About Us

Key People

Service Delivery Team

At Workplace Options, we pride ourselves on the quality of our people. The relationships we develop with our clients and your employees through world-class service delivery and account management is the key reason for our success.

C. Dean Debnam, Chief Executive Officer
Dean Debnam has nearly 40 years of experience in creating and growing businesses. Since 1971 he has turned ideas into successful businesses and still acts as CEO of several of them. In 1993 he became CEO of Workplace Options, Inc., a business started by his wife in 1982. Over the years he has transformed Workplace Options from a consultancy and management company, into the one of the world's largest providers of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services and integrated work-life benefits to companies. Dean believes that each one of his businesses informs the other and uses the best practices from each to enhance the other. His diverse background has helped him position Workplace Options as the supplier of choice to EAPs, businesses and third-party vendors around the globe.

Alan King, President and Chief Operating Officer
Alan King brings more than 20 years of business development, marketing and operations experience to Workplace Options. Prior to this position, Alan was Vice President of Resource Services for Ceridian's LifeWorks division, where he oversaw the resource and referral, provider relations, external training, quality and customer service functions. He joined Ceridian in 1998, as a result of its acquisition of Work Family Directions, where he was responsible for resource and referral and central database functions. Alan also served in several senior management positions at Central Maine Power Company, the most recent of which was as Vice President of its international consulting division. Alan holds a bachelor's degree from Colby College and a master's degree from the University of Rhode Island.

Mary Ellen Gornick, MA, Senior Vice President of Global Products
Mary Ellen Gornick is a nationally recognized expert in the employee assistance and work-life industry. At Workplace Options, she leads the Global Products and Services Division, Global Training, Network Advantage Services and the Employee Effectiveness Consulting Practice. Mary Ellen helps organizations determine global employee benefit and work-life strategies through organizational assessments, impact studies and unique program initiatives. Prior to joining Workplace Options, Mary Ellen founded the CPA Group, a nationally recognized work-life consulting and training organization, and is a founding board member and past president of the Alliance of Work-Life Progress/World at Work. She has served as a subject matter expert on the Employee Assistance Professionals Association Work-Life Committee. Mary Ellen earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

Lisa Zereski, Vice President of Global Product and Content Development

Lisa Zereski brings 14 years of relationship management and operations experience to Workplace Options. She and her team are responsible for bringing new products from design to operation – initiating and managing relationships with product partners, and developing print and Web content to support Workplace Options' services. Lisa draws from a unique combination of creativity and practicality to provide Workplace Options' signature excellence in product and content development. Under her guidance, Workplace Options will continue to expand the definition of work-life and seek to integrate technology and trends from the mainstream into the work-life industry. Prior to joining Workplace Options, Lisa was the Manager of Ceridian LifeWorks' Affiliate Management. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Stephanie Hastings, Vice President of Global Implementation and Service Quality

Stephanie Hastings is responsible for a cross-functional team of Service Quality Managers, Implementation Managers and Specialists, Web Developers and Training Coordinators. Using a quality management system that meets ISO 9001:2008 standards, her team focuses on continuous improvements for new clients, products, technologies, and internal service delivery policies and procedures. At Workplace Options, Stephanie has facilitated work with more than 120 large accounts in the past seven years, providing coverage for more than 11 million employees. Prior to joining Workplace Options in May 2003, she worked as an independent consultant to various Employee Assistance Programs, developing training and program structure for internal work-life service delivery. Stephanie's career began at Work/Family Directions in Boston, later acquired by Ceridian LifeWorks. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

Rita Piper, MS, BSW, Vice President of Wellness Services
Rita brings 30 years of experience to Workplace Options as a work-life/wellness professional, trainer, project administrator, account manager and sales executive. At Workplace Options, she served as Vice President of Client Support prior to transitioning to her current roles as Vice President of Wellness Services. In that role, she manages the internal wellness division, designing and implementing a broad menu of workplace wellness services. Rita merged her two passions, wellness and work-life, into a suite of wellness solutions designed to complement Workplace Options' work-life services. Previously she served as Director of Work-Life Service at FEI and Behavioral Health and President of Work-Life Partnering, a consulting firm in Milwaukee, Wis. Rita holds a master's degree in Administrative Leadership and Adult Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a bachelor's degree in Social Work from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis. She is a certified Intrinsic Coach and Certified Wellness Professional.

Jean-Baptiste Gruet, Senior Vice President of
Global Business Solutions
Jean-Baptiste is responsible for Workplace Options’ overall global products sales revenue. He works in conjunction with the Account Management and Sales Teams as well as our partners around the world to develop sales strategy and identify new business opportunities across all markets. Jean-Baptiste brings to WPO over 15 years of business development experience in the human support services industry. He joined WPO in 2007 as Vice President of Business Solutions. Prior to joining WPO, he was Director of Global Business Solutions at FGI (now Morneau Shepell), where he played a key leadership role in the evolution of their global EAP, expatriate services and cross-cultural training offerings. Once a co-founder of a language and cultural publication in Paris, France, he has also lived in London, UK, where he launched his sales career working for an executive language and training enterprise. Following eight years’ expatriate experience in the US, he now resides with his family in Toronto, Canada.

Laurie Hudson, Director of US Business Solutions
Laurie Hudson joined the Workplace Options Business Solutions team in early 2009. Laurie made a very positive impact in sales and was named Workplace Options’ Most Successful Business Solutions Specialist in 2010 and again in 2011. In her current role as Director of US Business Solutions, Laurie reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for the management of Workplace Options’ US-based sales staff. She brings to this position solid knowledge of managing and maintaining regional and national accounts, team building, and the development of global opportunities. She has more than 18 years’ experience in sales and marketing, account management, and customer relations functions. She is a graduate of Robert Morris University.

Darrell Shipley, Vice President of Global Service Delivery
Darrell Shipley brings more than 15 years of Call Center Management experience to his role of Vice President of Service Delivery. He has gained a vast knowledge of the work-life industry through his tenure with Workplace Options. Before assuming his current position, Darrell was in the role the Director of Service Delivery at Workplace Options' Raleigh Service Center. He is currently responsible for managing Global Service Delivery in the Raleigh, London and Dublin offices. His primary goal is to continue developing the Service Delivery Management staff at all of our Service Centers while instilling the mission of "First Serve the Customer" through excellent customer service. Prior to joining Workplace Options, he was a Qualitative Project Manager at Campos Market Research. Darrell has a marketing degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Tim Cuthell, Senior Vice President of Global Account Management

Tim Cuthell is responsible for the account management of our client companies worldwide. He is an acknowledged expert in the EAP field and is a regular commentator on counseling and workplace mental health issues in the national press, broadcast media and industry publications and has chaired professional conferences on Employee Assistance Programs and work-life balance. In addition to his business experience, he has an Advanced Diploma in Counseling and Interpersonal Skills from the University of London.

Clark Adams, Vice President of Strategic Growth

Formerly CEO of Mulberry Child Care, Clark Adams' responsibility is to develop and negotiate business partnerships between Workplace Options and complementary enterprises within the work-life industry. Such partnerships include acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures and cooperative marketing strategies. While at Mulberry, Clark grew the company from $4 million to $65 million in annual revenue, prior to completing its sale to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in 2001. As an early participant in the development of employee-supportive work environments, Clark was co-founder of Alliance of Work-Life Professionals, the preeminent professional membership organization advocating the advancement of work-life benefits as a critical factor in the continuing improvement of workplace productivity. He has an undergraduate degree from University of Maine and a master's degree from University of Massachusetts.

Lynn Fetterolf, Senior Advisor to the CEO
Lynn Fetterolf comes to Workplace Options with more than 25 years of experience in the health and productivity management industry, which includes EAP and work-life services. Prior to joining Workplace Options, Lynn was director of sales and account management for Ceridian. In her senior management role, Lynn was responsible for the retention and growth of the LifeWorks commercial business with a primary focus on Fortune 500 companies. She provided leadership and coaching to a team of senior-level account executives, implemented standards of excellence for partnering within the LifeWorks client base and was instrumental in establishing LifeWorks as a "best-in-class" provider of services. Instrumental in the development and launch of highly successful customer initiatives, Lynn was a recipient of numerous President Circle awards for achieving both individual and team goals. Lynn started her career working for one of the pioneering work-life organizations, The Partnership Group, where she was instrumental in growing the business. She is a board member for Corporate Voices for Working Families, and a member and past board member of the Association for Work-Life Progress.

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Andria Hall, Director, US Service Center Operations
Andria Hall joined the Workplace Options Elder Care Team in the spring of 2003 as an Elder Care Consultant. She was made Elder Care Team Lead in the spring of 2005 and was also asked to head our Care Coach Team Lead in 2007. She received her Bachelor of Social Work from Florida Atlantic University and has over 10 years of direct experience working with older adults and their families. She has worked as a Case Manager for a non-for-profit guardianship program that oversaw the care of incapacitated disabled and older adults; as a Social Work Consultant providing temporary staffing and consulting to skilled nursing facilities; and as a Director of Social Services in skilled nursing facilities.

As a team leader, Andria utilized her knowledge and experience to provide clients with both resources and information that are pertinent to their loved ones' current and future care needs. She conducted telephonic assessments with clients regarding their loved ones in addition to connecting families with local Geriatric Care Managers to conduct in-home assessments and facility reviews. Andria enjoys providing clients and their loved ones with information and referrals that will empower and enable them to make informed decisions regarding care. She transitioned into her current role as Service Center Manager in July 2008 and is committed to upholding Workplace Option’s high level of customer service and quality.

Sara Contreras, Child Care Team Lead
Sara Contreras joined WPO in February of 2007. Hired as a Child Care Consultant, Sara was soon promoted to the role of Child Care Team Coach. She was named Child Care Team Lead in November of 2009 and is responsible for the day-to-day activities of our dedicated team of Child Care Consultants. Prior to her employment with WPO, Sara was in a management position in the healthcare industry. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University and is fluent in Spanish. Sara utilizes her bilingual abilities when providing support to our Spanish speaking callers and performs research for international cases in Spanish speaking countries. She has also assisted in the translation of our Spanish language newsletters, messages, and other documents. Sara relates that her experience as a working mom has helped her to understand the needs of our working families.

Molly Guyer, Daily Living Team Lead
Molly has been with WPO since August of 2007. She graduated in 2007 from Elon University with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy. She started with the company as a member of the Legal Provider Relations Team and moved to the Daily Living Team in December of 2007. Shortly after, she transitioned into the Daily Living Team Coach. Her role included researching all of the natural disaster relief information for clients nationwide, handling most corporate requests, and assisting other consultants with research. Molly brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding about Daily Living to this position, in addition to an understanding of how her role relates to the organization as a whole. She has a very strong sense of team and really values teamwork and positive team results.

Cindi Goshorn, Legal/Financial Team Lead
Cindi Goshorn brought several years of customer service experience to her role as Legal/Financial Team Lead at Workplace Options. Ms. Goshorn oversees the day-to-day operations of the Legal/Financial Team, including quality assurance/client follow-up process, intensive legal/financial training for team members, as well as working with the EAP client regarding customer service delivery issues. She began with WPO in 2005 as an Elder Care Consultant, moved to the Legal Team in 2006, and was promoted to Team Lead in 2007. Prior to Workplace Options she worked as a lobbyist, and then spent time caring for her family. Ms. Goshorn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/International Relations from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.

Carey Debnam, Network Advantage Provider Relation
and Referral Authorization Team Lead
Carey Debnam graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, with a concentration in child development, and a minor in Sociology. She joined Workplace Options and the BUCA team in 2007. She transitioned to BUCA provider relations team where she recruited providers for approximately two years. She then joined the Network Advantage team doing provider development and referral authorizations. Carey is currently the team lead for Network Advantage Provider Relation and Referral Authorization teams. She previously worked as Assistant Director at the Alexander Family YMCA.

Christi Wood, Back-Up Care Advantage Team Lead
Christi joined WPO in 2005 as a member of the Child Care Team in the role of Child Care consultant and moved to the Back-Up Care Advantage Team in 2007 where she was promoted to Team Lead. Under her leadership, the Back-Up Care Advantage Team remains focused on delivering solutions that respond to our clients' and families' evolving needs. A native of Florida, Christi moved to Raleigh, NC in 1992. Before joining WPO, Christi worked in the restaurant and customer service industry for seven years.

Sarah Otto-Fitzdam, Elder Care Team Lead
Sarah joined Workplace Options in July of 2008. She graduated from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Previously, she worked as a Research Associate at Furman University where she presented her research at the Southern Sociological Society Conference in 2008. Sarah gained human services experience as a volunteer with both Hospice of the Florida Keys and Community Partnership for the Homeless in Homestead, Florida. Sarah is passionate about working with the elderly and adults with disabilities.

Melvin Nowling, Lead Clinical Supervisor for our Advantage Answer 24 Team
Melvin has a Master's degree in Human Services Counseling from Regent University and 12 years' experience in the mental health and substance abuse field in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Melvin has worked in private practice as an EAP provider and has held positions as an administrator, program manager, and clinical director in various mental health/substance abuse programs. He is a member of the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and also holds a license as a Clinical Addiction Specialist with the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board. Melvin is also a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors.

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