Al Kinel is the founder and President of Strategic Interests, LLC, a firm dedicated to helping innovative technology/services companies grow, and helping organizations improve performance with the innovative use of information technology.  Al has been serving in this capacity throughout his 25 year career.  Now Al is able to bring his experience, and the capabilities of a network of qualified professionals, to meet your strategic objectives.

Al spent the formative years of his career with top-tier professional services firms, as a systems engineer with EDS, a systems consultant with Ernst and Whinney, and a management consultant with McKinsey & Co.  Al then spent 16 years in strategic technology and services management with Xerox and Kodak/Carestream Health.  Al was an innovator and key contributor for both companies, providing executive leadership in marketing, strategy, IT, business development, channels, and sales.

Al is a change agent who is able to understand complex industry dynamics and identify ways in which technology can make a lasting, positive impact for leading companies. Al has experience helping a company achieve dramatic growth through new offerings, new channels/alliances and focused efforts within high-priority markets and segments.

Al has deep experience in healthcare, and has helped numerous providers attain significant grant funds and improve performance through the effective use of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT).

• Al has been the executive responsible for selling, implementing and integrating digital imaging solutions in hospitals, private practices, integrated delivery networks, and government/military environments.
• He is considered a thought leader in the effective use of HIT with a strong ability to define a vision, align disparate stakeholders, and obtain grants from a multitude of sources to fund the innovative use of HIT.
• Al earned this reputation as the initiator, advocate, and architect of the Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) in Rochester, NY, and has since reinforced it with health systems and University Medical Centers.  Al was instrumental in conducting a comprehensive feasibility study and successfully applying for grant funds that served as the seed capital for this successful venture.

Al is also an active volunteer on several boards and has successfully contributed to public affairs and lobbying efforts on HIT in Washington and New York. Al is a former member of the steering committee of Connecting for Health and active member with the eHealth Initiative, where he developed the first toolkit “How to Define and Build a Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE)”.