Diversity is important in the healthcare C-suite so health systems can best serve their entire patient population and workforce.
A 2021 survey from the Chartis Group and the National Association of Health Services Executives found 46 percent of surveyed hospitals had at least one Black leader in the C-suite and 10 percent of total C-suite positions were filled by Black leaders. Six percent of the CEOs were Black, and 81 percent of diversity and equity roles were held by Black leaders.
Becker's is thrilled to highlight the amazing work Black leaders and executives are doing in communities across the U.S. Their perspective is valuable to build strong organizations, community partnerships and clinical programs promoting health equity and inclusion. They are also elevating the next generation of healthcare leaders.
Note: This list was developed to highlight Black healthcare leaders at healthcare delivery organizations the U.S. Contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments. Click here to view nomination forms for future lists.
Naomi Diaz, Cailey Gleeson, Riz Hatton, Marcus Robertson, Marissa Plescia and Ariana Portalatin contributed to the development of this list.
Greg Adams. Chair and CEO of Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Mr. Adams leads a network of 39 hospitals, 730 medical offices and more than 216,000 employees. His work is focused on growing the organization's membership, improving affordability and expanding healthcare access. He holds leadership positions at several organizations, including being a member of the board of directors for America's Health Insurance Plans.
Paul Alexander, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Health Equity and Transformation Officer at RWJBarnabas Health (Orange, N.J.). Dr. Alexander plays a critical role in building and streamlining RWJBarnabas Health's infrastructure and advancing its transition to value-based care. Dr. Alexander also oversees RWJBarnabas Health’s Social Impact and Community Investment Practice, leading the system to identify and address social determinants of health impacting patients, surrounding communities, and employees. Dr. Alexander also plays a key role in RWJBarnabas Health’s population health activities and the expansion of the system’s use of analytics and data tracking to address population health.
Chris Allen. CFO of Keck Medical Center, Keck Medicine of USC (Los Angeles). Mr. Allen leads Keck Medical Center's financial strategy. In his role, he is responsible for the medical center's accounting and financial reporting, cash flow management and purchasing, and more. Through his leadership, Mr. Allen encourages his team to speak up, take chances and grow.
Machelle Allen, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals (New York City). Dr. Allen became deputy chief medical officer of NYC Health + Hospitals in 2013 and stepped into the interim CMO role three years later before being promoted to the role permanently. She was the associate medical director of the health system's Bellevue hospital before taking on more administrative responsibilities at the system level.
Dianne Aroh, RN. Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Tacoma, Wash.). Ms. Aroh's responsibilities at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health include nursing, care management and pharmacy. She is also the division's liaison for food and nutrition services, as well as environmental services. Ms. Aroh is passionate about mentoring and empowering nurses and ensures they are included in the decision-making process.
Tommye Austin, PhD, MSN. Chief Nursing Executive and Senior Vice President at University Health (San Antonio). Dr. Austin oversees about 2,800 nurses throughout the University Health system. Her leadership during COVID-19 was exemplary as she created a plan to shift nurses to the patient care areas where they were most needed. In her three years leading the nursing program, Dr. Austin strengthened staffing and preparation for emergencies by recruiting nurses.
Francine Baker-Witt, DNP, RN. President and CEO of Effingham Health System (Springfield, Ga.). Dr. Baker-Witt joined Effingham Health System in 2015 and became CEO in 2017. She is responsible for operations of a 25-bed critical access hospital, the 105-bed Effingham Care & Rehabilitation Center, five family medicine locations, two imaging centers and the hospital's foundation. Dr. Baker-Witt was executive director of women and infant services at Grady Health System in Atlanta before joining Effingham Health System. She is a member of the American Hospital Association Rural Health Committee.
Marlon Brewer, MD. Chief of the Medical Primary Care Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (New York City). Dr. Brewer is the chair of the medical primary care clinic and associate director of the department of ambulatory care at NYC Health + Hospital/Elmhurst. He advocates for improving health in underserved and minority communities. He also champions the recruitment of more people of color to work in the field of medicine. Dr. Brewer was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a member of the Board of Health of the City of New York in 2006 and served for nine years.
Sandra E. Brooks, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Community Health Equity Officer of Thomas Jefferson University and Chief Medical Officer of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (Philadelphia). Dr. Brooks spent time as the director of the division of gynecology and oncology at the University of Maryland in College Park and chief medical officer of St. Joseph's Women's and Children's Hospital in Tampa, Fla., before joining Jefferson Health just before the pandemic. Over the last two years, Dr. Brooks became engaged in quality and safety initiatives at Jefferson and the health system's COVID-19 promotional campaign.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. Administrator of CMS (Baltimore). Ms. Brooks-LaSure oversees several CMS programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the healthcare.gov marketplace. She was a key player in the development of the Affordable Care Act in her roles at the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight and within HHS. She also assisted with the passing of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 as part of the staff for the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee.
Shannon Brown Joseph. National Director of Nursing Workforce Pipeline at Ascension (St. Louis). In Ms. Joseph's role, she is responsible for finding solutions to workforce needs through collaboration. She developed a strategic workforce development plan for a systemwide rollout to educate, train and place more than 1,000 new hires to date. Ms. Joseph also plans national efforts to increase skills in nursing and the nursing support workforce across 22 states and the entire organization.
Ahnyel Burkes, DNP, RN. National Senior Director of Nursing at Ascension (St. Louis). Dr. Burkes oversees Ascension's national residency program for new graduate nurses and transition-to-practice programs. She is a dynamic leader and collaborator. Dr. Burkes has been an advocate for mitigating healthcare workplace violence in Louisiana since 2018.
Mary Chatman, RN, PhD. Executive Vice President at Wellstar Health System (Marietta, Ga.). Dr. Chatman's leadership and collaborative work ethic can be seen throughout the health system. She manages a team of more than 10,000 staff members. Dr. Chatman is a seasoned leader with 32 years of healthcare experience.
André Churchwell, MD. Vice Chancellor of equity, diversity and inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer of Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Churchwell was the first African American chief medical resident at Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital in 1984 while completing his medical training. A few years later, he was among the team of experts from Emory and Georgia Tech in Atlanta that formed a bioengineering center. He has earned several awards for his achievements in cardiology and health equity and dedicated his career to improving diversity in medical trainees and academic medicine.
Keith Churchwell, MD. President of Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital and Executive Vice President of Yale New Haven Health System. Dr. Churchwell became president of Yale New Haven Hospital in October 2020 after serving as executive vice president and COO of Yale New Haven Health. Before joining the system in 2015, Dr. Churchwell was executive director and chief medical officer of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute in Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Churchwell is a member of the national board of directors for the American Heart Association.
Kevin Churchwell, MD. President and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Churchwell oversees the strategic vision of Boston Children's Hospital to advance child health with clinical care, research and innovation, medical education and community engagement. He joined the hospital in 2013 as executive vice president of health affairs and COO, and was later promoted to his current role. He established three of the 11 offices of health equity and inclusion at hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, including the Boston Children's office, and he is a board member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN. Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive and Co-Chair of the Equity and Access Council at NYC Health + Hospitals (New York City). Dr. Cineas is responsible for more than 9,600 nurses and 970 social workers. She plans, oversees and evaluates all aspects of clinical operations, services and nurse education. She also serves as adjunct faculty at Columbia University School of Nursing in New York City.
Chad Collins. Administrative Director of Operations of USA Health (Mobile, Ala.). In his role, Mr. Collins oversees the operations for gastroenterology and neurology, as well as inpatient physical therapy and lab operations. He's helped grow the gastroenterology division, reduce costs, improve patient and employee satisfaction, and decrease staff turnover. He has received numerous recognitions, including the 2020 American Heart Association Gold Plus rating for heart failure and the 2021 AHA Gold Plus rating for strokes.
Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD. Urgent Care Medical Director and Physician at Saint Mary's Medical Group (Reno, Nev.). In addition to her position, Dr. Curry-Winchell volunteers as the assistant medical examiner with the Washoe County CARES program, where she examines victims of child abuse. She was also appointed the public relations chair for the Washoe County Medical Society. Dr. Curry-Winchell was named one of the Sierra Nevada Top 20 Most Powerful Women.
William Davis. CEO of Crossroads Community Hospital (Mount Vernon, Ill.). Mr. Davis provides administrative and executive direction over the hospital. In addition to his role, he works with civic organizations to help the local community. He was named to the 2021 Southern Illinois Business Journal's "20 under 40" and has been awarded State of Illinois Volunteer of the Week.
Michellene Davis. President and CEO of National Medical Fellowships. Ms. Davis began her role in May 2021. Previously, she was the first woman and person of color to serve as executive vice president at West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health when she joined in 2009. She worked with community partners and government representatives to address social determinants of health. She also led the system's effort to help provide 1,100 individuals with safer and more affordable housing in 2019.
Nichola Davis, MD. Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals (New York City). Dr. Davis oversees population health efforts at the largest public health system in the U.S., NYC Health + Hospitals, and co-chairs the system's equity and access council. She leads innovative care models, health analytics, chronic disease prevention and management, and social determinants of health at the system. Dr. Davis is board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine and spent time as the director of ambulatory medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx before taking on her current role.
Lloyd Dean. CEO of CommonSpirit (Chicago). Mr. Dean heads up CommonSpirit health, leading the team of over 150,000 employees across more than 1,000 care sites, including 137 hospitals. He centers his vision for the health system on innovative partnerships, modern technology and human kindness with the goal of helping Americans live healthier lives. Before the creation of CommonSpirit Health through a merger in 2019, Mr. Dean was CEO of Dignity Health for 19 years. He plans to retire in 2022.
Kevin Dedner. Founder and CEO of Hurdle Health (Washington, D.C.). Mr. Dedner created and leads digital mental health services company Hurdle Health, which focuses on people of color. Under his leadership, Hurdle expanded into California, Texas and Massachusetts, and is licensed in six states. He is an award-winning public speaker and has public health experience in childhood obesity, HIV/AIDS, tobacco control and other areas.
Ohme Entin. President of Orlando (Fla.) Health St. Cloud Hospital. Ms. Entin oversees the daily operations of the 84-bed hospital. She took on the role in 2020, shortly after Orlando Health acquired the hospital. To support her goal of ensuring all patients receive the same quality of care throughout the system, she brought on the hospital's first dedicated chief quality officer. She also led a reduction in monthly nurse turnover from 10.4 percent to 1.6 percent.
Onyinye Enyia Daniel, PhD. Vice President of Data and Analytics Strategy and Partnerships at Highmark Health (Pittsburgh). Ms. Daniel created the end-to-end enterprise data and analytics strategy for the system and aligned data and analytic priorities with business priorities. Her expertise is in data and analytics, health policy, and data and AI ethics. She also teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and is on the board at Chicago-based Sinai Health System.
Olaoluwa Fayanju, MD. Regional Medical Director of Oak Street Health (Chicago). Dr. Fayanju has led the system's efforts to serve vulnerable and underserved patients. He is in charge of the system's diversity, equity and inclusion committee and has taken measures to combat racism in medicine. He also led an initiative to help register patients and colleagues to vote ahead of the 2020 election. In 2021, he was invited by the White House to participate in its Health Equity Leaders Roundtable Series.
Bridgett Feagin. Executive Vice President and CFO of Connecticut Children's Medical Center (Hartford). Ms. Feagin provides financial leadership and strategic guidance for the system. She has a collaborative leadership style and provides financial data coaching to the clinical and operational leaders. She is also the executive leader of the Children's Health Consortium, the only revenue cycle management company focused on pediatrics.
Christopher Flowers, MD. Interim Division Head of Cancer Medicine and Chair of the Lymphoma/Myeloma Department of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston).Dr. Flowers manages and mentors 60 faculty members, department chairs and administrative managers. His research focuses on clinical, translational and epidemiological treatments for lymphoma and developing new cures. He has also contributed to revealing racial disparities in lymphoid cancers.
Gina Calder. President of Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital and Progress West Hospital (St. Louis). In her role, Ms. Calder has led the revitalization of clinical service lines and has built a diverse team of leaders. With her leadership, both hospitals exceeded their 2021 Clinical Excellence Scorecard goals. In addition, she is an aspiring children's author and is finishing her master's degree in business administration from Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
Stacy Garrett-Ray, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Community Impact Officer of Ascension (St. Louis). Dr. Garrett-Ray oversees Ascension's strategy and vision to advance health equity through the intersection of clinical services and community partnerships. She works closely with the system's foundation team to help guide community investments.
Audrey Gregory, PhD. President and CEO of Central Florida-North Region at AdventHealth (Altamonte Springs, Fla.). Dr. Gregory took her current positions in October 2021. She is responsible for the strategic direction of the region and executing on the system's plans to support a total network of care and build influential relationships with key constituents, community partners and healthcare consumers. She previously served as CEO for Detroit Medical Center, part of Tenet Health, overseeing operations of eight hospitals.
Anne Goodwill Pritchett. Senior Vice President of Network Revenue Operations of Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Ms. Goodwill Pritchett was promoted to Hackensack Meridian Health's senior vice president for all network revenue operations in July 2020, with an overall objective to align revenue operations network-wide. Ms. Goodwill Pritchett also serves as chair of several committees within the system. She has received awards from the Healthcare Financial Management Association at local and national levels.
Timothy Groover, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Baptist Health (Jacksonville, Fla.). During his 25 years as a physician leader with Baptist Health, Dr. Groover has served in manyoles, including chief of staff of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and executive committee chair. He became the first African American physician to be elected to the board of directors of the system in 2014. He was voted the 2015 Physician of the Year at Baptist Jacksonville.
Antoinette Hardy-Waller, BSN, RN. CEO of The Leverage Network (Chicago). Before building The Leverage Network, Ms. Waller founded Strategic Healthcare Transformations and was founder of two skilled home health companies. Ms. Waller is also a member of the board of stewardship trustees for CommonSpirit Health, where she serves as chair of the board quality and safety committee. Ms. Waller serves on boards for organizations including the American Hospital Association, National Association for Health Services Executives and Alegent Creighton Health.
Tavonna Harris Askew. Chief of Staff and General Counsel of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (Indianapolis). Ms. Harris Askew is the second in command at the $1.8 billion entity comprising various healthcare systems across Indianapolis and the county health department. She works with the board of directors to collaborate on strategy and provide legal analysis, risk assessment and corporation operations guidance, while also overseeing the senior leadership team and cross-functional initiatives. She was fundamental in the organization's COVID-19 response, which included re-engineering grants.
Robert Higgins, MD. President of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham (Boston). Dr. Higgins is responsible for clinical, academic and educational mission success at Brigham and Women's Hospital and holds an active leadership role in setting and guiding strategy for Mass General Brigham. Dr. Higgins joined the health system in 2021 from Johns Hopkins, where he was director of the department of surgery and surgeon-in-chief. He has a passion for managing complex, multidisciplinary services and training the next generation of healthcare leaders.
James Hildreth Sr., PhD, MD. President and CEO of Meharry Medical College (Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Hildreth is a world-renowned infectious disease and HIV expert currently serving as Meharry Medical College's 12th president and CEO. Among his many contributions in this role, one of his most notable was spearheading a campaign with the White House and Congress to request funding for the Consortium of Black Medical Colleges. He secured $68 million in philanthropic gifts for the college between 2020 and 2021.
Ed Hodge. Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.). Mr. Hodge leads Trinity Health's strategy to engage 115,000 colleagues nationally. He joined the health system in 2017 from Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth, where he was senior executive officer and chief people officer for the system's Central Florida division. He also was executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Rockville, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare.
Everette Jackson, DNP, RN. Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Reeves County Hospital District (Pecos, Texas). Dr. Jackson was appointed to his current role at Reeves County Hospital District in January, where he previously served as director of nursing for two years. He has spearheaded the development of suicide prevention practices, and while he was a doctorate student he implemented a unified approach to mental health and suicide prevention in his community. In his current role, his focus includes expanding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within rural communities.
Anthony Jackson. COO and Senior Vice President of Roper St. Francis Healthcare (Charleston, S.C.). Mr. Jackson works in partnership with Roper St. Francis Healthcare's CEO to lead all aspects of the system, where he also oversees the hospital's executive council. Outside of the hospital, Mr. Jackson mentors young and aspiring professionals at churches around the area. He was given the key to the city in Fairfield, Ala., for his community service and work in healthcare, and he received the President's Award from the Columbia (S.C.) Urban League, among other awards.
Thea James, MD. Vice President of Mission and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Boston Medical Center. In addition to leadership positions at Boston Medical Center, Dr. James serves as an associate professor of emergency medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. James is the executive director of the Health Equity Accelerator, an initiative to eliminate the race-based health equity gap that exists throughout the healthcare industry in the nation. She is also the founder and director of the system's Massachusetts Violence Intervention Advocacy Program branch, which assists victims of violence in their trauma recovery.
DeLancey Johnson, MD. Senior Vice President and Associate Chief Talent Officer of Parkland Hospital System (Dallas). Dr. Johnson has over 20 years of leadership experience. At Parkland Hospital System, he collaborates with other human resources leaders on developing and implementing the system's HR strategies, policies and programs. He is certified as a senior professional in human resources and is a member of the North Texas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Amanda Johnson, MD. Assistant Vice President of Care Models in the Office of Ambulatory Care and Population Health of NYC Health + Hospitals (New York City). In her role with NYC Health + Hospitals, Dr. Johnson leads a team to deliver innovative programs that serve people exposed to the criminal justice system, experiencing homelessness or facing other barriers that can impede access to healthcare. When the system was tasked with leading the city's clinical response at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Johnson was chosen as director of the Take Care pillar of the Test & Trace Corps, where she led a team that provided New Yorkers with resources to isolate or quarantine.
David A. Jones. Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at WellStar Health System, Inc. (Marietta, Ga.). Mr. Jones became the first African-American EVP at WellStar in 2019. He creates and preserves positive relationships between employees and management throughout WellStar. Previously, he served as Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's senior vice president of national human resources.
Guwan Jones. Chief Diversity Officer at Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Ms. Jones serves as a catalyst for diversity, equity and inclusion at Texas' largest nonprofit health system. In her role, she aims to foster communication, develop cultural competencies among staff, strengthen ties with the communities Baylor Scott & White serves, recruit talent from a variety of applicant pools, and shape strategies to reduce health inequities. Ms. Jones also manages Baylor Scott & White Health's student mentor programs that give high school students exposure to career paths in healthcare.
Antoine Keller, MD. Co-Founder of HeartSense (Lafayette, La.). Dr. Keller is a cardiovascular, endovascular and thoracic surgeon at Ochsner Lafayette (La.) General Hospital and the co-founder of nonprofit HeartSense. Dr. Keller and the team at HeartSense work on developing models to reduce the distrust in the medical establishment that people of color harbor and decrease cardiac health disparities through education and pop-up screenings.
Vincent Key, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at the University of Kansas Health System (Kansas City). Dr. Key joined the health system in 2003 after working in private practice. His clinical focus is in sports medicine. He has also served as the medical director and head physician for the Kansas City Royals for the past 10 years. As president of the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association since 2021, Dr. Key works with the MLB commissioner and other team physicians on matters of player safety.
Paul King. President and CEO of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and Stanford Children's Health (Palo Alto, Calif.). Mr. King is in charge of leading the Bay Area's largest healthcare system. Under his guidance, Stanford Children's Health is investing in a digital health program that will give patients more access to care using the hospital's telehealth and virtual technology.
Ruby Kirby, RN. CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar (Tenn.) General Hospital and Camden (Tenn.) Hospital. Ms. Kirby has been the CEO of 21-bed West Tennessee Healthcare Bolivar General Hospital since 2003 and took on the CEO role at eight-bed Camden Hospital in July 2021. She joined West Tennessee Healthcare in 1979 and spent 20 years at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Memphis serving in various roles, including director of general surgery, before taking on her current role. Ms. Kirby is a member of the American Hospital Association Rural Health Services Committee and served on the board of the Tennessee Technology Center and Hardeman County Health Committee.
David Kountz, MD. Professor of Medicine and Founding Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Co-chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Diversity of Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Dr. Kountz is in charge of aligning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives between Hackensack Meridian Health and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. He also oversees the Center for Simulation and Experiential Learning at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he established a standardized patient program to teach medical students.
Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD. Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh). Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew advances diversity and inclusion among clinical and caregiving staff members while also advocating for equitable health outcomes. She has dedicated her career to building programs that focus on promoting equity for vulnerable patients and mitigating sociopolitical barriers to care.
Wright Lassiter III. President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). Mr. Lassiter oversees Henry Ford Health System, a $6.6 billion organization with five acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and a regional health plan. He joined the health system as president in 2014 and added CEO to his title in 2016. Since then, Henry Ford has undergone two mergers, opened hospitals in Saudi Arabia and India and added $1 billion in revenue. Mr. Lassiter is the chair of the American Hospital Association and serves on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve of Chicago.
Donna Lawson, RN. Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety at Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.). Ms. Lawson's role is crucial in delivering high-quality care to Atlantic Health System patients. Under her leadership, Atlantic began implementing comprehensive team member and physician training, and introduced safety coaches and a reward and recognition program that emphasized safety behaviors. All have resulted in a reduction of safety events.
Georges Leconte. CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem (New York City). Mr. Leconte has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare leadership. He was senior associate executive director for the ancillary services division of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and regional director of the system's Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals' respiratory care services before taking the helm at the Harlem hospital in January 2022. He led the development of an elective cardiac angioplasty program at the Elmhurst hospital and secured funding for a CT/biplane for neurointervention there. Mr. Leconte is past president of the New York regional chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives.
Floyd Long. CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter (New York City). Mr. Long leads a team of senior administrators in the operation of NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter. Under his leadership, he has achieved financial viability for the facility, improved quality outcomes and transitioned the hospital to Epic's EHR system, which has resulted in improved communication with healthcare providers in the New York City area.
Peter McCauley, MD. Corporate Medical Officer of Cigna (Bloomfield, Conn.). Dr. McCauley joined Cigna in 2010 as a market medical executive for the Midwest and was promoted to regional medical executive overseeing 25 states in 2013. Dr. McCauley then became corporate medical officer of Cigna, responsible for the organization's more than 700 value-based relationships and 250 ACO arrangements. He has a particular interest in promoting health equity and value-based care. Dr. McCauley was medical director of Gottlieb/West Towns PHO in Melrose Park, Ill., prior to joining Cigna.
Marque Macon. Assistant Vice President, Clinically Integrated Network of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Mr. Macon develops system strategies for success for more than 6,500 physicians for Atrium Health's population health integration team. Under his leadership, Atrium Health launched the Care Team Enablement Program, which equipped more than 500 primary care providers with data to improve total cost of care, quality and risk management among value-based agreements.
Lee Martin. Executive Director of Nonclinical Operations at McAlester Regional Health Center (McAlester, Okla.). Mr. Martin oversees all nonclinical operations, including facilities, dietary, environmental services and expansion of services, at McAlester Regional. He is known to be an individual who is always eager to assist the health center in growth initiatives.
Novlet Mattis. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer at Orlando (Fla.) Health. Ms. Mattis provides leadership in information technology, clinical engineering and digital innovation. She oversees a budget of more than $300 million and a team of nearly 740 staff members. She also led the implementation of Epic's EHR platform at Orlando Health.
Althea McLeish-Whyte, MSN, RN. Manager, Emergency Services at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital. Ms. McLeish-Whyte is responsible for the day-to-day administrative and clinical operations of HCA Florida Plant City Emergency, a 12-bed emergency department. She also manages the emergency department's team of nurses, paramedics and nurse externs.
Tonisha Melvin, DNP. Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce at the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (Chicago). Dr. Melvin is a nurse practitioner in the Washington, D.C., area, where she serves as program faculty for the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy. She has previously served as a board member for the American Nurses Association.
Ikenna Mmeje. COO of MemorialCare Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach. Mr. Mmeje held leadership roles at Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health and Tenet Health hospitals in California before joining MemorialCare as COO of Long Beach Medical Center in 2017. He took on the role of COO at the Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach as well in 2019. Under Mr. Mmeje's leadership, Long Beach Medical Center has been recognized among the top 100 hospitals for cardiovascular care by Thomson Reuters and a best hospital for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report.
Tiyi Moori. Associate Director of Health Operations at Community of Hope (Washington, D.C.). Ms. Moori serves as a board member and director of volunteers of the National Capital Healthcare Executives. Ms. Moori is also the treasurer of the National Association of Healthcare Service Executives' Washington, D.C., chapter. She has served in leadership positions at Lifebridge Health and Johns Hopkins Hospital, both based in Baltimore.
Leonora Muhammad, DNP, BSN. Senior Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive of Patient Care Services at Corizon Health (Brentwood, Tenn.). Dr. Muhammad has served in healthcare for more than 27 years, first as a volunteer assistant. She served in correctional healthcare for 15 years and currently, in addition to her position at Corizon Health, she serves as president of the Black Nurses Association of Greater St. Louis and a board member of the National Black Nurses Association.
Marvin O'Quinn. President and COO of CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). Mr. O'Quinn is responsible for CommonSpirit's system operations, physician enterprise, performance improvement and supply chain. He joined Dignity Health in 2009 as senior executive vice president and COO, and after Dignity merged with Catholic Health Initiatives in 2019, he became an executive at the combined CommonSpirit. Mr. O'Quinn is the former president of Jackson Health System in Miami.
Elmore Patterson. Administrator of Allen County Regional Hospital (Iola, Kan.) and Anderson County Hospital (Garnett, Kan.). Mr. Patterson became administrator of Allen County Regional Hospital in 2020 and took on administrator duties at Anderson County Hospital the next year, both of which are part of Kansas City, Mo.-based St. Luke's Health System. Mr. Patterson spent time as administrator and CEO of Greene County Health System in Eutaw, Ala., before taking on his current role. In addition to overseeing operations at both community hospitals, Mr. Patterson is an associate professor of healthcare administration with the University of Phoenix, a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and past member of the American Hospital Association Rural Health Services Committee.
Elizabeth Paskas, DNP, RN. Senior Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Dr. Paskas is responsible for the research, design and acceleration of best practices across the network. Prior to her current position, she served Hackensack Meridian Health as vice president of experience innovation and consumer services, administrative director of the emergency and trauma center, and as a nurse manager at Hackensack University Medical Center and Jersey City Medical Center.
Liza Pugh Nicholson. Founding Owner and CEO of Avail Management Services (Tuscaloosa, Ala.). In addition to Avail, Ms. Nicholson has founded multiple organizations, including All Rize, a not-for-profit and digital platform for promoting positive news and experiences through empowering resources on health, travel and education. She is also a member of the founding board of directors and a youth mentor for the Younger Women’s Task Force of Tuscaloosa (one of only 12 chapters in the United States), a not-for-profit affiliate organization focused on empowering women and girls, advocating for social justice and promoting gender equality.
Dennis Pullin. President and CEO of Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.). Mr. Pullin has executive oversight of Virtua’s five hospitals, two satellite emergency departments, 30 ambulatory surgery centers and more than 300 other locations. He also serves as host of the "Here for Good" podcast, where he engages in conversations with leaders about how they create a positive impact on the world around them.
Mary Alice Ragsdale, MSN, RN. COO and Chief Nursing Officer at St. Anthony Hospital (Gig Harbor, Wash.). Ms. Ragsdale joined the hospital in 2003 as director of patient care services. Since 2015, she has overseen operations of the hospital as COO. Under her leadership, St. Anthony has earned the top-scoring "A" safety grades from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report for four years in a row beginning in 2018.
Avonia Richardson-Miller, EdD. Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Before her current role, Dr. Richardson-Miller served Hackensack Meridian Health in roles including director and principal of JFK Childcare. Her experience also includes serving as director of the Bronx Workforce1 Career Center’s Career Advancement Program, where she launched and managed the program pilot.
Edmondo Robinson, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, Fla.). In his role, Dr. Robinson leads the center for digital health, which creates and tests new services, programs, partnerships and technologies that leverage digital innovations. He is also an associate professor at University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa and an adjunct senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Prior to his role at Moffitt, Dr. Robinson was the chief transformation officer and senior vice president of consumerism at ChristianaCare.
Jerome Robinson, MD. Internal Medicine and Cardiology Physician at Paradise Valley Hospital (National City, Calif.). Dr. Robinson has practiced medicine in the San Diego area for 37 years. He helped found Paradise Valley Hospital's Club Walk in 1987 and serves as chair of health of the San Diego branch of the NAACP.
Christopher Roker. Lincoln CEO and System Chief Growth Officer of NYC Hospital + Health System (New York City). In addition to his roles with NYC Hospital + Health System and the system's Lincoln location, Mr. Roker serves on the board of directors for Jamaica YMCA, Metroplus and Public Health Solutions.
Jyric Sims. President and CEO at Medical City Plano and Medical City Frisco (Dallas). Mr. Sims was appointed to his current roles in May 2021. Before that, he served as CEO of Medical City Fort Worth starting in June 2017. His dynamic leadership there is credited with remarkable improvements in providing a high-quality experience for patients and recruiting top talent to care for those patients.
S. Monica Soni, MD. Associate Chief Medical Officer at New Century Health (Brea, Calif.). Dr. Soni oversees New Century's Medicaid network with 6.2 million patients in 13 states. She works with chief medical officers across the country to ensure optimized care for the nation's most vulnerable patients. She is credited with playing a critical role in the company's acquisition of the Vital Decisions patient engagement platform in 2021.
Airica Steed, RN, EdD. System COO and Executive Vice President at Sinai Chicago and President, Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Steed oversees operations for a health system encompassing four acute care, post-acute and specialty hospitals; a level 1 trauma center, an academic medical center, multispecialty medical group, 800 physicians and 4,000 caregivers serving 1.5 million people. She is tasked with leading all hospitals and clinics as well as several critical areas, including strategy, quality/safety, health equity, profitable growth/retention, customer satisfaction and service lines. She is the first minority appointed to her position as both the System COO and Flagship President in the health system's 102-year history and is credited with spearheading the system’s $75 million operational, financial and clinical transformation.
Michael Stewart. CEO of Saline Memorial Hospital (Benton, Ark.). Mr. Stewart became CEO of the 177-bed Saline Memorial Hospital in November 2018 after spending more than four years as CEO of Navarro Regional Hospital in Corsicana, Texas. He also has executive leadership experience at health systems in Arkansas, California and Florida. Early in his career, Mr. Stewart spent four years in the United States Air Force and rose to the rank of captain.
Nikki Sumpter. Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.). Ms. Sumpter supports the network's 18,000 team members who provide care to around 1 million patients each year. She is leading diversity within the organization, including providing access to leadership and training opportunities for historically underrepresented groups and establishing a more diverse and inclusive senior leadership team. Ms. Sumpter is also responsible for Atlantic Health System's philanthropy efforts, marketing and communication. Atlantic Health System has won several awards and recognitions under her leadership, including making Fortune's 100's Best Companies to Work For list for the 13th year in a row.
Les Thompson. Chief Human Resources Officer at ProMedica (Toledo, Ohio). Mr. Thompson leads the support of ProMedica's 50,000 employees and guides the organization's progress in strategy, workplace environment, diversity, organizational effectiveness and succession planning. He is credited with recruiting top talent for the organization and support for employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Imamu Tomilson, MD. CEO at Vituity (Emeryville, Calif.). Mr. Tomilson brings more than 16 years of clinical, practice management and executive experience to his leadership of Vituity’s more than 400 practice sites nationwide. He has worked to establish a team focused on care transformation for the organization and led diversity and inclusion initiatives. He is credited with being a strong proponent of healthcare equity, helping to bring awareness to healthcare disparities in underrepresented populations and establishing the board of Vituity Cares, a charitable foundation dedicated to improving the health of underserved communities and addressing inequality.
Joi Torrence-Hill. Chief of Operations at USC Norris Cancer Hospital (Los Angeles). Ms. Torrence-Hill manages administrative, fiscal, operational and technical initiatives to ensure the delivery of high-quality services at the hospital, which has consistently ranked highly for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report. Her work with clinical leaders has led to the development of tumor-based clinical programs and implementation of new precision therapies for patients.
Michael Ugwueke. President and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.). Mr. Ugwueke has served as president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare since January 2017, where he previously served as chief operating officer since May 2014. He also previously served as vice president of operations at Joliet, Ill.-based Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he co-led an emergency department improvement project that reduced wait times by 50 percent and improved patient satisfaction scores.
Herb Vallier. Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Ascension (St. Louis). Mr. Vallier has worked with Ascension since 2006 and was appointed to his current position in 2013. His more than 30 years of experience has helped the health system overcome financial challenges, personnel shortages and reorganization. He also helped the system develop a talent recruitment plan to bring diverse leaders to the organization.
Selwyn Vickers, MD. CEO of UAB Health System (Birmingham, Ala.). Dr. Vickers has said he is committed to creating a happier and healthier society through his work in healthcare. He became the CEO of the UAB Health System and UAB/Ascension St. Vincent's Alliance on Jan.1. He is continuing to serve as dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine as he has done for the past eight years.
Patrice Walker, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Atrium Health Navicent (Macon, Ga.). Dr. Walker was appointed as the organization's first African American, female chief medical officer in 2019. In addition to ensuring the best care for patients, she aims to improve communication between medical staff and administration. Formerly a practicing OB GYN, Dr. Walker serves today as the chief medical officer and a senior vice president at Atrium Health Navicent where she continues to advocate for diversity and inclusion and contributes to the education and professional development of staff, medical students and residents.
Ruth Williams-Brinkley. President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States (Rockville, Md.). Ms. Williams-Brinkley has over 40 years of executive healthcare experience. She joined Kaiser Permanente in November 2017 as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. She currently serves on the boards of Travere Therapeutics, Chicago-based DePaul University, University of Phoenix, and the Clinical Center Research Hospital Board of the National Institutes of Health.
Nichole Wilson. Vice President of Community Health Operations at Indiana University Health (Indianapolis). Ms. Wilson oversees care and patient outcomes at the state's largest healthcare system with a focus on behavioral health and substance use disorder, social determinants of health, infant and maternal fetal health, hypertension and smoking and nicotine cessation. She joined the health system in November 2021 from Community Health Network, where she successfully implemented several initiatives, including publicized wait times and reservations for urgent care clinics, a virtual care platform and 12 medical retail clinics.
Eugene Woods. President and CEO at Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Mr. Woods oversees the largest nonprofit academic health system in the Southeastern U.S. His initiatives include expanding the health system's network with strategic partnerships, providing equitable care to patients and increasing the number of diverse suppliers and investments in minority-owned businesses. He has been vital to the health system's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the system to establish a virtual care platform for COVID-19 patients to receive care from home.