Our Leadership Team

Stephen Powell, DHA, MSc

Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Powell is the CEO and founder of Synensys, a professional services company headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, USA. Dr. Powell is a recognized leader in performance improvement having led programs in the U.S. Navy, the commercial airline industry, and the healthcare industry for more than 30 years.

His most recent experience includes patient safety, quality and patient-centered care improvements, health systems strengthening, learning systems, high reliability, care coordination, value-based initiatives, and team training. Dr. Powell regularly provides assessments, training, consulting, and coaching services to senior leaders, managers, and teams in civilian, government, and military healthcare organizations worldwide.

He has authored numerous articles on human-centered design, reflective learning, teamwork, global health, safety, change management, communication, quality improvement, patient experience, and patient safety culture. His book, “The Patient Survival Handbook: Avoid Being the Next Victim of Medical Error,” is a call to action for deeper patient engagement and activation for patient safety, increased effectiveness, and quality improvement.

Dr. Powell earned a Doctorate in Health Administration and a Graduate Certificate in International Health from Central Michigan University. He is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate Aviation Safety School, Monterey, CA. and the U.S. Navy Command Leadership Safety Program. Dr. Powell earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Science in Human Factors from Embry-Riddle University.

Dr. Powell is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists, the Clinical Human Factors Group, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He also serves as a Board member for the North Carolina Quality Center and the Armed Forces Mission.

Daniel Wyman, MD, MPH, FAsMA

Brig Gen, USAF (ret)

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Daniel Wyman serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Synensys. He has more than 30 years of specialized experience leading large-scale health operations across the care continuum, including strategic health transformation and strengthening initiatives.

Prior to joining Synensys, Dr. Wyman served as the Chief Medical Officer for Pruitt Health of Atlanta, with responsibilities for the clinical policies, procedures, and oversight of healthcare delivery within more than 100 skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, assisted-living facilities, and home care and hospice agencies across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Prior to his role at Pruitt Health, Dr. Wyman served in numerous senior leadership positions in the U.S. Air Force (USAF), including Command Surgeon for USAF Air Combat Command, Assistant Air Force Surgeon General for the Medical Corps, Commander Keesler Medical Center, and Command Surgeon to USAF Headquarters Pacific Air Forces and USAF Special Forces Command. He retired from the Air Force as a Brigadier General.

Dr. Wyman completed a residency in family practice at David Grant USAF Medical Center, dual residencies in aerospace medicine and occupational medicine at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, and a Master’s in Public Health at the University of Texas. He is board certified in aerospace medicine and is licensed to practice medicine in the State of Georgia. Dr. Wyman previously served as the U.S. Air Force Delegate to the American Medical Association and Past President of Society of U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeons. He is an advisor to the National Foundation for Integrative Medicine.

Melissa Speice, CPA

Controller

Melissa is responsible for managing the delivery of financial services such as accounting, treasury, reporting, budgeting, and insurance management, in accordance with governmental requirements and organizational policies and strategies. She also coordinates all IT efforts, ensuring compliance with NIST/CMMC certification and other essential corporate compliance programs.

Melissa has more than 20 years of experience in providing professional accounting services including nearly 10 years working with Government contractors. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Georgia State University. Her dedication to accurate reporting and managing the bottom line are invaluable to our continued financial success.

Todd Spain, MSc, SPHR

Human Resources Leader

Todd serves as the Human Resources Leader and his duties include managing all HR-related functions, including recruiting, staffing, training, employee relations, maintaining compliance, and developing policies.

He has an extensive background with more than 15 years in human resources leadership roles across various industries, serving both large and small organizations. Todd received his Bachelor of Science, Psychology, from Kennesaw State University and a Master of Science, Information Technology, from Southern New Hampshire University.

Todd is passionate about helping Synensys reach its full potential through developing an inclusive, diverse, productive, and happy workforce.

Christine Tilson Lux, BA

Business Development Manager

Christine Tilson Lux is a dynamic leader in business development and marketing, driving strategic growth across Synensys’ Aviation, Healthcare, and Defense practices. With a keen ability to cultivate strong relationships, Christine successfully leads marketing initiatives and business capture processes, ensuring impactful partnerships with current and prospective clients.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hospitality Sales and Marketing from Florida State University and brings over 20 years of expertise in client development, customer engagement, and innovative marketing strategies within government and commercial contracting sectors.

Christine’s passion for building meaningful connections and opening new opportunities is fueled by Synensys’ commitment to advancing safety and improving outcomes. She is dedicated to fostering collaborations that not only strengthen organizations but also make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Michelle Axelson, BA, CPPS

Program Manager

Michelle is a diversified management professional with a background in High Reliability Organization (HRO), Quality/Performance Improvement, Patient Safety, TeamSTEPPS and Customer Service. Michelle has served as a Patient Safety Program Manager within US Air Force Military Treatment Facility for the past 8+ years, and is currently the Patient Safety Program Manager, supervising multiple positions across DoD and oversees locations. She has been recognized by DoD for her Patient Safety Program in 2019, immediately following implementation of a new electronic health system of records. Michelle consulted weekly with DoD to assist in analysis of patient safety event reports involving the electronic record. Michelle is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety and is highly sought for her expertise and experience from leaders within her patient safety community and across the US.

Previously, Michelle was a Senior Enlisted Leader and Dental Functional Manager within the US Air Force. Michelle has more than 20 years of health care experience as an executive of a team promoting High Reliability concepts to deliver safe care. Michelle has combined her expertise as a leader and educator of Patient Safety and clinical care to lead numerous successful process improvement initiatives improving healthcare quality, patient safety, access, and patient experience.

Mark H. Smithwick, MBA, PMP, CPPS

Program Manager

Mark is responsible for managing all aspects of our aviation safety management portfolio while also supporting our healthcare practice requirements. Mark holds a Master of Business Administration from Midwestern State University in Texas.

Mark is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Professional in Patient Safety, TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer, HRO 7 Leadership Methods Instructor, HRO 8 Master Safety Certifier, and a licensed commercial pilot.

While serving in his previous role with Synensys, Mark was the Patient Safety Program Manager at a U.S. Air Force base clinic. During his tenure, the clinic earned a National Patient Safety Foundation Ambulatory Stand Up for Patient Safety Program Management Award along with five DoD Advancement Toward High Reliability in Healthcare Awards.  As a member of the United States Navy in his final deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, he earned an Army Commendation Medal along with a Navy & Marine Corp Achievement Medal (third award).

He is committed to safety and quality improvement for all Synensys clients through his award-winning innovation, ingenuity, and exceptional contract performance reports.

Alana Keller, MBA, PMP

Program Manager

Alana has over eleven years of experience, including program management, project management, customer service, team leadership, personnel management, and logistics. She has built strong relationships with Government and civilian clients, domestic and international.

Alana currently serves as Program Manager for Synensys’ System Safety contracts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Her past experience includes Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) contracts with the U.S. Air Force, Air Mobility Command (AMC), Air Force District of Washington (AFDW), and Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). She has also served as Project Coordinator for the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Patient Safety Program.

Alana holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia and a bachelor’s degree in Communication/Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)® and is a member of the Project Management Institute.

Abigail Harte-Williams, RN, JD, MPH, MS, CPPS, CPHRM

Safety Consultant

Abigail serves as a Safety Consultant at Synensys. As her education, training, publications and certifications demonstrate she is passionate about patient safety and the reduction of patient harm.  She has more than 35 years of specialized experience in healthcare as a nurse, educator, consultant and leading healthcare safety projects throughout the country with demonstrable sustainable results.

Prior to joining Synensys, Abigail served in hospital-based roles as the Patient Safety Officer, Director of Risk Management and Healthcare Compliance Officer overseeing both clinical and non-clinical hospital operations, in inpatient and pre-hospital arenas.  In addition, Abigail has served as a member of the Health and Human Services on the Rhode Island DMAT-1 since the late 1990s, serving as the Safety Officer for that team for the past 15 years in addition to serving as a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary providing education on issues of safety.

Abigail received her BSN from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh PA, her Law Degree from New England Law in Boston, a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard University in Boston and a Masters Degree in Emergency Planning an preparedness from Anna Maria College.  She is certified in Healthcare Patient Safety and Risk Management.  She has authored more than 25 publications and book chapters and served as editor for a number of books.    She is a nationally recognized educator and speaker on patient safety, systems safety assessment, healthcare ethics and policy and risk management.

Cory Wilson

Project Administrator

Cory is an integral part of the Synensys team, applying over 30 years of experience to assist Synensys’ corporate and field team as well as provide exceptional service to clients. She has worked on several different projects including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) contracts with the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC) and the DHA Patient Safety team.

Before joining Synensys, in addition to running her own business, Cory served as Director of Operations, Comptroller, Administrator on Duty, Sr. Proctor, and Trainer for several companies, including the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and Imaging Systems, Inc.

Cory holds an Accounting and Business Diploma from the International Business College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. “Since joining the Synensys team, I have learned the importance of patient safety in the medical community. I have applied the knowledge learned to be a better patient advocate for my son and his ongoing medical condition.”

Braden Burnett

Project Analyst

Braden serves as a Project Analyst at Synensys for our System Safety contracts with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Braden brings a strong foundation in business management and a fresh perspective to project execution. A graduate of the University of North Georgia with a degree in Business Management, Braden is passionate about fostering connections, solving complex problems, and driving teamwork to achieve organizational goals.

As a former student-athlete, Braden has seamlessly integrated the principles of teamwork, communication, discipline, and resilience into the professional environment. These qualities have proven invaluable in navigating challenges, optimizing processes, and ensuring projects are executed with efficiency and precision.

Committed to delivering meaningful contributions to Synensys, Braden leverages a dynamic blend of analytical skills, leadership experience, and collaborative spirit to support successful project outcomes. Whether coordinating with stakeholders, addressing intricate challenges, or driving key milestones, Braden approaches each endeavor with enthusiasm, strategic thinking, and a solution-oriented mindset.

Shirley Heal

Jr. Accountant

Shirley is a dedicated member of the Synensys accounting team, bringing nearly a decade of experience in financial operations and support. As Junior Accountant, she plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity and efficiency of our financial processes, working closely with Melissa Speice to manage accounts payable and ensure compliance with established accounting standards.

Shirley is proficient in a range of financial tools and platforms which she leverages to streamline workflows and support team objectives. Her attention to detail and commitment to accuracy make her a valuable asset to the organization.

Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Shirley continues to expand her expertise while contributing meaningfully to the Synensys mission.

Brittney Hendershot

Data Analyst

Brittney is a dedicated Data Analyst with a strong foundation in computer science and a deep passion for aviation safety. Specializing in data-driven decision-making, she plays a vital role in supporting safety management initiatives across the industry.

A graduate of Clayton State University with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Brittney excels at transforming complex data into actionable insights that drive strategic safety improvements. Her technical expertise, combined with an analytical mindset, enables her to bridge the gap between raw data and meaningful aviation safety initiatives.

Aviation runs in Brittney’s blood—she proudly follows in the footsteps of her father and grandfather as the third generation in her family to work in the industry. With this deep-rooted connection, she approaches her work with a profound respect for aviation safety, striving to uphold and advance the standards that keep the skies secure.