Staff

Mitzi Ressmann, RN, FACHE is the executive director for the Texas Center for Quality & Patient Safety and vice president of Member Relations at the Texas Hospital Association.  Her responsibilities include managing the day-to-day operation of the TCQPS and oversight of the Texas Hospital Association’s constituency sections, including rural hospitals, long-term care hospitals, behavioral health and hospital physician executives groups.

Ressmann has more than 25 years of experience in health care and quality improvement initiatives in military, private and public community-based health care delivery and managed care organizations. She has experience addressing complex organizational challenges related to process improvement, productivity, leadership, employee recruitment and retention, and strategic planning. Her expertise is in spearheading cross-functional project teams and large-scale change initiatives internally and with multiple external partners.

Ressmann has a master’s degree in health administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She served in the U.S. Air Force as a registered nurse from 1985 to 1991, achieving the rank of captain. Contact Mitzi.

Rachel Cicerchi, M.P.H., is a research specialist with the Texas Center for Quality & Patient Safety. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Cicerchi moved to Austin after completing her master’s of public health in health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh.  She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and social work from Ohio University. Before joining the center in 2010, Cicerchi worked as a project manager at The Children’s Institute, a Pittsburgh-based pediatric rehabilitation hospital, managing various operations and quality improvement projects. Previous to that position, she spent six years as a research assistant, coordinating projects aimed at elevating nursing home quality and developing new clinical psychology methods. 

Cicerchi brings experience coordinating and developing grant proposals for private and government funders to the Center. Her research interests include pediatric outcomes improvement, care coordination, and evaluation of health care services for the disabled and mentally ill. Contact Rachel.