Blair Contratto

Blair Contratto is Chief Executive of Little Company of Mary (LCM), a member of  Providence Health System.  LCM is a not-for-profit, integrated, regional health care system comprised of more than 30 sites throughout the greater South Bay community. She is responsible for management and operations of LCM and all of its related subsidiaries, including: Little Company of Mary Hospital, Little Company of Mary-San Pedro Hospital,  the Medical Institute of Little Company of Mary, four skilled nursing facilities, four urgent care centers, two ambulatory care centers, a fund-raising foundation and many other affiliates. The system includes 4,000 employees and is headquartered in Torrance, California.

Previously, Blair served as Vice President of Corporate Development and Mission Services for LCM. She has been with Little Company of Mary for more than 14 years.

She received her M.P.H. from the University of Tennessee and earned a B.S. in Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Blair and her family are residents of Palos Verdes Estates.

Mark Costa

Mark Costa is Chief Operating Officer for Little Company of Mary, a member of the Providence Health System.  He is responsible for management and operations of all acute care, post-acute care and ambulatory operations for LCM. He is directly involved in corporate strategic planning and financial planning and financial management decision-making. He served as President of Little Company of Mary Hospital for eight years and was previously the Facility's Executive Vice President.

Mark is a member and Chairman Elect of the Hospital and Health Facilities Council of the Healthcare Association of Southern California, and Commissioner for the Emergency Services Commission for Los Angeles County. Costa is also a Diplomate with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He received his M.P.H. from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health (Health Services Management). He also earned a B.A. in Psychology from the same institution.

Mark and his family are residents of Palos Verdes Estates.

Sister Carol Pacini, L.C.M.

Sister Carol Pacini is the elected Provincial Leader of the 30-member order of the Little Company of Mary Sisters. She served eight years in Rome and London as a member of the General Council. She regularly travels to Chicago to work with the Sisters there. The oldest of three brothers and three sisters, Sr. Carol was raised in Syracuse, New York. She entered the order of The Sisters of Little Company of Mary in 1958. In 1966, she professed her final vows. Sr. Carol also earned her bachelors degree in nursing in 1966, and was then assigned to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois, where she served as a staff nurse and later assistant head nurse for the surgical unit.

From 1967 to 1975, Sr. Carol worked at Little Company of Mary Hospital (in Illinois) in various nursing supervision roles. Then it was off to Jasper, Indiana, where she worked for 10 years at the Sisters Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in nursing administration and ultimately as vice president of patient services. During her tenure there, Sr. Carol earned her masters degree in business administration from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1985, Sr. Carol was elected to the General Council of the Sisters of Little Company of Mary, headquartered in London, England, and three years later was named general treasurer for the congregation. After completing an eight-year term in England, Sr. Carol took a sabbatical leave and then came to Torrance to assume the role of Chairperson of the Board for LCM in 1994.

Mike Clark

Mike Clark is Regional Director of Planning and Business Development for Little Company of Mary. His responsibilities include overseeing strategic planning, business development, marketing, community relations, community outreach and community education for the organization.

Prior to Little Company of Mary, Mike served for 18 years at Senior Vice President of Business Development at Glendale Memorial Hospital. While there, he played an integral part in that hospital's continuous increase in market share and was a driving force in attaining national recognition for its heart program.

He is a graduate of Whittier College and is a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Hospital Association. He has a wife and two grown daughters and lives in Cerritos, California.

Karl J. Carrier

Karl Carrier is Chief Financial Officer for Providence Health System South Bay Service Area and Little Company of Mary (LCM), a non-profit integrated regional health care system comprised of more than 30 affiliates throughout the greater South Bay community based in Torrance, CA. He is responsible for Treasury, Finance, Managed Care, Business Office,and Information Systems for LCM. He has held his current position since 1997.

Previously, Karl was SVP Finance/CFO for Community Health Corporation; Regional CFO for Summit Health; and Financial Manager for Humana.

He holds a masters degree in finance from the University of Oregon and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Karl lives with his family in Newport Beach, California.

Jay M. Gabriel

Jay Gabriel is Regional Counsel for Providence Health System - Southern California. He is also responsible for management of legal needs and services for Little Company of Mary (LCM), a non-profit integrated regional health care system comprised of more than 30 affiliates throughout the greater South Bay community based in Torrance, CA.

Previously, he was a health care attorney with McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, L.L.P., Los Angeles, CA.

Jay Gabriel has a J.D. from Stanford Law School and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He graduated with a B.A. (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Yale University.

Nancy R. Carlson, RN, MPA, CPHQ

Nancy R. Carlson, RN, MPA, CPHQ is the Administrator of Little Company of Mary- San Pedro Hospital.  Her responsibilities include providing on-site direction and leadership to the hospital's physicians, staff and employees. The 447-bed facility has been serving the medical and health care needs of the greater San Pedro and Harbor area communities since 1925.

Prior to joining Little Company of Mary, Nancy served as Chief Operating Officer of Monterey Park Hospital, Quality & Service Leader for Kaiser Permanente and Administrator and Chief Operating Officer for Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital.

Nancy earned her MPA and BS Nursing degrees at California State University Dominguez Hills.    She is a member of the American College of HealthCare Executives, the National Association for Healthcare Quality and the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Kathleen Harren, MHA, RN

Kathleen Harren is Service Area Director of Patient Care Services for Little Company of Mary, including Acute and Post-Acute Care and Home Care. She has held that position since 1998.

She is also Director of Continuity of Care/Patient Resources, Emergency and Pharmacy Services for Little Company of Mary Hospital. In this capacity, she is responsible for Social Services, Patient Advocacy, Van Transportation, Case Management URDP, Case Management, Clinical Pharmacy Program, Admissions and Registration, Business Intake Processing, Emergency and Base Station Services. Harren initiated the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) for the Torrance continuum hospitals in 1997.

Previously, Kathy was Director of Nursing/Respiratory Care & Pharmacy Services for Little Company of Mary Hospital.

She received her Masters in Health Care Administration from La Verne University, Los Angeles, CA, and her Bachelor of Science from Chapman University, Los Angeles, CA. She is also a Registered Nurse and licensed Respiratory Care Practitioner.

Kathy and her family live in Manhattan Beach,California.

Vicky Ryan

Vicky Ryan is Service Area Director of Performance Improvement and Outcomes for Little Company of Mary. She is responsible for system-wide performance improvement activities, JCAHO accreditation, corporate compliance, corporate coding, medical staff services, risk management and collaborative care. She has held this position since 1997. Previously, she was Director of Quality Management Services for Little Company of Mary Hospital, and Administrative Director of Quality Review Services for California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Vicky has a B.S. in Health Care Management and an MBA from the University of LaVerne. She lives in Long Beach.

Stephanie Ruh Mearns, RN, MN

Stephanie Ruh Mearns is Director, Patient Care Services, for Little Company of Mary-San Pedro Hospital.  She has held this position since 1994. Her responsibilities include the following SPPH services and programs: Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation and Therapy Services, Bridges Psychiatric Services, Medical/Surgery, Critical Care, Ambulatory Surgery, Operating Room, Labs, Emergency Department, Education, Social Services, SART (Sexual Assault Response Team), Case Management, Peninsula Recovery Center and Admitting. Stephanie holds a Masters degree in Nursing Administration from UCLA and a Bachelor�s degree in Nursing from the University of Colorado. She is also a graduate of the 1997 class of fellows from the Wharton School of Business. Stephanie is a past president of both The Nursing Leadership Council of Los Angeles and the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Pam Stahl, RN, MS

Pam Stahl is Service Area Director of Human Resources for Little Company of Mary.  She is responsible for managing the corporate Human Resources division, including all related HR functions, employee health services, EAP, workers' compensation and management development, corporate management training, employee/supervisory relations activities, wage and salary programs, HR information systems and compliance with government legislation.  Pam has both a clinical and management background at Little Company of Mary, spanning 22 years.  Prior to her current position, she was Director of Performance Improvement and Organizational Development.  She earned an MS degree in Human Resources and Management Development at Chapman University in Orange, California.  Pam is a resident of Rolling Hills Estates.