About Cassling

Mike holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in general accounting and marketing. He completed the Graduate School of Sales and Marketing at Syracuse University in 1992.

Mike is active in the Omaha community as Vice Chair of the Aksarben Foundation, Vice Chair of Omaha Performing Arts, and serving on the Board of Directors for The Salvation Army, CyncHealth and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he is the Founding Chair of the Nebraska Tech Collaborative.

Nationally, Mike serves on the Board of Directors for the Independent Institute, and he recently closed out a three-year tenure as Chair for The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board. In his capacity there, Mike was awarded the Salvation Army’s Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service, the highest mark of appreciation available to non-Salvationists.

Mike is an Omaha “40 under 40” alumnus, was recognized in 2014 and 2010 with an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a Westside High School Hall of Fame honoree. Mike has two daughters, Megan and Kaila; his wife, Elizabeth, has two sons, Gage and JT.

Kyle Salem, Ph.D. serves as President and CEO of Cassling. He joined Cassling in 2005 as Director of Clinical Imaging Technology and was promoted to Vice President of Advanced Imaging and Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development. While at Cassling, he completed the Kellogg Management Institute at the Kellogg School of Management.

Kyle was named president of Cassling in 2017 and, since that time, the company has seen tremendous growth, expanding its geographic reach and growing its market presence resulting in 40% revenue growth. Focusing the company’s efforts on strengthening community healthcare, developing long-term relationships and delivering world-class service, Kyle has helped Cassling position itself for a run to impact 350 million patient lives by 2030. He was named CEO of Cassling in 2023.

Kyle is also the Chief Executive Officer at CQuence Health. As CEO, Dr. Salem ensures CQuence’s holdings and portfolio companies have the investment capital, strategic guidance and professional services they need to shape the future of healthcare and positively impact patients’ lives and experiences.

Dr. Salem graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, where he also earned his doctorate in 2002. Dr. Salem served as a research scientist for Siemens Medical Solutions, where he managed U.S. research collaborations at nationally known facilities such as Duke University, Emory University, University of California – Davis, University of Texas – Southwestern, Princeton University, and the National Institute of Mental Health.

Kyle is passionate about the future model of care coordination, payment reform and new technologies in healthcare delivery. He routinely speaks to healthcare clinicians and professionals on topics related to the shifting healthcare landscape. He contributes to a number of community and arts organizations through either board participation or donated time to lead strategic planning efforts.

As the Chief Operating Officer of Cassling, Brian is responsible for ensuring the organization’s service, operations and strategy are in constantly alignment with Cassling’s mission to strengthen community healthcare.

Brian has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare. He began his career as an MRI tech before becoming Director of Imaging and later Vice President of Ancillary and Support Services, all at LMH Health in Lawrence, Kansas. His dedication to rising through the ranks and his tenacity in navigating the challenges of modern healthcare position him like no other to relate firsthand to the pain points faced by our customers.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Health Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.

Mike Haywood is the Chief Financial Officer at Cassling. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Omaha in 2002 with a Bachelor's degree in Finance and completed his MBA at the University of Bellevue in 2015 in Accounting & Finance. Before Joining Cassling, he worked at ConAgra Foods and Kiewit in various finance and accounting roles. 

Mike is active in the community and serves as Treasurer & Board Member on Millard's Teammates Mentoring program.  He is also active with his two boys' sports clubs throughout the Elkhorn community. 

Shawn Pew is the Vice President of Service at Cassling. Over the years, Shawn has held various leadership roles within the Cassling service team, including Director of Clinical Information Management, Regional Service Manager, and Sr. Director of Service. In his current role as VP of Service, Shawn leads the entire equipment implementation and service teams while also working with customers to develop customized service solutions. 

Shawn joined Cassling in 2001. Prior to that, he worked as a registered CT/MR Technologist and as an applications manager at an MRI coil development and manufacturing company. Shawn received his Bachelor of Science degree in radiation sciences from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, graduating with the honor of High Distinction.

Carol Armitage earned her degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2001, with an emphasis in both finance and accounting.  In 2008, Carol joined the Cassling team with more than a decade of management and operational experience in various industries.  She began her career with Cassling by managing the service and contract billing teams before being promoted to the Service Operations Manager and then the Director of Service Operations.  Currently, Carol leads the operational teams for sales, service, business analytics and compliance in her role of VP of Operations.

Carol is also an active member of the community. She has been a Teammates mentor since 2009 and also donates her time to a variety of animal rescue groups in the Omaha-metro area. Carol currently serves on the American Heart Association’s Executive Leadership Team, where she works to increase awareness of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women of all ages.

Tana Phelps is the Vice President of Marketing for Cassling, where she is responsible for managing the strategy, planning, growth and development of marketing for all CQuence partner companies and business units.

Tana brought her passion for healthcare to Cassling in 2011. Her marketing experience includes work in diagnostic imaging, healthcare IT, concierge medicine, telehealth, cardiology and more. She has executed customized marketing campaigns on behalf of hundreds of hospitals and clinics throughout the country, gaining great insights into consumer and physician audience behavior.

With Tana’s strategic support, Cassling launched a 2030 plan to impact more than 1 billion patient lives. In 2021, she was honored with the Bob Cassling Service Excellence Award for exemplifying the company’s cultural beliefs and commitment to customer service.

Prior to joining Cassling, Tana was communications manager at NRC Health, a national patient satisfaction survey vendor and research organization. Tana is a published blogger and author—with features in Midwest Medical Edition magazine. She studied journalism, marketing and advertising at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and earned a Certificate of Excellence in Business through the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and three kids, running and volunteering.

Lakeesha Smith is the Vice President of Sales at Cassling. She’s responsible for overseeing a team of Regional Vice Presidents, Account Executives and Product Sales Executives who connect healthcare providers across the country to imaging and therapeutic technology, services and solutions.

Previously, Lakeesha worked as Area Vice President of Point of Care Sales for Siemens Healthineers. Prior to that, she held a variety of training and management roles at such prestigious companies as Procter & Gamble and Roche. Lakeesha has extensive sales, marketing and training experience, orchestrating a variety of successful product launches across multiple areas of healthcare within Siemens. She is a big believer in the power of relationships and education, and works tirelessly to ensure culture and integrity are at the heart of the Cassling sales process.

As Director of People & Culture at Cassling, Kayla Engel is actively involved in creating an exceptional employee experience for all team members, from new hires to those who have been with Cassling for decades. She has served in a number of Human Resources-related roles during her time at the company.

Kayla received her Bachelor of Science in Management of Human Resources from Bellevue University, and she has PHR certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute and SHRM-CP certification from the Society for Human Resource Management.