About Us

Barbara Gerber, FACHE

Founder & President

Barbara Gerber is the founder and president of Devon Hill Associates. She has been involved in marketing and planning activities since 1979. Prior to forming Devon Hill Associates, Ms. Gerber organized and served as the first marketing department director for Ohio Valley General Hospital. Prior to that position, she coordinated strategic planning and physician recruitment and managed 11 departments for Aliquippa Hospital. Ms. Gerber has won numerous awards for her marketing programs, including a marketing campaign for the Shenango Inn Independent Living and Personal Care Home which captured the Marketing Excellence Award in Health Care and Marketer of the Year Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Ms. Gerber is a pioneer in healthcare mystery shopping. Devon Hill Associates’ Secret Patient service has been written about in numerous newspapers and magazines and Ms. Gerber has appeared on the O’Reilly Hour. In addition to healthcare mystery shopping, Ms. Gerber has consulted with occupational health programs, retirement and assisted living communities in marketing, sales and mystery shopping. She has co-authored chapters on marketing and communications and has written articles on mystery shopping and customer service which have appeared in the Group Practice Journal, Contemporary Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Today. Ms. Gerber has an MLS and MPH in Health Administration plus a Marketing Certificate from the University of Pittsburgh.

William Neff, Ph.D.

Sales & Training Consultant

Dr. Neff combines over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, trainer and private practice management consultant. He also has been a university administrator, a commercial and industrial real estate broker and Director of the Metro School of Real Estate for six years. Dr. Neff’s teaching experience is extensive at the university, private school and training seminar levels. Since 1976, Dr. Neff has been an Assistant Professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s General Studies Program and in the Katz Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses in sales, business, administration, human behavior and recruitment and selection. He has also taught courses in real estate law, real estate finance, business psychology, sales management and organizational design. As a consultant for Devon Hill Associates, Dr. Neff trains and coaches marketing and sales staff, executive directors and administrators in sales and sales management. Dr. Neff has a Ph.D in Higher Education from the University of Pittsburgh

Mary R. Kukovich

Public Relations & Communications Consultant

Mary Kukovich, PR and communications consultant for Devon Hill Associates, is president of Kukovich & Associates, a firm that specializes in the areas of communications, public relations, fund raising, strategic planning, marketing and institutional advancement. Since 1985, Ms. Kukovich has consulted with colleges and universities across the country, as well as non-profit groups, hospitals, long-term care companies, cultural arts organizations and corporate clients such as H.J. Heinz Company, PNC Bank Financial Services and Alcoa. As a consultant for Devon Hill Associates, Ms. Kukovich has helped to develop comprehensive public relations and communications plans for the grand opening and promotion of independent and assisted living communities.

Ms. Kukovich began her career at Duquesne University, where she served for eight years as Director of Communications. She then became a national field staff consultant with Ketchum, Inc. (at the time, the nation’s largest fund-raising firm), where her duties included conducting pre-campaign feasibility and institutional assessment studies, development of short-and long-term public relations programs and on-site campaign coordination with corporate, foundation and civic leadership. Ms. Kukovich later joined Ketchum Public Relations as a public affairs consultant. Ms. Kukovich’s marketing programs and publications have been recognized numerous times by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), The Admissions Marketing Report, The Healthcare Marketing Report, the National Schools and Public Relations Association, the American Marketing Association and Mercury Awards of the Public Relations Conference.