Ron Johnston, President:

Ron Johnston - President

After 16 years of work for UPS risk management at both regional and national levels, Ron’s desire to help companies improve their safety culture and workers’ compensation management inspired him to found Johnston and Associates on March 15, 1990.

As a result of his varied experience, Ron developed The M.O.S.T.® system.  Used by companies throughout the United States, it helps employees avoid injuries at work and at home and assists supervisors in safety training for their employees.  Ron has also created  the S.O.S.® system, a defensive driving system that is used nationally by trucking companies, home health care nurses, and many others.

Ron holds a Masters Degree in Ethics and Psychology from Emory University in Atlanta, and he taught business management and communications courses at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management from 1992 to 1996 as an Adjunct Professor.  He now serves as President of Johnston & Associates.

He believes in collaborative management, and that the best ideas come from the Johnston & Associates team, and their clients.  By listening and working together as partners, his goal is to solve problems and build systems that prevent accidents and injuries from developing.

Click here to read his President’s Message.

Larisa Hensiek, CEO:

Larisa Hensiek

Larisa serves as Johnston & Associates’ CEO.  She joined the team in June of 1997, initially performing audits of large insurance companies for her clients.  She found so many inefficiencies in claims handling that it inspired Johnston & Associates’ current model of claims management, focusing on low claim counts for adjusters, allowing true claims management.   This model led to lower claim cost and faster closure of claims.  Her time doing extensive safety consulting with her clients as well as managing the claims department prepared her to take over as company CEO in 2008, and she still serves as Vice President of Claims.

Giving much of her time to charitable work in the Nashville area, Larisa currently serves on the HOPE council for the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, the parent advisory board for the Childhood Cancer Center.  She also speaks regularly on the need for childhood cancer research for Vanderbilt Childen’s Hospital events.

Larisa earned her BBA degree in Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship from Emory University in 1997, and she has two wonderful daughters – Lily and Sophie.

Denise Cardella

Denise Cardella, Claims Supervisor:

Denise Cardella is a Claims Supervisor that joined the Johnston and Associates team after relocating to Tennessee from Florida in 2004, where she handled patient communication, medical transcription, and the processing of workers’ compensation, Medicare, and Health insurance claims for an orthopedic practice.

She began as a Claims Adjuster at Johnston and Associates and quickly transitioned into a Senior Claims Adjuster position.  Through her demonstrated dedication and knowledge, Denise was promoted to Claims Supervisor.  In over six years of service she has handled hundreds of claims ranging from medical-only to very complex lost time claims. She has experience handling claims in almost every industry and in over a dozen states, and is licensed in states throughout the southeast, as well as Rhode Island, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia. Denise’s thorough claims investigation and her client communication skills help to bring excellence to the Johnston & Associates team.

She has a 9 year old son and is very involved with his education, sports and volunteering in the community with him.  Some of her other hobbies include traveling, hiking and spending time with her family.

Shelley Jamison

Shelley Jamison, Claims Supervisor:

With over 21 years of human resources, payroll, and workers compensation experience, Shelley brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her Claims Supervisor role at Johnston & Associates.  She has five years of experience in claims adjustment at the third party administrator level.

Shelley’s experience of working on the employer’s side gives her an important insight into what the employer wants and expects from their claims adjuster. In addition to processing all employer workers’ compensation claims, she has helped to implement a Return To Work program along with an in-house therapy program resulting in a substantial cost savings for employers.

Shelley prides herself on her development of great relationships with her clients and her positive attitude in all aspects of her job duties.  She hold a CWCP designation (Certified Workers Compensation Professional) from Michigan State and a Human Resources Specialist Certification from Rollins College Florida.

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Heausler, Loss Control Supervisor:

Sarah has been with the Johnston & Associates team since 2006.  She began as a claims adjuster but transferred to the Loss Control Department in 2007, and quickly advanced to the position of Loss Control Supervisor.  Her prior work experience includes completion of the manager training program for Hertz Car Rental.

As Loss Control Supervisor, Sarah oversees visit schedules and creates loss control plans to reduce risk for her clients’ accounts based on cost drivers.  She also hosts monthly webinars for accounts on a variety of risk management topics.

Rebecca Lewis, Accounting Manager:

Rebecca Lewis

Rebecca joined Johnston & Associates in March of 2009 as the Accounting Manager.  She manages all functions of accounting, office management and human resources for the team.  In this role Rebecca is responsible for all recordkeeping and management of clients’ financial accounts, which includes billing, reconciling, and funds management.  Prior to joining Johnston & Associates, she spent 10 years as the accounting and HR manager for a family owned consumer lending company with offices in Tennessee and Georgia.

In 1997, Rebecca graduated from Vanderbilt University with bachelor’s degrees in English and Psychology.  She is happily married with two great kids, Carson & Liana.  Rebecca loves sports, including football and hockey, reading, and spending time with family.