People

Wherever Bill Faris has seen a need, he has created a solution…

In co-founding the Stewart Institute for Families, Bill Faris is simply following the vision and principles that have guided him to this point -- and exhibiting the leadership that has marked his career. He believes that given accurate information and solid resources, people can make sound, intelligent choices about their lives and their health. He has created the Stewart Institute for Families to provide that information and those resources.

Currently, he is also the President and CEO of Occupational Managed Care Alliance, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky. His companies have delivered services to thousands of employers in 46 states across the country. He has been a leader in workers’ compensation managed care and cost containment for thirty years, establishing and running companies in medical and workers’ compensation third party administration, general and specialty preferred provider organizations, and workers’ compensation managed care organizations.

He designed the very first Kentucky-approved Managed Care organization for workers’ compensation, has delivered more than 200 educational programs on workers’ compensation for employers throughout the Commonwealth, and has designed and teaches several Continuing Education programs for Agents Certified by the Kentucky Department of Insurance.

Bill has spoken extensively to healthcare professionals, the insurance industry, employer groups, and governmental organizations throughout the country. With three decades of experience and hands-on expertise, Bill has an undiminished enthusiasm for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Life has prepared Dr. Robert Stewart for almost anything.

Born by the light of a gas lantern in a small grass-roofed house in Burundi in central Africa to parents who were medical missionaries, and home-schooled for much of his childhood, he has, like his parents, spent his life in the service of others.

Dr. Stewart began his private practice in psychiatry in 1980 in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1981, he was appointed the first Clinical Director of Youth Treatment Services at Our Lady of Peace Hospital. Two years later he was elected President of the Medical Staff at the hospital. In 1986, Dr. Stewart was once again asked to take on a newly created leadership role – as the first Medical Director of Psychiatry at Baptist Hospital East, a position he held for 12 years.

In 1998, Dr. Stewart left inpatient and administrative medicine to focus on his own family and outpatient private practice with his wife, Shari. Their own struggles with conceiving brought the emotional, spiritual, and psychological aspects of dealing with infertility into sharp focus for the couple. Those life experiences naturally affected the direction of their professional practices, and together the two of them began to develop strategies and solutions to guide others through the wilderness of infertility.

Throughout the last 25 years, Dr. Stewart has also lectured extensively to the public and to both medical and educational professionals on a wide range of topics, including: mood disorders in adults and adolescents (unipolar/ bipolar depression and the various anxiety disorders) and the pharmacological management of these disorders. He has spoken on self-esteem, marriage and divorce, blended families, stress management, and motivation. Increasingly, his speaking now includes topics surrounding infertility and the emotional and psychological minefield it presents.

Shari Stewart’s professional life has been all about helping others.

Growing up in the small town of South Holland, Illinois, she enjoyed the blessings of a community where children could run free and safe through familiar neighborhoods, where church and family were the foundations of life. From early on it seems, her life and talents were preparing Shari for a career which would combine spirituality and psychology towards the relief of suffering in others.

That led her to a double major in elementary education and religion, with a minor in psychology, and graduation with honors from Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee. Then on to youth ministry, and entry into the Pastoral Care and Counseling Program at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where she earned her Masters Degree in Divinity.

Shari was Assistant Director for the Gheens Center for Family Ministry and was ordained to the ministry in 1991 by the Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Active in pastoral care and family ministry, she served a two year internship at Personal Counseling Service in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Shari’s special interests as a Pastoral Counselor include depression, anxiety, marital therapy, work with blended families and, of course, infertility. She has spoken to church groups, the general public, and medical professionals on topics including: dealing with children and grief, the blending of families, depression, and the personal and relational issues surrounding infertility. She has also been a group therapist providing treatment for adolescents, adults, and women with eating disorders. She has also joined her husband in the development of and participation in a program to provide continuing education and counseling for missionaries in Africa.

In 1991, Shari joined professional practices with Dr. Robert Stewart. Three years later they married and have for many years used their professional talents in psychiatry and counseling to help individuals, couples, and families. The Stewarts’ own painful experiences with infertility gave rise to Shari’s passion for understanding and treating the marital and emotional issues of infertility. It has also led to this combined focus in their shared practice. Her expertise lies in helping marriages survive the anxiety, grief, and depression which accompany the various stages of infertility work-up and treatment. Her experience also includes working with couples struggling with choices around surrogacy, egg donation, and adoption. Shari, Bob and their children reside in Louisville, Kentucky.

From hands-on health care to hard-nosed management, Rosalie Faris balances issues of compassion and competence on a daily basis.

A Registered Nurse for thirty years, Rosalie has worked directly with patients in some of the most sensitive areas of health care, including: Delivery, Post-Partum Care, Post-Anesthesia Care, and Outpatient Surgery. As a nurse case manager, she also works on behalf of patients, helping them to obtain approval of health care services from insurance carriers and self-insured employers.

Her experience on the management side covers a broad spectrum, ranging from the entrepreneurial energy of establishing start-up, multi-partner physician practices and developing the Outpatient Surgery Center at the Methodist Hospital in Louisville to the practical administrative management of a “solo practitioner” physician’s office and the complex management of an employee assistance program and wellness program for a large, self-insured employer.

For the Stewart Institute for Families, Rosalie’s background makes her the ideal person to ensure that we stay on course, providing valuable information and resources in the most effective and accessible way.