The best healthcare delivery requires leadership from diverse backgrounds and experiences. This list highlights African Americans who have taken on leadership roles across the country at hospitals and health systems as well as in national organizations. Both established and emerging leaders are featured on this list. These individuals influence how their organizations approach healthcare delivery, develop healthcare policy and advocate for the next generation of leaders.
Becker's Hospital Review accepted recommendations and conducted internal research to develop this list. Individuals cannot pay for inclusion on this list, which appears in alphabetical order.
Contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com with any questions or comments on this list.
Deborah Addo. CEO of Inova Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg, Va.). Ms. Addo served as COO and senior vice president of Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health from 2014-17 before joining Inova Loudoun Hospital as CEO. She previously spent time as vice president of patient care services at 300-bed Washington (Pa.) County Health System. Throughout her career, Ms. Addo has prioritized financial management and has a background in physician engagement, population health and organization re-engineering.
Sheila Antrum, RN. Senior Vice President and COO of UCSF Health (San Francisco). Ms. Antrum is responsible for patient services operations across UCSF Health in her role as senior vice president and COO. She oversees strategic implementation of the health system's affiliations as well as finances, quality and safety for adult patient services. Ms. Antrum has spent more than two decades with the University of California, most recently as chief nursing and patient services officer for UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco.
Elizabeth Appling. Chief Diversity Officer of Erlanger Health System (Chattanooga, Tenn.). Ms. Appling has built a 20-plus year career at Erlanger, serving as an employee relations representative before becoming chief diversity officer. She is a member of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management and the Tennessee Hospital Association, where she is a board member on the diversity committee. Ms. Appling earned a master's degree in business administration from McKenzie, Tenn.-based Bethel College.
Sereka Barlow. COO of The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus (El Paso, Texas). Ms. Barlow has over 21 years of healthcare management experience and is responsible for executive oversight and labor management for the 183-bed Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus. She previously served as COO of the William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, CEO of Mendoza Primary Care System in El Paso, and acting chief of staff for the Director of Defense Health Agency at the Tricare Regional Office in San Antonio.
Bryan Bennett. Executive Director and Founder of the Healthcare Center of Excellence (Buffalo Grove, Ill.). In addition to his responsibilities as executive director of Healthcare Center of Excellence, Mr. Bennett is a course developer and adjunct professor at Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies and teaches consumer behavior at Morgantown-based West Virginia University's Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Tanya Blackmon. Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Ms. Blackmon joined Novant in 1992 and has held several leadership roles over the years, including director of clinical improvement and community care services, director of inpatient discharge planning, COO of Novant Health Charlotte (N.C.) Orthopedic Hospital, and president of Novant Health Huntersville (N.C.) Medical Center. In her current role as executive vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, Ms. Blackmon is responsible for creating a culture where everyone feels valued and for meeting the system's business and patient care goals. She earned a master's degree in business administration from Charlotte-based Queens University and a master's degree in social work from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Mary Blunt. Senior Vice President of Sentara Healthcare (Norfolk, Va.). Ms. Blunt is responsible for the strategic and operational oversight of Sentara's Hampton Roads region, which includes Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Leigh Hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach (Va.) General Hospital, Sentara Princess Anne Hospital in Virginia Beach, and Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City, N.C. She joined Sentara in 1987 and has held several leadership roles over the years. Before working for Sentara, Ms. Blunt spent 10 years as a physical therapist in the Chicago area.
Jade Brice Roshell, MD. CMO of Shelby Baptist Medical Center (Birmingham, Ala.). In addition to her duties as CMO, Dr. Brice Roshell is hospitalist medical director at Shelby Baptist Medical Center. She earned a bachelor's degree from New Orleans-based Xavier University of Louisiana, a medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and a master's degree in business administration from Auburn (Ala.) University.
Denise Brooks-Williams. President and CEO of Henry Ford Wyandotte (Mich.) Hospital. Ms. Brooks-Williams began her career as a management fellow at Detroit-based Mercy Hospital after earning her bachelor's degree and master's degree in health services administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She became president and CEO of Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital in 2013 after spending time as president and CEO of Battle Creek, Mich.-based Bronson Healthcare. Ms. Brooks-Williams has served as president of the National Association of Health Services Executives.
Howard Brown. CFO of Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Medical Center. Mr. Brown has over 16 years of financial healthcare experience, including his current role as CFO of the 199-bed Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, where he oversees the financial department. He previously served as CFO of Miami-based North Shore Medical Center and a financial controller at West Palm Beach-based St. Mary's Medical Center and Palm Beach Children's Hospital.
Monique Butler, MD. CMO of Swedish Medical Center (Englewood, Colo.). Dr. Butler joined 408-bed Swedish Medical Center as CMO in August 2018 after serving as COO at Children's Hospital of Michigan-Detroit Medical Center and CMO at Detroit Receiving Hospital and Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit. While at Children's Hospital, Dr. Butler worked with her team to improve operating room turnover time, emergency department throughput and patient satisfaction. Under her leadership, Sinai-Grace implemented a Just Culture and earned the Tenet Top Hospital award for most improved physician satisfaction.
Michelle Cartwright. CFO of St. Mary's Medical Center (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Ms. Cartwright began her career at the 460-bed St. Mary's Medical Center as a senior accountant and went on to become an assistant controller and controller before being promoted to CFO. She earned her master's degree in accounting from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Nova Southeastern University.
Michellene Davis. Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at RWJBarnabas Health (Toms River, N.J.). Before joining RWJBarnabas Health, Ms. Davis was New Jersey's first African-American chief policy counsel to the governor and also served as acting state treasurer. In 2017, Ms. Davis earned a spot on the NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 and the 2017 Top 100 in Business. She also ranked as the top healthcare industry lobbyist in New Jersey by PolitickerNJ and has previous experience as a senior policy adviser in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.
Lloyd Dean. Co-CEO of CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). Mr. Dean is co-CEO of CommonSpirit Health, a new health system launched Feb. 1 as a merger between Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives and San Francisco-based Dignity Health. He previously served as president and CEO of Dignity Health, and led the health system through significant changes. Under his leadership, the health system grew to include more than 60,000 caregivers and staff spread across 21 states. Prior to joining Dignity, Mr. Dean was executive vice president and COO of Advocate Health Care in Oak Brook, Ill., and held a number of executive positions at the healthcare services division of the Upjohn Co.
Gregory Duckett, JD. Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care (Memphis, Tenn.). Mr. Duckett joined Baptist Memorial Health Care in 1992 and previously served as the chief administrative officer for the city of Memphis and as the director of Memphis Housing and Community Development. He serves on the State of Tennessee Election Commission, the board of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the board of directors of the National Civil Rights Museum. Mr. Duckett earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Memphis.
Willarda Edwards, MD. Board Member of the American Medical Association (Chicago). Dr. Edwards, a seasoned healthcare veteran with more than 30 years of clinical practice experience, has been a member of the American Medical Association House of Delegates for nearly 20 years. She currently works as an internist in a two-physician private practice in Baltimore and serves on the board of the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland and the FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee. Dr. Edwards, who was elected to the AMA's board of trustees in June 2016, previously served as the chair of the AMA Council on Constitution and Bylaws, chair of the Women Physicians Congress Governing Council and as a president of the National Medical Association. Adding to her achievements, Dr. Edwards also served as president and COO of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, as an assistant dean of student and faculty development at Baltimore-based University of Maryland School of Medicine, and as the national health advocacy director for the NAACP. Dr. Edwards is a retired U.S. Navy commander with 24 years of service.
Vanessa Ervin. President and CEO of Carobell (Hubert, N.C.). Since 1991, Ms. Ervin has served as the president and CEO of Carobell, a nonprofit organization that provides care to developmentally disabled people. In her role, Ms. Ervin oversees the organization's day-to-day operations, ensures compliance with federal standards and advises the board of directors to ensure the company thrives. Before serving as president and CEO of Carobell, Ms. Ervin was chair of Jacksonville, N.C.-based Onslow Memorial Hospital's board of directors and a regional policy board member for the American Hospital Association.
Bridgett Feagin. CFO of DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital and Hutzel Women's Hospital (Detroit). Ms. Feagin serves as the CFO for three of Detroit Medical Center's seven hospitals: Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital and Hutzel Women's Hospital, which together generated an EBITDA margin of 12 percent in 2017. In the last five years, thanks to her financial leadership, the health system improved departmental staffing productivity by 20 percent and yielded $50 million in savings. Ms. Feagin, who is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives, is now working to integrate the operating teams at the three hospitals into one team. Ms. Feagin previously served as vice president of finance and planning for DMC and CFO of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, where she still volunteers.
Gabrielle Finley-Hazle. CEO of St. Mary's Medical Center and Palm Beach Children's Hospital (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Ms. Finley-Hazle serves as CEO of the 460-bed St. Mary's Medical Center and Palm Beach Children's Hospital, a role she has held for nearly three years. During her tenure, Ms. Finley-Hazle has spearheaded multiple projects, including an expansion that will double the size of the hospital's trauma center and an expansion of the hospital's pediatric medical/surgical unit. Before joining St. Mary's, Ms. Finley-Hazle served as the CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based Florida Medical Center, where she led the launch of the hospital's comprehensive stroke center and helped oversee the construction of the region's first freestanding emergency department. In 2018, Ms. Finley-Hazle won the Palm Beach County Medical Society's Bruce Rendina Professional Heroes Award, which honors local individuals and organizations who provide extraordinary services addressing healthcare needs in the county, the nation or the globe.
Mary "Toni" Flowers. Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Roper St. Francis (Charleston, S.C.). Ms. Flowers serves as Roper St. Francis' first chief diversity and inclusion officer. In her role, Ms. Flowers works to cultivate a work environment that encourages and supports diversity among the health system's more than 5,400 teammates. Ms. Flowers, who has been recognized by CMS for her efforts in program development and reducing health disparities in South Carolina, also serves as a member of the executive committee of the American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare and works on the faculty at the Institute for Diversity's certificate in diversity management fellowship. In addition, she works as a coach for healthcare executives across the country. Ms. Flowers has served for more than 20 years as a medical missionary to countries in Africa, South America and the West Indies.
Jerry Fox. Senior Vice President and CIO of BJC HealthCare (St. Louis). Mr. Fox serves as vice president and CIO of BJC HealthCare, a 15-hospital system with more than 4,350 physicians. In his role, Mr. Fox plans, develops and supports technology initiatives throughout the system. Before joining BJC HealthCare, Mr. Fox was the global CIO for the $6 billion industrial automation company Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, where he was responsible for technology strategy and operations. Mr. Fox also co-founded IT United, a CIO advisory board that connects IT professionals with volunteer opportunities.
Garth Graham, MD. President of the Aetna Foundation (Hartford, Conn.). Dr. Graham serves as president of the Aetna Foundation, where he is responsible for the foundation's philanthropic efforts such as its grant-making strategies. Before joining the foundation, Dr. Graham served as the deputy assistant secretary for HHS, led the Office of Minority Health at HHS, and served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. During his time in the government sector, Dr. Graham helped implement key health equity provisions in the ACA and spearheaded the effort that closed the gap in flu vaccination rates among children of color. Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Graham is also a distinguished writer and editor on health disparities, authoring articles in the Journal of the American Medical Association and Health Affairs. He also published a book, The Role of Decentralization in Strengthening Equity in Healthcare, in 2009.
Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN. President of the American Nurses Association (Silver Spring, Md.). Dr. Grant was the first man elected president of the American Nurses Association. In 2015, he became the first African-American man to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a doctorate degree in nursing. Dr. Grant oversees the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, where he has coordinated prevention outreach programs for more than three decades. Former President George W. Bush honored Dr. Grant with the Nurse of the Year Award in 2002 for his volunteer efforts after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Dr. Grant volunteered at the burn center at New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, caring for patients injured in the attacks.
Audrey Gregory, PhD. CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare Memphis, Tenn., Market and CEO of Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis. As market CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare, Dr. Gregory oversees all areas of operations of the 479-bed Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis and the 156-bed Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett (Tenn.)., which are part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare. Dr. Gregory is dedicated to ensuring cultural diversity in healthcare, exemplified by her leadership in international recruiting efforts for Saint Francis Healthcare. Since March 2016, when she assumed the CEO role, the hospital has hired more than 50 registered nurses from the Caribbean. In 2017, the Tennessee Hospital Association honored Dr. Gregory with its Diversity Champion Award, which recognizes leaders for improving workforce diversity and inclusion.
Patrice Harris, MD. President-elect of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees (Chicago). Dr. Harris, a psychiatrist from Atlanta, was voted president-elect of the American Medical Association, becoming the first African-American woman to win the office. She will assume the role in June 2019. Dr. Harris was elected to the AMA board of trustees in 2011 and has since held several leadership positions within the association, including board secretary and board chair. Currently, Dr. Harris continues to work in the private sector and consults with public and private organizations on health service delivery and emerging policy trends. Dr. Harris also is an adjunct assistant professor in the Atlanta-based Emory University School of Medicine's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. In 2001, the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association named Dr. Harris Psychiatrist of the Year.
Kidada Hawkins. COO of Princeton Baptist Medical Center (Birmingham, Ala.). Mr. Hawkins, the COO of the 505-bed Princeton Baptist Medical Center, oversees the hospital's day-to-day operations, ensuring staff deliver high-quality, cost-effective care and services with a positive margin. Although Mr. Hawkins was just recently named COO at Princeton Baptist in October 2018, his tenure in the healthcare industry spans more than a decade and includes several leadership roles, such as COO of rural operations at Birmingham-based St. Vincent's Health System. At St. Vincent's, Mr. Hawkins helped raise patient satisfaction scores from the 19th to the 85th percentile over three years. He also served as CEO at Shoals Hospital in Muscle Shoals, Ala., where he helped increase the hospital's EBITDA margins by 47.1 percent.
Trent Haywood, MD. CMO of Clinical Affairs for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (Chicago). Dr. Haywood serves as vice president and CMO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, overseeing a national federation of 36 independent BCBS companies. In his role, Dr. Haywood is responsible for improving healthcare coverage choices, care quality and patient safety for BCBS members. Dr. Haywood also serves as president of the BCBS Institute, which was established to understand and address social determinants of health. Before joining the association, Dr. Haywood served as senior vice president and CMO for VHA, a network of nonprofit healthcare organizations working in clinical, financial and operational management. In addition, he served as deputy CMO for CMS, where he led priorities such as the push to value-based payments and quality public reporting.
James E.K. Hildreth, MD, PhD. President and CEO of Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Hildreth serves as president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, one of the nation's oldest historically African-American academic health science centers committed to helping underserved communities. In his role, which he assumed in 2015, Dr. Hildreth establishes partnerships with renowned organizations, builds a talent pipeline to address the nationwide shortage of African-American physicians, and oversees operations to ensure the organization succeeds financially and academically. At Meharry, Dr. Hildreth founded and later became the director of the Center for AIDS Health Disparities Research. Even before joining Meharry, Dr. Hildreth devoted his life and career to minority healthcare, beginning as an internationally recognized HIV/AIDS researcher. His research led to 11 patents and 90 published scientific articles. In 2002, Dr. Hildreth became the first African-American in the 125-year history of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to earn full professorship with tenure in the basic sciences, and in 2014 he was selected to serve on the Harvard University Board of Overseers.
Denver Hopkins. Chief Human Resources Officer of St. Mary's Medical Center (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Palm Beach Children's Hospital (West Palm Beach). Ms. Hopkins serves as the chief human resources officer of the 460-bed St. Mary's Medical Center and Palm Beach Children's Hospital, where she improves employee relations, diversity and benefits for more than 1,800 team members. Before assuming the role at St. Mary's in May 2018, she served as vice president of human resources at Nashville, Tenn.-based TriStar Centennial Medical Center, where she decreased contract labor utilization by 34 percent and increased net hires by 130 percent in her first 150 days on the job. In addition, she designed and oversaw a $1.7 million initiative to reduce nurse and leadership turnover at TriStar.
Sandra Johnson. Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management of Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore). With more than 25 years of revenue cycle experience, Ms. Johnson oversees revenue cycle for five Johns Hopkins hospitals. Since joining Johns Hopkins in 2012, Ms. Johnson has overseen its Epic installation and assisted in the creation of a shared services center for health information management. Ms. Johnson is a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and American College of Healthcare Executives.
Kenneth Jones. President of AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital (Evanston, Ill.). Mr. Jones became president of AMITA Health Presence Saint Francis Hospital in May 2017 after spending time as CEO of St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He has experience improving employee satisfaction, physician recruitment, leading hospital renovations and succeeding with safety initiatives. He previously served as a board member of Big Brothers, Big Sisters in northeast Indiana and the Fort Wayne Urban League.
Quadiru Kent. Group Chief Human Resources Officer of Detroit and Illinois at Detroit Medical Center. Before serving as chief human resources officer covering Detroit and Illinois of Tenet's Detroit Medical Center, Mr. Kent was the vice president of human resources at Conifer, a healthcare management solutions company. There, he was responsible for leading the HR function for revenue cycle management business operations across 40-plus states with more than 11,000 team members. This experience translated well into his current role, where he works with more than 11,000 employees. Mr. Kent also serves as the chief cultural champion, fostering a workplace culture to maximize the ability to attract, grow and retain top talent.
Wright Lassiter. President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Lassiter oversees Henry Ford Health System's six hospitals, health plan, and various ambulatory and retail health services. Before leading Henry Ford Health System's 60 clinical locations and 30,000 employees, he served as the health system's president. Mr. Lassiter led the board of directors and senior management team in a strategic planning effort in 2014, his first year at the health system. Prior to joining Henry Ford Health System, he served as CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based Alameda Health System.
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD. President Emerita of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Princeton, N.J.) and RWJF Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor of Health Policy and Health Equity at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). Prior to her current role, Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey served as CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for 15 years. A specialist in geriatrics, Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey has spearheaded initiatives to strengthen the integration of health systems and services. She is a former member of the President's Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and is currently a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey earned her medical degree from Boston-based Harvard Medical School and her MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Shawn Levitt, BSN, RN. Senior Vice President of Detroit Medical Center, CNO of DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan, and Michigan/Illinois Group CNO of Tenet Healthcare (Dallas). A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Ms. Levitt is a certified professional in healthcare quality and in managed care nursing. Holding more than 30 years of experience in clinical operations, quality and process improvement, Ms. Levitt is responsible for aligning clinical quality and safety standards for DMC's seven hospitals and three hospitals in Tenet's Illinois market. In 2017, she was instrumental in establishing a Michigan Tier 1 Special Pathogen Unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Ms. Levitt also played a crucial role in DMC's transition from a nonprofit health system to a Tenet affiliate in 2013.
George Lewis. President of Kettering Physician Network (Dayton, Ohio). Mr. Lewis became president of Kettering Physician Network in 2013. Prior to this, he served as vice president of San Diego-based Scripps Health. With more than 20 years of financial, operational and strategic planning experience in healthcare, Mr. Lewis spent time in executive leadership positions at Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health and Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center. Mr. Lewis' expertise also extends into physician compensation and medical group management.
Stephan Lillie. CFO of MetroWest Medical Center (Framingham Union, Mass.). As CFO of MetroWest Medical Center, Mr. Lillie is part of the turnaround team, where he drove 77 percent EBITDA growth in less than 12 months. Mr. Lillie was selected to serve on Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare's labor management advisory committee to provide insight on challenging labor decisions across Tenet's hospital operations. In 2017, he won the Tenet Hero award at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center in Houston. Before serving as MetroWest CFO, Mr. Lillie was comptroller at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center. He's also served as a senior financial analyst at Houston-based Memorial Hermann and an internal auditor at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.
Kevin Lofton. Co-CEO of CommonSpirit (Chicago). Mr. Lofton is co-CEO of CommonSpirit Health, a new health system launched Feb. 1 as a merger between Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives and San Francisco-based Dignity Health. His experience spans more than 40 years. While CEO of CHI, Mr. Lofton oversees the nation's third-largest nonprofit health system, with 100 hospitals and hundreds of facilitates. He also has experience as CEO of two university hospitals. He served as chairman of the board of trustees of the American Hospital Association and helped create the Equity of Care initiative to address disparities in healthcare for ethnic and racial minorities.
Conrad L. Mallett Jr. President and CEO of Detroit Medical Center Sinai-Grace Hospital. As CEO of DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital, Mr. Mallett oversees a 350-bed critical care hospital with an emergency department that receives more than 100,000 visits a year, and he leads more than 1,300 clinical and nonclinical colleagues. In 2017, the hospital admitted more than 18,000 inpatients and performed more than 8,000 surgeries. Mr. Mallett also has served as the medical center's chief administration officer and is a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Beverly Malone, PhD, RN. CEO of National League for Nursing (Washington, D.C.). Prior to joining the National League for Nursing, Dr. Malone served as general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, the United Kingdom's largest professional union of nurses. The American Psychological Association has recognized Dr. Malone with a citation for her leadership in advancing excellence in healthcare for the national and global community. Dr. Malone is a former president of the American Nurses Association, representing 180,000 registered nurses. She also served four years on President Bill Clinton's advisory commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry.
Patricia Maryland. Executive Vice President of Ascension and President and CEO of Ascension Healthcare (St. Louis). Ms. Maryland has an extensive career of leadership experience. Prior to her current roles, she served as president of healthcare operations and COO of Ascension Healthcare. Ms. Maryland also served as president and CEO of St. John Providence Health System in Warren, Mich., and president of St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital. On top of her leadership experience, she is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, National Association of Health Services Executives and the Medical Group Management Association. Ms. Maryland plans to step down from her role in June.
Margaret McKenzie, MD. President of Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital (Warrensville Heights, Ohio). Dr. McKenzie is the second Cleveland Clinic OB/GYN to take the helm of a Cleveland Clinic regional hospital. Prior to her current role, Dr. McKenzie served as chief administrator of South Pointe Hospital, growing its volume. With an extensive clinical, educational, administrative and leadership background, Dr. McKenzie is a member of the Cleveland Board of Governors, Women's Professional Staff Association and Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics Faculty Development Seminar. A board-certified physician, Dr. McKenzie oversees South Pointe Hospitals 173-registered beds.
Rosland McLeod. Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of SCL Health (Broomfield, Colo.). Ms. McLeod joined SCL Health in 2012 as senior vice president and chief legal officer, overseeing systemwide legal services and risk management strategy. She has previous experience as vice president and chief compliance officer at Biogen, a company focused on therapies for people with neurological disorders. She also spent time as a healthcare partner at K&L Gates, an international law firm.
Tonisha J. Melvin, DNP. Director-at-Large of the American Nurses Association (Silver Spring, Md.). Dr. Melvin is a nurse practitioner at Augusta, Ga.-based Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where she manages disability claims and is an environmental health registry specialist. In addition to being director-at-large for the American Nurses Association, she serves on the audit panel for the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses and is a member of the Georgia Nurses Association. Dr. Melvin is a contributing author of a nurse curriculum — The Charge Nurse Leader Program Builder: A Competency-Based Approach for Developing Frontline Leaders — which focuses on leadership and mentor training.
Jennifer Mieres, MD. Senior Vice President of the Center for Equity of Care and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). As the leader of Northwell Health's Center for Equity of Care, Dr. Mieres oversees the Katz Institute for Women's Health and Northwell's healthcare education and access programs. An expert in the field of cardiovascular disease in women, she served as the first female president of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology in 2009, and was awarded the 2014 Women in Cardiology mentoring award from the American College of Cardiology.
Cynthia Moore-Hardy. President and CEO of Lake Health System (Mentor, Ohio). Ms. Moore joined Lake Health in 1988 and nine years later became president and CEO. She oversees the health system, which includes 600 physicians and 3,000 healthcare professionals providing care at several locations, including Beachwood Medical Center expected to open in March 2019. She spent time as the chair of the Ohio Hospital Association in 2016 and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Karen Morrison. President of OhioHealth Foundation and Senior Vice President of External Affairs for OhioHealth (Columbus). Ms. Morrison is the corporate officer in her roles as president of the OhioHealth Foundation and senior vice president of OhioHealth Corp. Since joining OhioHealth more than 20 years ago, she has served as a healthcare executive, attorney and lobbyist, and currently helms the health system's external relations strategy. Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently appointed Ms. Morrison to the Bowling Green (Ohio) State University Board of Trustees.
Marvin O'Quinn. President and COO of CommonSpirit (San Francisco). Prior to his appointment as president and COO of CommonSpirit, the merged entity of Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives, Mr. O'Quinn was senior executive vice president and COO of Dignity Health. During his tenure with Dignity, Mr. O'Quinn oversaw the 39-hospital system's operations in three states. The system saved $100 million under his leadership in fiscal year 2016. Prior to joining Dignity Health in 2009, Mr. O'Quinn, whose healthcare career spans 35 years, held executive roles at Miami-based Jackson Health System, Atlantic Health System in Morristown, N.J., New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and other healthcare institutions.
William Owen Jr., MD. Dean and Chancellor of Ross University School of Medicine (Miramar, Fla.). As the senior academic officer at the Ross University School of Medicine, Dr. Owen oversees about 2,800 medical students and 1,000 medical faculty and staff. He is school's first African-American dean and chancellor, and was the first African-American to head up Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital's kidney disease program. In 2017, when Hurricane Maria destroyed Ross University medical school's Dominica campus, Dr. Owen successfully managed the emergency evacuation of roughly 1,500 staff and students.
James Page Jr. Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.). Before joining Vanderbilt in August 2018 Mr. Page served as the vice president and chief diversity officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. He joined Johns Hopkins after spending four years as the assistant vice president and chief diversity officer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Before entering the healthcare industry, the engineer worked more than 10 years with Dell in the company's global diversity, global ethics, compliance and privacy units.
Michele Patterson. Director of Clinical Services, Comprehensive Stroke Program at St. Luke's Baptist Hospital (San Antonio). Ms. Patterson became the director of clinical services for St. Luke's Baptist Hospital South Texas Lung Institute after spending more than 20 years as the manager of the stroke program at San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare System. While at Methodist, Ms. Patterson began working as a primary stroke program manager for a large hospital and helped it attain primary stroke certification a year later. Ms. Patterson regularly acts as an industry expert and mentors for nursing staff and students in her community.
Marlon Priest, MD. Executive Vice President, CMO and Market Leader for Senior Services of Bon Secours Health System (Ashland, Ky.). Dr. Priest joined Bon Secours Health System in 2006. He has 28-plus years of experience in healthcare, and before joining Bon Secours, he was a professor of emergency medicine and surgery, senior associate chief of staff and chief quality officer for University Hospital at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Priest is a board-certified internal medicine and emergency medicine physician.
Terika Richardson. President of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, Ill.). Before becoming president of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Ms. Richardson was president of Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill., and Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago. She joined the Advocate system after serving as CEO of Retreat Doctors' Hospital in Richmond, Va., part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare. During her tenure with Retreat Doctors' Hospital, Ms. Richardson generated positive earnings within the first two quarters of her employment, growing outpatient surgery by 48 percent and driving inpatient volume growth through a new robotic surgery program.
Gary Richberg, BSN, RN. Administrator of Pacific Rim Outpatient Surgery Center (Bellingham, Wash.). Mr. Richberg became the administrator of the Pacific Rim Outpatient Surgery Center in 2006, where today he oversees about 450 cases each month ranging from outpatient total joint replacements to neurosurgery and orthopedic spine procedures. Prior to his appointment at Pacific Rim Outpatient Surgery Center, he spent four years as the administrator of Las Vegas-based Institute of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Pat Rosenberg. CNO of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). Prior to becoming CNO at the 199-bed Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Ms. Rosenberg was the CNO at Fort Lauderdale-based Florida Medical Center. At Florida Medical Center, Ms. Rosenberg implemented shared governance, including councils on acute care, critical care and education. Before heading to Florida Medical Center, Ms. Rosenberg led the clinical transformation team at Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health and rolled out patient safety programs across Trinity's 90 hospitals.
Samuel Ross, MD. CEO of Bon Secours Baltimore Health System and Executive Vice President of Bon Secours Health System (Ashland, Ky.). Dr. Ross holds several leadership titles at Bon Secours Health System, including CEO of Bon Secours Baltimore, executive vice president of the health system, market leader for Bon Secours Kentucky, supply chain leader for the system and executive sponsor of the enterprise project management office. In 2018, he was appointed to the Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism in Maryland. Dr. Ross also serves on the Baltimore City Police commissioner's African-American advisory council, and has chaired several boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Baltimore branch, and 340B Health.
Rhonda Scott, MD. COO of Grady Hospital (Atlanta). Ms. Scott joined Grady Hospital in 2004 after spending 20 years in nursing. She serves as COO of the hospital and was an integral part of Grady's efforts to eliminate nurse contract labor as well as improve nursing, patient and physician satisfaction. She has served as president of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and is a fellow of Philadelphia-based Wharton School of Business.
Brandi Smith-Gordon. Vice President of Philanthropy at Lakeland Health and President of Lakeland Health Foundations (Benton Harbor, Mich.). Before becoming vice president of philanthropy at Lakeland Health and president of Lakeland Health Foundations in 2017, Ms. Smith-Gordon served as Lakeland Health Foundations' director of development. She has two decades of experience in journalism, television, marketing and development. The Lakeland Health Foundation has a 30-to-1 impact and includes a board of 80 volunteers who raise funds to support healthcare access and delivery.
Kevin Smothers, MD. Chief Medical Executive of Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Smothers serves as the primary liaison between the medical staff, clinical leadership and senior administration of Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, a large nonprofit health system. He is responsible for leading clinical quality, patient safety and experience as well as clinical strategy and medical affairs. Prior to joining Sutter, Dr. Smothers was instrumental in helping Washington, D.C.-based Adventist HealthCare pursue clinical excellence and population health initiatives, implementing the system's One Health Quality Alliance Clinically Integrated Network, which now has more than 500 providers.
Rick Stevens. President of Christian Hospital (St. Louis). Mr. Stevens is president of Christian Hospital, responsible for strategic leadership and daily operations of the 220-bed institution. He has more than 20 years of healthcare experience, including serving as chief administrative officer and vice president for Sutter California Pacific Medical Center St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco. He also held executive roles at Methodist McKinney (Texas) Hospital and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare in Louisville, Ky.
Pamela Sutton-Wallace. CEO of University of Virginia Medical Center (Charlottesville). As CEO of the University of Virginia Medical Center, Ms. Sutton-Wallace is responsible for the 612-inpatient bed hospital as well as the UVA Children's Hospital and more than 100 primary and specialty care clinics. She joined UVA in 2014 after serving as senior vice president for hospital operations at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Hospital, a 1,100-bed institution. She also was COO of ambulatory services and vice president for perioperative services at Duke. In addition to her current role, Ms. Sutton-Wallace serves on the community board of American Essential Hospitals, Vizient's Academic Medical Center Board of Managers and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association board.
Nicole Thomas. President of Baptist Medical Center South (Jacksonville, Fla.). Ms. Thomas is the first female hospital president in the history of South Miami, Fla.-based Baptist Health. She is responsible for the operational and strategic direction of the second-largest hospital in the health system. Prior to joining Baptist Health in 2011 as vice president of operations and specialty services, she was assistant vice president of operations for Houston-based St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. In 2018, the Northeast Florida Girl Scout Council honored her as one of its Women of Distinction. She has also been named a Woman of Influence by the Jacksonville Business Journal and received the Women in Business Award from the Jacksonville Women's Network.
Stephanie Talley. Texas Group Chief Human Resources Officer; Chief Human Resources Officer, The Hospitals of Providence (El Paso, Texas). Ms. Talley provides strategic and operational leadership for all human resources functions within The Hospitals of Providence network, which includes 4,000 employees within the Tenet El Paso market. She sets the vision for her team, creates collaborative partnerships and sets strategy tied to the business. At the group level, she also facilitates sharing best practices and ensures alignment of all Texas facilities within corporate HR initiatives and requirements. In 2018, Ms. Talley developed a campaign at the Hospitals of Providence encouraging employees to vote, and successfully registered 175 employees to vote for the first time.
Bernard Tyson. Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals (Oakland, Calif.). As chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Mr. Tyson leads an organization serving 12.2 million members. He became CEO in 2013 and chairman in 2014; since then, the health system has maintained its status as an innovator in healthcare. In 2017, he appeared on Time's list of 100 of the most influential people in the world and one of the publication's Health Care 50 honorees. In addition to his responsibilities at Kaiser, Mr. Tyson serves on the board of directors for the American Heart Association and Salesforce. He is also the chair of America's Health Insurance Plans.
Michael Ugwueke. President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare (Memphis). Mr. Ugwueke became president and COO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in May 2014 and was promoted to president and CEO in January 2017. He has experience providing strategic and operational leadership for the health system's adult inpatient hospitals and affiliated companies. Prior to joining Methodist, he was vice president of operations at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center, a 517-bed tertiary hospital in Joliet, Ill.
Antoinette "Toni" Hardy-Waller, RN, BSN. CEO of The Leverage Network (Chicago). Ms. Hardy-Waller has more than 25 years of experience building, owning and managing healthcare businesses. She is the CEO and co-founder of The Leverage Network, a nonprofit organization that aims to advance African-American leadership in healthcare. Ms. Hardy-Waller has served on the board of Omaha-based Alegent Creighton Health and the National Association for Health Services Executives and is on the board of stewardship trustees of Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, which merged with Dignity Health in December of last year to become CommonSpirit Health. Ms. Hardy-Waller also founded Strategic Health Transformations, a national consulting firm.
Lynette Watkins, MD. Texas Group CMO of Tenet Healthcare (Dallas). Dr. Watkins is the CMO of hospitals and facilities in Tenet Healthcare's Texas group, implementing strategies to advance patient safety and clinical quality. She previously served as market CMO for Baptist Health System in San Antonio as well as CMO and COO of Paris (Texas) Regional Medical Center. Dr. Watkins is an ophthalmologist and has held leadership roles at Harvard Medical School as well as the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, both in Boston.
Patricia Wilkerson-Uddyback, MD. Vice President of Detroit Medical Center's Academic and Community Affairs. Dr. Wilkerson-Uddyback previously served as vice president of medical affairs at DMC's Harper University, Hutzel Women's and Detroit Receiving Hospitals, managing issues and processes related to physicians and patients, including quarterly performance reports. In addition to her clinical work, she has a passion for mentoring and started the Medical Mentors Pipeline Program at Harper-Hutzel and the affiliated Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, providing opportunities for high school and college students interested in becoming physicians. She is on the board of directors for Detroit Community Health Connection.
Ruth Williams-Brinkley. President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest (Oakland, Calif.). Ms. Williams-Brinkley oversees Kaiser Permanente's care delivery and health plan operations in Oregon as well as markets in Vancouver and Washington as president of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. Ms. Williams-Brinkley is former CEO of KentuckyOne Health, a division of Catholic Health Initiatives, which merged with Dignity Health to become CommonSpirit Health last year. While there, she oversaw successful post-merger systems integration and expanded signature programs in heart and cancer care.
Andrea Willis, MD. Senior Vice President and CMO of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. Dr. Willis makes sure the clinical initiatives and quality endeavors of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee support member needs as well as contribute to the overall health and well being of communities. She is senior vice president and CMO of the organization, and makes sure quality care is at the forefront of all discussions with providers, customers and other stakeholders. She previously developed and directed CoverKids, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, and served as deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health.
Yolande Wilson-Stubbs, EMBA, RN, BSN. President of Amita Health Holy Family Medical Center (Des Plaines, Ill.). Ms. Wilson-Stubbs is responsible for the operational, financial and business development programs at Amita Health Holy Family Medical Center's 129-bed long-term acute care hospital. She has more than 20 years of experience as a senior leader and has driven efforts to promote innovation and technology adoption at the hospital. She previously served as CEO of Kindred Hospital Boston North Shore.
Eugene Woods. President and CEO of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Mr. Woods joined the 440-hospital health system, which includes 900 care locations, in April 2016 and united the organization's 65,000 teammates under a new vision for improved healthcare. The health system was recognized as one of the best employers for diversity by Forbes under his leadership. He became the chairman of the board of trustees for the American Hospital Association in 2017 and now serves as immediate past chair. Before joining Atrium, Mr. Woods was president and COO of Christus Health.