Bill Burns is the Vice President of Research and Analytics for the Medical Professional Liability Association. In his role, Bill oversees the production of the Data Sharing Project, providing insights on the MPL industry’s financial results, and developing enhanced data and analytical tools that provide the industry with actionable information. Prior to joining the MPL Association, Bill was a Director on Conning’s Insurance Research team where his main coverage areas were medical professional liability and reinsurance. Bill has served as the chief actuary of two MPL companies and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. Bill is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a Member of The American Academy of Actuaries and a graduate of Seton Hall University with a BS in Mathematics.
Brad Diericx is the Chief Operating Officer of Curi Insurance. He joined Curi in April 2021. Brad was President and Chief Financial Officer of HDI Global Insurance Company for more than seven years before joining Curi. Before that, Brad served as Executive Vice President of Kingsway Financial, a publicly traded merchant bank, and as a partner in a public accounting firm. Brad earned a BA in Accounting from Augustana College. Brad, his wife Yvette, and their three children live in Raleigh, NC. He has been active over the years coaching his children’s youth athletic teams and serving on the board of a local youth football program.
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.
High Performance Psychologist, Executive Consultant
About Eric G. Potterat, Ph.D.
Eric Potterat, Ph.D. is a High Performance/Sport/Clinical Psychologist and a retired U.S. Navy Commander, who during his last 10 years in the Navy served as the Psychologist for the U.S. Navy SEALS. As their Head Psychologist, he was responsible for the mental assessment, selection, development, enhancement and mental toughness programs for the Nation’s best warriors and highest performers. He was credited for developing and implementing the Mental Toughness Training Program for the U.S. Navy SEALs and embedding it into their training pipeline. He is currently (for the last 7 years) a Director and the High Performance Psychologist for the Los Angeles Dodgers where he helped the team win the World Series in 2020. His experience with high performers is wide ranging. He served as the High Performance Psychologist for Red Bull for 5 years, where he was responsible for the sport/performance psychology programs for Red Bull athletes. He also worked as the Mental Coach for the US Women’s National Soccer Team as they won the World Cup in 2019. Over his career, he has worked with over 25,000 of the world’s most elite performers in the miliary, sport and business.
For the last 8 years, he has also served as an Executive and Organizational consultant and coach with various Fortune 500 companies. Within this role, he has aided with talent acquisition, resiliency training, change management, leadership consulting and as a speaker for multiple company national sales meetings, corporate retreats, etc. He is considered one of the leading experts in individual and organizational resilience and performance enhancement in high-risk, high-performance occupations. Years of working with and researching these elite performers/athletes has allowed him to better understand the science of mental toughness and how many of the same techniques that make elite performers amazingly successful are 100% teachable.
Jason Newton is Curi's General Counsel. Before that, Jason served as Curi's Senior Vice President of Claims and Associate General Counsel. He joined the company in 2013. Prior to his work with Curi, Jason spent 14 years in private law practice, primarily defending medical malpractice cases. He has a BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Wake Forest University’s School of Law. He currently serves on the Attorney Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform, the American Cancer Society’s Central and Eastern North Carolina Regional Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors for the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, NC. Jason and his wife Ashley live in Raleigh, NC with their three children.
Jason Sandner is the Chief Executive Officer of Curi. He joined the company in 2011 and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his work with Curi, Jason was a Partner at Johnson Lambert. Jason earned a BS in Accounting from Towson University. He currently serves as Chair of the Strategic Planning & Finance Committee of the UNC Rex Healthcare Board of Directors and as trustee-at-large for the Hospice of Wake County Foundation. Jason, his wife Molly, and their five sons live in Raleigh, NC, where he serves as head coach of their middle school baseball team.
Kristi Wright is Senior Vice President of Claims at Curi. In that role, she leads Curi Insurance’s Claims department. She rejoined the company in 2015, after earlier working for the company for several years in the 1990s. She has also served as a Claims Representative for Traveler’s Insurance. Kristi earned a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia. An avid traveler, she and her husband Drew have two daughters and live in Cary, NC.
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 the boards of several organizations. He was appointed by the Governor of North Carolina to the State Health Coordinating Council, where he currently serves as Vice Chair of the Technology and Equipment 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.
