Leadership

David Klementz

President/Chief Executive Officer
David Klementz joined Traditions Health as President and CEO after spending more than 15 years with Encompass Health, formerly HealthSouth, where he most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer and was previously an SVP of Operations. Prior to joining Encompass, he served as SVP and CFO of Progress Rail, a $1.3B rail services business, where he was responsible for strategic and business planning, financial performance and leadership of the company’s financial, accounting and information technology functions. He has also held the position of manager of business development and planning for Progress Energy, vice president of finance and accounting for Analytical Sciences, Inc., and division controller for the Oracle Corp. A certified public accountant, Klementz received his bachelor’s degree in finance from James Madison University, his certification in procurement and contract administration from the University of Virginia, and completed Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Leadership Development Program.

John Kerndl

Chief Financial Officer
John Kerndl serves as Traditions Health’s Chief Financial Officer. He has 30 years of health care experience across a range of organizations in multiple functional areas. Prior to joining the Traditions Health team, John served in executive-level positions at several healthcare companies. At Beth Israel Lahey Health, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer where he led all financial functions for the system’s 10 acute care campuses. Before joining Beth Israel Lahey Health, he spent four years serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Beaumont Health, the largest health care system in Michigan. Prior to that, he spent six years as Senior Vice President and Operations CFO for LifePoint Health in Tennessee. John served in CFO and Regional Vice President-in-training roles for three Arizona hospitals as part of Vanguard Health Systems, as well as Assistant CEO and CFO for Community Health Systems in Illinois. John earned his Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago and his bachelor’s degree in finance from Georgia State University.

Tarik Shirif

Chief Development Officer
Tarik has more than 30 years of professional leadership experience, with more than 20 of those years in the home care sector. Prior to joining Traditions Health in 2019, Tarik was President/CEO of Centrix Health Resources - an organization offering hospice, home health, durable medical equipment, private duty, and physician services. Tarik attended the University of Minnesota, where he majored in management and finance. Tarik and his wife, Audrey, reside in Nashville, Tennessee. They have five children.

Kianoush Rahbar

Chief Information Officer
Kianoush has an extensive technology and management background. Prior to joining Traditions Health, Kianoush worked in the high-tech industry for more than 30 years at companies such as Intel and Honeywell. Kianoush co-founded and operated Homestead Hospice of Arizona in 2009. He then accepted the Chief Information Officer (CIO) position at Homestead Hospice & Palliative Care in 2015. Kianoush’s accomplishments range from managing teams of engineers and scientists to developing and delivering advanced technology at Intel, as well as establishing advanced IT infrastructure and analytics tools and processes for Homestead Hospice & Palliative Care. Kianoush has a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado. He and his family make their home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Tony Maxwell, PA

Chief Operating Officer, Home Health
Tony Maxwell has over 30 years of experience in the health care setting. Prior to joining Traditions Heath, he served as the Regional Vice President of Operations for Encompass Health, Regional Director of Operations for Visiting Physicians, and as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Tony began his career as a Physician Assistant 25 years ago, as an officer in the United States Air Force.

Freeman Smith

Chief Operating Officer, Hospice
Freeman has more than 25 professional years of Health Care experience. Prior to joining Traditions Health, he served as COO of Harbor Light Hospice. He attended DePaul University where he received his degree in psychology. In addition to his many accomplishments, Freeman is conversant in American Sign Language. Freeman and his wife, Sean, reside in Naperville, Illinois. They have one child.

Crystal Mineo, PHR, SHRM-CP

Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Crystal joined Traditions Health Care in 2011. Her background includes responsibility for employee benefits, employee relations, payroll system integration, talent acquisition, mergers and acquisitions, and management. Crystal is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). Crystal has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Sam Houston State University and a master's degree in human resource management from Tarleton State University. Crystal and her family, live in College Station, Texas.