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Who We Are

Relentlessly Curious

At LIFT, curiosity isn’t just a trait, it’s how we help healthcare organizations navigate complexity, uncover clarity, and build what comes next. We believe the best strategies start with truly knowing people: what they believe, what they need, what they hope for, and what gets in the way.

We work side-by-side with leaders across hospitals, life sciences, academia, and public health who are facing challenges like revenue pressure, brand fragmentation, trial enrollment, and community trust. Whether you’re launching a therapy, strengthening service lines, or deepening engagement, we start with deep listening and real understanding.

Our approach to strategy begins with understanding and empathy. We seek to reveal the human truths, market dynamics, and organizational realities that shape your success. From there, we help translate insight into strategy that is grounded in insights, actions, aligned messaging, and focused direction that moves teams and stakeholders toward meaningful results.

Think of LIFT as your partners in progress and a force multiplier for impact. When you work with LIFT, you get a team that’s relentless in its curiosity and committed to helping you solve what matters most. Together, we’ll help you see differently, decide wisely, and lead with clarity in a changing healthcare landscape.

LIFT was founded on the belief that human understanding is the driving force behind better healthcare experiences and healthier outcomes. Our foundation is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and design thinking—the core principles that define contemporary healthcare marketing expertise. Central to our philosophy is the Golden Thread of Human Understanding: deep insights that not only inform marketing strategies, but also strengthen strategic decision-making across the entire healthcare organization.

David McDonald, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Our Team

David McDonald

Co-founder & CEO

As CEO of LIFT and a trained anthropologist, David brings a deep passion for human understanding to every facet of leadership. Blending empathy with innovation and data, he drives empathic, people-centered solutions that elevate the healthcare marketing profession and successful client outcomes.

Katie Clem

Insights Practice Director

Katie guides LIFT’s Insights team to help health-oriented organizations better understand their unique stakeholders to inform the development of tailored, strategic marketing and communications. Katie is also pursuing a master's degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University.

Anna Riehm

Vice President of Operations

Anna's experience leading healthcare marketing & operations teams and serving as an executive in a digital marketing agency gives her insight into how healthcare systems need and want to fulfill their promise to care for communities. She is a servant leader who also happens to love camping.

Diane McDonald

Chief People Officer / Partner

Diane aligns talent strategy with business goals to cultivate a thriving, high performance culture. As a behavioral psychologist and Birkman expert, she drives leadership, growth, and collaboration through empathy and intentional culture design.

Gabriella Brown

Ethnographer

I use mixed-methods research to uncover insights that enhance the stakeholder experience and inform service line strategy. Being a mother and caregiver deepens my passion for making healthcare more inclusive. When I’m not working, I’m chasing my toddler or enjoying the outdoors with family!

Nickolas Nieves

Lead Design Strategist & Developer

With a double bachelors in Computer Science as well as Graphic design, Nickolas is able to utilize all of his abilities fully at LIFT. From web development, to data representations, to illustrations, he enjoys to bridge the gap form and function. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, ultimate frisbee, drawing, and reading.

Alex Sydnor

Healthcare Strategist

As a senior executive, Alex has led healthcare strategy, marketing, patient experience, and population health programs for 17 years. A Fellow of ACHE, he has a Master’s in Hospital Administration and is a trained facilitator. He enjoys hiking & making maple syrup and cider from his home in Maine.

Matt Bradley

Healthcare Anthropologist

Matt brings 20 years of ethnographic research expertise to LIFT, supporting the insights team through fieldwork, analysis, and strategic guidance. Trained in Social Anthropology at Harvard, Matt is deeply committed to understanding the complex forces that shape human behavior.

Kinsley Kilgore-Fuller

Ethnographer

With a background in Anthropology and Archaeology, I am driven to understand why people do what they do, and the context that surrounds those actions. In my free time, I enjoy contributing to archaeological research and camping on the weekends with my husband and our dog, Darby.

Vallery Nehvatal

Design Strategist

Vallery is a detail-oriented creative who blends design and strategic thinking to support impactful client solutions. She works closely with the design team, contributing to daily projects and initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys singing, playing pickleball, and spending time with family and friends.

Lucile Luttrell

Office Manager

Loved working as a part time Bookkeeper for Nine years. My passion is hiking with friends. and meeting other people. My interest is volunteer with meals on wheels and other organization.

Emily Evans

Project & Operations Manager

Emily manages, supports, and coordinates daily project activities and processes. She collaborates with the team to plan, organize, and execute projects. In her free time, Emily enjoys camping with her husband, spending time with her three cats, sewing, reading, and collecting vinyl records.

Doug Condra

Controller

I oversee and manage the finances of the business. Outside of work I enjoy working on my cattle farm where we raise registered Charolais cattle.

Micah Underwood

Product Strategist & Development Lead

Micah brings deep experience in development, marketing, and data science across healthcare, education, and SaaS. Driven by curiosity and compassion, he loves translating complex data into practical, impactful solutions. Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, running, and playing music.

Victoria Carlson

Creative Director Emeritus

Victoria is an award-winning design professional with over 20 years of strategic marketing experience. She has a unique passion for innovation and has developed global marketing and branding programs and custom publications. She is an adjunct professor of design at Southern Adventist University.

Jason Provonsha

Strategic Advisor

Jason Provence is an accomplished entrepreneur with deep experience in healthcare strategy, business development, and marketing. He serves as a strategic advisor to LIFT’s CEO and leadership team, bringing insight and perspective that strengthen the company’s growth and impact.

Tom Pecht

Strategic Advisor

Tom Pecht is an entrepreneur and growth strategist with deep expertise in scaling businesses and capital market access. In his role as advisor to the CEO, he helps LIFT navigate opportunities and challenges as the company accelerates its growth.

Audrianne Schneider, FACHE

Marketing Strategist

Audrianne supports LIFT clients in navigating complex strategic conversations and initiatives that strengthen marketing performance and drive organizational alignment toward market-driven excellence. A seasoned healthcare marketing executive, she brings over 20 years of hospital and health system leadership experience.

Join Lift

LIFT always seeks motivated, innovative professionals to join our growing team. We thrive on curiosity, creativity, and a passion for making an impact in healthcare marketing. If you’re driven, forward-thinking, and care about the humanity behind healthcare, we want to hear from you. Let’s grow together.

Submit Your Open Application

Even if you don’t find a suitable position above, please do not hesitate to drop us your resume and cover letter.