Management and Board of Directors
BAYADA Home Care is led by Executive Director Linda Siessel, who serves as practice president.
An independent Board of Directors governs the business and affairs of the corporation. They provide ongoing support and guidance and oversight of organizational activities and finances.
Linda Siessel, Executive Director
Linda Siessel joined BAYADA as a client services manager in 1980 when the company was in its infancy and fast became one of the founding contributors in molding BAYADA into a national home health care leader. Linda is currently supporting BAYADA Home Care as the practice president. In this role she provides strategic and operational leadership for the company’s Assistive Care, Assistive Care State Programs, Habilitation, and Behavioral Health practices in Hawaii. She has remained steadfastly committed to BAYADA’s mission of helping people enjoy a better quality of life with independence and dignity. Throughout her 40-year career, Linda’s entrepreneurial spirit has driven the expansion of more than 360 offices through her various roles at BAYADA Home Health Care and BAYADA Home care, allowing BAYADA to serve more than one million clients since its founding.
Mel Baiada, Chairman of the Board
Mel Baiada founded Bluestone, Inc. in 1989 to provide technology expertise to Fortune 1000 companies and government organizations. Under his direction, Bluestone rapidly grew to a multi-million dollar company, earning its inclusion in the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing, privately held companies in the US for three straight years, from 1994 to 1996. The software arm underwent a successful IPO in 1999, and was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2000. Mel is also a managing director of BaseCamp Ventures, an early-stage venture capital investment company founded by him. Through his generous contributions, Drexel University was able to add the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology to its campus. Mel currently serves on the Boards of Drexel University Online, BAYADA Home Health Care, and several private companies.
Ric Ballezzi
Ric Ballezzi was the founder and managing partner of Ballezzi & Associates, CPAs, which was originally located in Philadelphia, PA. Ric provides a wide scope of services including financial statement review and analysis, and tax planning and preparation services to small businesses, individuals, and estates and trusts. Ric also provides ”Public Controller/Outsourced CFO“ services to high tech start-ups. The professional services he provides also include: business plans, valuations, and financial projections/modeling. He assists in finding funding with banks, angel investors, or venture capital financing, as well as planning and executing the IPO process or merger. Through an extraordinary blend of business sense and effective communication skills, clients have benefited from and remained with Ric for more than 35 years.
Barbara Colin, MSN, RN
Barbara Colin has more than 35 years of clinical, management, and administrative experience in health care systems, home care, and community health in Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. She is the former Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and member of the Compliance Committee at BAYADA Home Health Care. In her role as CNO, Barbara’s primary responsibility was to directly lead and facilitate BAYADA Home Health Care’s efforts to enhance clinical excellence and serve as the principal conduit for clinical perspective and recommendations throughout the company. Barbara continues in a part-time role with BAYADA Home Health Care in special projects which include performance improvement, leadership development, Habilitation, and Behavioral Health.
Tracy K. Fujita
Tracy had over 25 years of local and national health care experience when he decided to co-found Healthcare Integration Associates in 2013. As a consulting and management services company, his goal was to use his skills, knowledge, and experience to foster positive relationships and facilitate true collaboration among the stakeholders in Hawaii’s healthcare market. His current focus is on helping independent physicians stay independent. By integrating health care providers across the care continuum and fostering collaboration with payors, physicians can remain independent together.
Don Horner
Don retired as Chairman and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank in 2012 after dedicating 33 years to the company. He currently manages a family-owned real estate investment company and continues to serve on the board of First Hawaiian Bank and First Hawaiian Foundation. Don has served as chair of several community boards, including the Hawaii Business Roundtable, Hawaii Blood Bank, Hawaii State Board of Education, and treasurer of Kuakini Medical Center.
Tom Mylet
Tom Mylet recently retired from BAYADA Home Health Care after an impressive 33-year career. Starting with an entry level position in the original Philadelphia office, he was soon promoted to director of the Special Contracts office. In 1989, Tom moved to North Carolina where he established the first BAYADA Home Health Care office in that state. By the time he retired BAYADA had become the largest home care provider in NC with more than 50 offices. Additionally, Tom played a vital role in many major companywide initiatives including the development of the company’s mission, vision, and beliefs known as The BAYADA Way and the creation of BAYADA’s original operating model. He also took an active role in legislative affairs, working with state government to advocate for improved access to home health care services.