a Master of Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a Certified Medical Practice Executive in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Steve is active in his community, serving on and leading boards and committees of several organizations. He was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina to the State Health Coordinating Council, where he currently serves on the Acute Care Committee. He and his wife Elizabeth have two children and live in Wilmington, NC. They are active advocates for services to support those living with disabilities.
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Damian McHugh is Curi’s Managing Director Physician Liaison. In this role, he advises Curi leadership on how the company can best meet doctors’ needs and priorities. Before joining Curi in early 2022, he practiced as an Emergency Physician for 21 years in Raleigh, NC. Dr. McHugh earned his medical degree from the Victoria University of Manchester Medical School, England, and pursued postgraduate training and certification in Family Practice and Emergency Medicine on both sides of the Atlantic, including at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was appointed in 2019 by Gov. Roy Cooper to the North Carolina Medical Board and served a three-year term. An avid golfer, Damian lives in Cary, NC with his wife Marion and two teenage sons.
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Donna Nicholson is the Managing Director of Risk Solutions at Curi Advisory. In this role, she leads a team dedicated to helping medical practices limit their clinical, regulatory, and financial risk. Prior to joining Curi in 2017, Donna held leadership roles with large independent physician practices and management services organizations. A Registered Nurse and Certified Professional Compliance Officer, Donna earned a BS in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an MBA from Pfeifer University. Donna is the past President of the North Carolina Medical Group Management Association’s Charlotte, NC chapter. She regularly volunteers for the American Red Cross, Alzheimer’s Association, and Duke Children’s Hospital. Donna has two adult children.
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Maureen Ruddy is the Managing Director of Practice Consulting with Curi Advisory, Curi’s business unit focused on delivering data-driven business solutions and consulting services that help practices protect, optimize, and grow. Prior to Curi, Maureen served as the Regional Vice President of Operations for Arrowlytics, a practice analytics tool that is now part of Curi Advisory and helps practices pull their data from various sources into a single platform for total practice insight. She also served as the former CAO and COO at OrthoVirginia, prior to time with Arrowlytics and following 15 years working as a hospital administrator. Maureen is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and received her master’s degree in health administration from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia and her BA from the University of Virginia. She and her husband Bill live in Fairfax, Virginia and have five adult children.
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Gabe Roco is Senior Vice President of Business Development for Curi Insurance, responsible for distribution and business development of our medical professional liability products through our channel partners. Before joining the company in 2013, he led sales and growth efforts for a physician-owned medical malpractice insurance carrier based in New Jersey. Gabe graduated from Kean University with a BS in Business, Management, and Marketing. He lives in the Raleigh, NC area with his wife Joanne and their two young children.
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Kristi Wright is Senior Vice President of Claims for Curi Insurance, a business unit of Curi Holdings, Inc. In her role, she leads claims strategy and is responsible for leading a staff of attorneys, nurses and insurance professionals focused on medical malpractice. Kristi rejoined the company in 2015, after previously working there between 1993 and 1998. Prior to her time at Curi, Kristi was a Claims Representative for Traveler’s Insurance. She earned a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia, earned her AIC designation in 1994, and CPCU designation in 2020. She is also working towards earning an MBA from University of Illinois in Fall 2023. An avid traveler, she and her husband Drew have two grown daughters and live near Charlotte, NC.
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Chuck is an experienced Wellness Program Manager and U.S. Army Combat Veteran, with eight years of experience in the field of Health Promotion and Well-Being, working with a variety of organizations in both the government and private sector markets. Chuck holds a B.S. in Health Promotion with a minor in Nutrition from Appalachian State University. He is a Nationally Certified Health Education Specialist CHES, a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor, holds several certifications in Wellness Program Management from both the National Wellness Institute and The Chapman Institute. Chuck is passionate about helping the groups he serves improve their health and benefit literacy through strategies and programs targeted to provide overall positive outcomes.
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Jason Newton is General Counsel at Curi. He joined Curi in 2013 after a 14-year career in private law practice defending doctors, advanced practice providers, and hospitals. Jason is a Senior Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America and recently spent several years serving on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice section of the national online legal publication Law360. He has authored or contributed to nearly 30 publications. Jason is a nationally recognized and frequently sought-after speaker, and organizations regularly ask Jason to speak on a variety of topics relevant to physicians around the country. He has given over 100 presentations to over 8,000 healthcare providers, lawyers, and medical liability industry professionals. Jason has a BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Wake Forest University School of Law.
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Frances Cronlund is Curi Capital's Managing Director, Wealth Strategy. partners with clients as they develop and manage their goals-based and comprehensive wealth plan. She takes the time to thoroughly understand her client’s goals, resources, and life perspective, and then collaborates with them to develop a personalized plan that is well coordinated, objective, and personally meaningful. Before joining Curi Capital, she worked as a Senior Vice President and Senior Wealth Planning Specialist at First Citizens Bank, where she built an ultra-high net worth wealth planning offering. She also served as Vice President and Financial Planning Strategist at BB&T, where she launched a fee-based wealth planning offering that was scaled to support a growing footprint across eight states and three market segments. Frances earned a BA from Salem College in Business Administration, with an Economics specialization.
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As Chief Investment Officer, Mark oversees Curi Capital’s Investment Committee, asset allocation framework, and investment strategies and is responsible for understanding, managing, and monitoring client portfolios.
Mark is the Past President of the CFA Society North Carolina and a member of the Business Operations Committee at William Peace University.
Prior to joining Curi Capital, he spent 14 years with CAPTRUST Financial Advisors as Senior Director of Wealth Management, playing a significant role in the firm’s growth. He started his career in wealth management at Morgan Stanley’s Ultra-High Net Worth Group. Mark earned his BS in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University.
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