Of all the stories Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, has shared about his longtime friend Tim Stettheimer, perhaps the most powerful is one that happened just months before his passing. During Stettheimer’s final CHIME trip, he could have easily used his free time to rest. But, true to form, he planned one excursion after another, forcing Branzell to (once again) leave his comfort zone and create memories.

“He’s a person who brought people great joy and helped them focus on the right things in life,” Branzell said during a recent conversation with Kate Gamble, managing editor at healthsystemCIO. In it, he talked about how he and Stettheimer bonded as young CIOs with similar values; the qualities that helped make him such a great mentor, teacher and friend; the enormous task CHIME faces in replacing him as VP of Education; and most importantly, how much he will be missed. “He lived a life worth of recognition, but I also want people to remember him for who he was: an amazing human being.”

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Key Takeaways

* He was one of those people where the second you met him, you knew how intelligent he was, but that he knew how to use that intelligence in a way that was meaningful.

* There aren’t many people on this earth who, in a moment’s notice, would drop everything and come and help us if we ever need it.

* He was just as authentic in front of a bunch of students he had never met before as he was with friends he’d known for 25 years.

* When you’re looking for someone who has real-world experience, teaching experience, a great personality, the ability to speak in a public forum, you’re basically looking for a unicorn… something that doesn’t exist. Even today, we’re having a hard time replacing that position.

* I hope we never stop recognizing him because I think he lived a life worth recognition, but I also want people to remember him for who he was — just an amazing human being.

Q&A with Russ Branzell, CEO & President, CHIME

Gamble:  I wanted to get your thoughts on Tim Stettheimer. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is that the best way to honor people is by sharing their stories. I think that’s so important.

Branzell:  Without a doubt. Tim and I had been doing this together for almost 27 years. We’ve had some crazy adventures, some laughs, and a few tears along the way. We’ve gone through life together, supporting each other as friends since the mid-90s. It’s been a long journey.

 

Gamble:  Can you tell me about when and how you first met him?

Branzell:  CHIME used to have this program called the IME (Information Management Executive) Series, which was the predecessor to Boot Camp. It was taught by people like Adrienne Edens, Ed Kopetsky, Tim Zoph, John Glaser, Stephanie Reel, and so many other icons in our industry.

This program brought all kinds of different people together over three different series of classes. Tim and I met at the very first class. I don’t know if we went through all three classes together, but I know we both attended IT Strategy, which was taught mostly by John Glaser at a little Marriott in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Once you were there, you basically didn’t leave for a few days, and so Tim and I got to know each other well. We were the young kids there. When we realized we were both in CIO jobs at a young age, we connected. We had gone through parallel journeys in our careers and our family lives with our kids being about the same age.