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Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz Center for Genomics in Business and Society

The Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz Center for Genomics in Business and Society will serve as a platform for enhancing and accelerating the broader impact of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology’s (IGB’s) research and innovation, building on IGB’s innovative genomics research by enhancing its global influence. The Center will be a part of the IGB and will provide unique opportunities for economic development, public engagement, and social impact.  

Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz speak with IGB Fellow Will Montgomery at the IGB's World of Genomics at the Saint Louis Science Center.
Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz speak with IGB Fellow Will Montgomery about cancer research at the IGB's World of Genomics at the Saint Louis Science Center.

Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz are the co-founders of Strata Decision Technology, a healthcare analytics software company that was an early tenant of the University of Illinois Research Park. They were introduced to the IGB when Catherine Kleinmuntz was invited to speak as a distinguished guest speaker, given her expertise and experience in entrepreneurship and start-up businesses, which inspired the idea behind the Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz Center for Genomics in Business and Society. During this visit, what stood out were IGB’s research and interdisciplinary, team-based approach to solving grand societal challenges, as well as IGB’s “immense potential” to impact society with scientific advances.

A generous donation from Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz will fund this center and provide researchers with proof-of-concept and pre-commercialization support that will help them bring technologies and innovations to market. The center will support several economic, professional, and outreach initiatives at the IGB and provide funding to prioritize work that has societal impact, scientific merit and commercial potential.  

The Kleinmuntz Center will also broaden the Genomics For™ program, which teaches basic concepts in genomics to specific demographic or professional groups, helping them understand the full impact of genomics both in their professions and in society. The program will expand to host workshops for journalists, investors and government agencies, and bring in established speakers to share experiences and discuss the current landscape within their disciplines.

The IGB’s World of Genomics, an event that continues to bring genomics to the public through hands-on exhibitions at science and natural history museums, will also receive support from the Kleinmuntz Center, enabling this event to reach new locations, delivering the impact of genomic research to broad audiences across the country.

These initiatives assist the IGB in its goal of reaching young students, especially those in underserved and underrepresented communities, through its varied outreach programs. The Kleinmuntz Center will bring together economic development and societal advancement, proving that genomic research has the ability to make a difference in all areas of life.

 

Catherine Kleinmuntz, Ph.D.

Catherine KleinmuntzDr. Catherine Kleinmuntz, Ph.D., is Principal at Kleinmuntz Associates, an analytics consultancy and investment firm, and is co-Executive Director of the Kleinmuntz Family Foundation, where she focuses on philanthropic endeavors. Dr. Kleinmuntz currently provides strategic consulting services to several biotechnology start-up companies and works with several non-profit groups.

Dr. Kleinmuntz spent more than three decades working in healthcare, with her primary focus on using information technology to improve financial processes in healthcare provider organizations. After earning a B.A. in Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago, she continued her graduate studies, earning an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration prior to becoming a practicing psychotherapist.

Catherine quickly transitioned into healthcare administration, serving as Director of Psychiatric Services and as Finance Director at two healthcare provider organizations, before becoming a consultant at Kaufman Hall and Associates. While working at Kaufman Hall, she earned an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business with dual concentrations in finance and hospital administration. Over the span of a decade, she consulted with numerous hospitals and large healthcare systems in financial advisory engagements and assumed sole responsibility for Kaufman Hall's software operations, rising to the rank of Vice President. In that role, she was the architect of Kaufman Hall's financial forecasting system, which, at the time, was the leading financial forecasting system for hospitals and health systems in the United States.

In 1996, Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz founded Strata Decision Technology. Starting in the basement of their home in Champaign, they grew the company into a leading provider of financial analytics software solutions for the healthcare industry. Catherine was President and CEO until the company was sold to a private equity firm in 2011, continuing as an Executive Advisor for the next several years. As CEO, she set strategic direction for the company and the products, built the management team, and was heavily involved in sales and business development. Catherine maintained close collaborative relationships with the senior executives at many of the largest and most sophisticated healthcare organizations in the US. Under Catherine's leadership, Strata grew to become an industry-leading source of financial analytics solutions for healthcare provider organizations, with software implemented at nearly one third of major US hospitals. Strata is currently a subsidiary of Roper Technologies, a publicly held corporation, and their products are consistently rated as category leaders in financial decision support software by independent rating services.

Don N. Kleinmuntz, Ph.D.

Don KleinmuntzDr. Don Kleinmuntz is Principal at Kleinmuntz Associates, an analytics consultancy and investment firm, co-Executive Director of the Kleinmuntz Family Foundation, a philanthropic foundation, and Adjunct Professor of Information Technology, Analytics, and Operations at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. An expert on decision analysis and business analytics, he has made significant contributions in both academia and industry.

After receiving a B.A. in statistics at the University of Chicago, Dr. Kleinmuntz pursued graduate studies at Chicago's Booth School of Business, earning an MBA and Ph.D. with dual specialization in decision research and statistics. Over his career, he has held faculty positions for more than 30 years. This includes 17 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Gies College of Business. Dr. Kleinmuntz has also held positions at the University of Texas at Austin, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, and the University of Notre Dame. His research and teaching focused on methods and approaches for improving decision making, including applications in accounting, finance, healthcare management, resource allocation, and homeland security risk management. From 2014 to 2017, Dr. Kleinmuntz was founding Academic Director of Notre Dame's Chicago-based MS in Business Analytics, an innovative and intense weekend degree program for experienced business professionals, and he continues to teach several courses in that program.

In 1996, Drs. Catherine and Don Kleinmuntz founded Strata Decision Technology. Starting in the basement of  their home in Champaign, they grew the  company into a leading provider  of financial analytics software solutions for the healthcare industry. Over  a period of 17 years, Don held a variety of executive positions including CFO, CIO, and interim CEO. He also was responsible  for  the design  of  the  advanced  predictive  and  prescriptive  analytics  in the company's  products. By the time he left in 2014, the company had grown to over 100 employees and implemented solutions at nearly  one third of major US hospitals. Strata is currently a subsidiary of Roper Technologies, a publicly-held corporation.

As a consultant, Dr. Kleinmuntz has collaborated with hospitals, academic medical centers, and multi-hospital healthcare systems on financial decision support, strategic planning and resource allocation. He has also consulted on similar problems in other industries, and with several government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. Kleinmuntz is an active and committed member of The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS}, the leading professional organization for academics and practitioners in operations research and analytics. He served as INFORMS President in 2009, and has also been INFORMS Treasurer, President of the INFORMS Analytics Society, founding Editor-in-Chief of the INFORMS journal Decision Analysis, and served on more than 50 INFORMS committees involved with awards, finance, governance, and publications. He currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Decision Analysis and the EURO Journal on Decision Processes.

Dr. Kleinmuntz' professional recognitions include Association for Psychological Science Fellow (1997), INFORMS Fellow (2007), the INFORMS Decision Analysis Society Frank P. Ramsey Medal for distinguished contributions to decision analysis (2011), and the INFORMS George E. Kimball Medal for distinguished service to the field of operations research and management science (2012). While a faculty member at Illinois, he was named a University Scholar (1993), an Associate in the Center for Advanced Study (1994), and recognized for teaching excellence in several graduate programs.