Our Team

 

Herb Dyer, MPA
Chief Executive Officer

Herb Dyer is a healthcare leader with a deep commitment to Hospice Austin. As Chief Executive Officer, Herb Dyer is responsible for all programs and services of Hospice Austin. 

Prior to joining Hospice Austin, Herb served as the President of Daughters of Charity Ministries, where he played a key role in advancing the organization’s mission and impact. Before that, he worked as the principal consultant at Axiom Learning Solutions, providing executive coaching, facilitating DE&I initiatives, coordinating leadership development programs, and offering strategic planning to organizations.

Herb’s background in hospital administration includes serving as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Seton Healthcare Family and Vice President for Ascension Health. In these roles, he oversaw hospital operations and shared services across multiple facilities in the greater Austin area. Herb has also played a pivotal role in leading complex capital projects and diverse teams.

Herb holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Baruch College, City University of New York. His contributions to the community have been recognized through Distinguished Service Awards from the YMCA and Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he has been honored with the Outstanding Speaker award from the national Black MBA.

 

Sandra Frellsen, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, HMDC
Hospice Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Sandra Frellsen has been a hospice clinical physician at Hospice Austin since 2013 before becoming Hospice Chief Medical Officer in 2021. Board certified in Hospice & Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine, Dr. Frellsen oversees and directs Hospice Austin’s medical providers who see patients in their homes and at independent, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.

Before joining Hospice Austin, Dr. Frellsen was an Attending Physician at Stroger Hospital of Cook County and a Consultative Attending for the Palliative Care Service. She also served as Assistant Dean of Academic Development at Rush Medical College.

She received her undergraduate degree from Yale University, her medical degree from Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center and Veterans Administration Medical Center. Outside of work. Dr. Frellsen enjoys spending time with her family and dogs. Her hobbies include hiking, reading, knitting, and Scouts.

 

Kate Tindall, MD
Palliative Care Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Kate Tindall is the Chief Medical Officer for Austin Palliative Care, Hospice Austin’s home-based palliative care program for patients who are not eligible for hospice care or who may be undergoing curative treatment. She is dual board-certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She completed her training, including her Palliative Medicine fellowship, at UTSW. Before joining APC, Dr. Tindall was the Assistant Medical Director of the Palliative Care team for Parkland Hospital as well as Assistant Professor at the UTSW Medical School. She brings a passion for providing compassionate, patient-centered care to the seriously ill population.

She and her husband, Mark, who is a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s office, have three children. When not working, Dr. Tindall spends most of her time trying to keep up with her kids and also enjoys being outdoors, reading, cooking and traveling.

 

Tina Leyden, RN, BSN
Director of Training and Education

As Director of Training and Education, Tina Leyden oversees all clinical services: home care, independent/assisted living/nursing facilities, and Hospice Austin’s Christopher House. She ensures that each aspect of clinical operations work smoothly and is responsible for carrying out the mission and strategic initiatives and strategies of the organization. She provides clinical leadership in the delivery of all hospice care and services with a consistent patient-centered focus and oversees the development, implementation and monitoring of all clinical standards and protocols. She is responsible for ensuring that the delivery of home care, in-patient, respite and crisis care services are timely, efficient and high quality.

Tina has worked for Hospice Austin since 2018 and has been an RN for nearly 30 years. After high school, she worked three years toward an elementary education degree before deciding it wasn’t a good fit. She took off for Thailand for a year where she ended up working with nuns in a refugee camp. The nuns had her giving inoculations the first day, and she soon decided she wanted to be a nurse. On her return, she became a CNA, an LVN, and an RN in short order. She has worked in hospice care for 25 years and has held every position imaginable: on-call, case manager, director of clinical services, director of inpatient unit, and executive director. Tina has five children and 7 grandchildren. Besides spending time with her family, she also enjoys hiking, quilting and reading.

 

Sylvia Bell, CPA
Chief Financial Officer

 

Robin Clemons, BBA – Finance
Chief Development Officer

As Chief Development Officer, Robin oversees all of Hospice Austin’s fundraising efforts, which includes major gifts and planned giving, events such as Beauty of Life and Amplify Austin, membership in Friends of Hospice Austin and Hospice Austin’s Notable Donors, grants, appeals and donations.

Robin began her career with Hospice Austin in 1996 as Director of Development, then served as Hospice Austin’s part-time Planned Giving and Major Gifts Officer before resuming her position as Development Director. She has helped the development office grow from an annual budget of $300,000 to almost $3 million.

Robin has worked in non-profit fundraising for 25 years. She began her career as a credit analyst with Bank of America and then served as Director of Special Events and Volunteer Services for the Center for Child Protection in Austin for four years before joining Hospice Austin.  She has a BBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin. Robin and her husband, David, have two children.

 

Keisha Jones, RN
Director of Inpatient Services

As Director of Inpatient Services, Keisha Jones is responsible for all aspects of personnel staffing of 40 nurses, chaplains, social workers and certified nursing assistants at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House. She also oversees education, policies and procedures, as well as the day-to-day operations of the 15-bed facility.

Keisha joined Hospice Austin in 2009 as the practice manager for our medical subsidiary, Austin Palliative Care. She put herself through nursing school while working for Austin Palliative Care full-time and raising three children. After receiving her RN degree, she worked at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House as a nurse and then a team leader before being promoted to Director.

 

Ron Matsuda, MIS, RHIA
Director of Information Technology

Ron Matsuda serves as the Director of Information Technology (IT), overseeing the design, operation, and maintenance of the agency’s Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), internet services, and personal computers. He also manages the maintenance and operations of the agency’s clinical information system. Ron is responsible for planning, directing, and advancing the use of technology in alignment with the agency’s goals, mission, and vision.

Ron brings extensive experience from his previous roles at Hospice Austin, where he worked from 2002 to 2022 in various positions, including HIM Supervisor, Clinical Systems Analyst, and IT Manager. He rejoined Hospice Austin in 2024 as the Director of IT.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management (BSHIM) and a Master’s in Information Systems (MIS). Outside of work, Ron enjoys traveling with his wife and son. He is also a home theater enthusiast and appreciates all things related to technology and sci-fi.

 

Nancy Chester McCranie, M.Div.
Director of Volunteer and Bereavement Services

Nancy McCranie began working for Hospice Austin as a chaplain in 1996.  Since 2009 she has served as the Director of Volunteer and Bereavement Services.  The Volunteer Department consists of a staff of two Volunteer Coordinators and more than 300 volunteers and touches almost every aspect of Hospice Austin, from direct patient care and bereavement, to administrative support and special events. The Bereavement Department consists of two full-time Bereavement staff, several part-time bereavement counselors, and numerous volunteers.  The Bereavement Program offers a wide array of grief support services to the community including Camp Brave Heart, Surviving the Holidays, Grief Support Groups, Grief Webinars, individual counseling, and community bereavement education.  Nancy is a frequent speaker for area groups, leading discussions about end of life issues and the process of grieving a loss.

Nancy is an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and holds a M.Div. degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is Chair of the Clinical Pastoral Education Committee at The Ascension Seton Family of Hospitals; on the board of The Griffin School; a member of Mission Presbytery; and Parish Associate for the First Presbyterian Church, Elgin, Texas.  Nancy is married to Bill, an organic/bio-dynamic farmer and rancher who raises blueberries and beef.  They have two adult sons, three dogs, two cats, a small herd of Irish Dexter cattle and a donkey named Jennifer.

 

Cynthia Morgan, RN, BSN, CHPN, MBA – HM
Chief Growth Officer

As Chief Growth Officer, Cynthia Morgan manages the operations of the admissions team and guides the messaging and growth strategies for the entire organization. She is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of the organization’s marketing strategies and public relations activities, both external and internal, and facilitates access to Hospice Austin services through outreach to medical, professional and community groups.

Cynthia has been a registered nurse since 2005. She became a nurse solely to provide care to hospice patients after experiencing hospice care with both her mother and father. She has worked in many roles as a hospice nurse including On-call, Admissions, RN Case Manager, Team Leader, and Director of Clinical Services. She served as Director of Access and Marketing with Hospice Austin previously from 2016 – 2020. She received her BSN and MBA-HM from Western Governors University.

Cynthia was born and has lived in Austin her entire life and has 2 sisters and a brother who still live locally as well. Outside of work, she enjoys running, gardening, and spending time in Port Aransas.

 

Christina Remus, RN, BSN
Director of Quality

As Director of Quality, Christina Remus plans, organizes and directs the risk management, corporate compliance, privacy and quality programs of Hospice Austin. She also supervises the audit nurse, HIM Supervisor and serves as Hospice Austin’s Corporate Compliance Officer.

Her previous work experience includes working for Hospice Austin since 2005 as Admissions Nurse, Partners Team Leader, Director of Quality, and Chief Clinical Officer. Prior to Hospice Austin, she was a Parish Nurse, Cardiac nurse, Cardiothoracic Surgery Patient Care Coordinator (Case Management) and served 9 years, active duty and reserves, as a nurse in the United States Navy.

 

Kristi Tindall, MBA BSN RN
Director of Clinical Services

Kristi Tindall oversees the home care teams as the Director of Clinical Services. With over 20 years of progressive experience in clinical operations and leadership roles, she is well-versed in developing and executing strategies to improve patient care, quality, and cost. She is passionate about mentoring people and creating teams focusing on excellence in patient care and family support.

She began her nursing career in 2004, initially working at the bedside in the pediatric field. In 2010, she transitioned into healthcare management. Her interest in hospice care developed after a personal experience with her grandmother, whom she cared for at the bedside during her final days. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northeastern University and a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University.

 

Kaitlyn Vicars, SHRM-CP, PHR
Interim Director of Human Resources

Kaitlyn Vicars is an Austin native and has been working in Human Resources for more than 14 years. As Interim Director of Human Resources, Kaitlyn drives HR strategy, goals, policy and key programming. She works closely with leaders and employees to champion and support a healthy and engaging work culture. She leads a team of HR professionals focusing on areas of organizational design and policy, talent management and development, employee engagement, performance, and total rewards.

Kaitlyn achieved her SHRM-CP and PHR designations in 2015 and then earned an Associates in Risk Management (ARM) in 2019. She is involved with the local Austin Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapter and sits on the Board as the 2023 and 2024 Secretary.  She recently was awarded Austin SHRM Volunteer Leader of the Year, and Texas SHRM Volunteer Leader of the Year.  When she is not working or volunteering, Kaitlyn enjoys spending time with her son (a junior in High School), husband, and with her pup (Cooper) outdoors, she also loves catching up on shows, trying new restaurants, and reading.

 

HOSPICE AUSTIN BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2024 Officers
Chair: Sylvia Maggio
Vice Chair: C. Michele Robinson Gregory
Immediate Past Chair: Brent Annear
Secretary: Ray Mungia
Treasurer: Kevin Kaylakie
Honorary: Oscar Robinson

At Large: Richard Himes, MD;
Jetta Todaro,
Frank Cedeño
Cynthia Duggins
Shelton Green
Kathryn Hudson, MD
Jocelyn Johnson
Ann Kaiser
Albert Lin
Sue Phillips
Jeremy Ransom

HOSPICE AUSTIN FUND BOARD

2024 Officers
Chair: Oscar Robinson
Vice-Chair: Robin Banister
President:  Herb Dyer
Secretary:  Val Newberg
Treasurer: Scott Neuendorf

Blake Bell
Steve Brown
Brittany Morrison
Brande Draper
Andrew Hill
Jocelyn Johnson
Mary Clare Matthews
Edward Moody
Travis Osgood
Sara Seely
Beth Walker
Elizabeth Wardlaw Conner
Sue Phillips

Staff
Herb Dyer
Robin Clemons