David Fox (Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital; Downers Grove, Ill.). Mr. Fox is president of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital and has been a healthcare executive his entire career. He earned a graduate degree from the University of Chicago in healthcare management and became the president of Central DuPage Hospital in 1997. He left Central DuPage to join Advocate Good Samaritan in 2003 and was recently featured in the 2008 Special Report from the Health Financial Management Association. Under his management, Advocate Good Samaritan earned the 2007 Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence Silver Award.
Joe Freudenberger (OakBend Medical Center; Richmond, Texas). Mr. Freudenberger is CEO of OakBend Medical Center. Previously, he served as CFO and COO of OakBend and was CFO of the Memorial Health System of East Texas in Lufkin, Texas. According to his colleagues, Mr. Freudenberger is full of energy and looks for ingenious solutions to problems. In addition, his colleagues say that his willingness to think outside the box has led him to many successes in the face of failure. In July 2008, OakBend Medical Center received the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines Silver Performance Achievement Award.
Alyson Pittman Giles (Catholic Medical Center; Manchester, N.H.). Ms. Giles is the president and CEO of CMC Healthcare System, which includes Catholic Medical Center, the New England Heart Institute and several subsidiaries, including physician practices and an ambulatory surgery partnership with 30 surgeons. Prior to joining CMC, Ms. Giles was president and CEO of New London Hospital in New London, N.H., and president of Lake Shore Hospital in Manchester, N.H. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and served as the regent for the State of New Hampshire until 2003 and a governor until 2006. She received her B.S. from Tufts University and her M.S. from Southern New Hampshire University. She has served on numerous boards and was named "Distinguished Citizen of the Year" for 2002 by the Daniel Webster Boy Scout Council and "N.H. Business Leader of the Year" in 2005 by Business N.H. Magazine. Ms. Giles was elected chairperson of the American College of Healthcare Executives in March 2007.
Debbie Hay (Texas Institute for Surgery, Dallas). Ms. Hay serves as president at the Texas Institute for Surgery in Dallas, which specializes in orthopedic surgery, back and spinal surgery, ENT procedures, plastic surgery, foot and ankle surgery, urological surgical care and sports medicine. The state-of-the-art facility houses nine operating rooms, three pain management rooms and nine inpatient rooms. Thirty-three of its physicians were honored as "Super Doctors" by Texas Monthly. Ms. Hay has initiated many green policies for the center, including converting paper patient files to electronic ones. She has a psychology degree from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., and a nursing degree from Baylor University in Dallas.
Audrey Myers (The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System; Ridgewood, N.J.). Ms. Myers is president and CEO of The Valley Hospital. She began her career at Valley Health System in 1980 as a planning associate and has held many executive positions throughout her tenure at the organization. She is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and received the Distinguished Service Award from its New Jersey branch. Ms. Myers has also been honored with the Tribute to Women and Industry award, was recognized at the Executive Women of New Jersey's Salute to the Policy Makers dinner and is listed in the National Register's Who's Who in Executives and Professionals. In addition, she received the Senior-Level Healthcare Executive Regent's Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Ms. Meyers serves on the boards of the New Jersey Hospital Association, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board. She was recently inducted into the Studer Group's Hall of Fame.
Mark Neaman (NorthShore University Health System; Evanston, Ill.). Mr. Neaman serves as president and CEO of NorthShore University Health System and was named Young HealthCare Executive of the Year by the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned his M.S. in business and healthcare from Ohio State University and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, where he was chairman of the Board of Governors. Mr. Neaman served on the regional advisory board of the American Hospital Association and on the board of directors of the Illinois Hospital Association. He was chairman of the board of the Healthcare Leadership Council, the National Committee for Quality Health Care in Washington, D.C., and the board for LifeSource Regional Blood Center. He is a member of the International Hospital Federation, a past president of The Ohio State University Alumni Association and a fellow of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. He served on the board of directors for the Heart Association of Northern Cook County and was chairman of the Health Insights Foundation.
Mark Newton (Swedish Covenant Hospital; Chicago). Mr. Newton has served as president and CEO of Swedish Covenant Hospital since 2000. Prior to working in healthcare, he worked in the international business industry and the transportation operation industry. Under Mr. Newton's leadership, Swedish Covenant Hospital has become the largest and most successful independent community teaching hospital on Chicago's North Side. He also serves on the board of the Illinois Hospital Association and the Chicago Hospital Risk Pooling Program and is a member of the advisory board at North Park University School of Business in Chicago. He completed his B.A. in economics and business administration at North Park University and his M.A. in management with a concentration in finance and marketing at Northwestern University. Mr. Newton is board certified in Healthcare Management and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Gregory A. Pivirotto (University Medical Center; Tuscon, Ariz.). Mr. Pivirotto is the president and CEO of University Medical Center. He has chaired the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association's Managed Care Task Force and its Southern Regional Council. He is the current chair of the Tucson Healthcare Council. In 2003, Mr. Pivirotto was named chairman of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association Board of Directors. He has also acted as a certified public accountant since 1978, director of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association from 1997-2005 and the director of Tucson Airport Authority.
Steve Ronstrom (Sacred Heart Hospital; Eau Claire, Wisc.). Mr. Ronstrom is CEO of Scared Heart Hospital and also serves on the board of directors as an ex-officio member for Hospital Sisters HealthCare-West. After earning his M.A. in health administration from St. Louis University, he worked in leadership positions for healthcare systems in Louisiana and Texas. Previously, he served as the president and CEO of Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kan. Under Mr. Ronstom's leadership, Sacred Heart Hospital has invested in attracting highly skilled medical professional and new technologies and the hospital's patient satisfaction level has risen to the top one percent nationwide.
Frank Sacco (Memorial Health System; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Mr. Sacco has served as the CEO of the Memorial Healthcare System since July 1987. He received his B.A. from the University of Miami and his M.A. in healthcare management from Florida International University. Mr. Sacco is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and also serves on the advisory committee for Nova University Institute of Health Policy and Administration. He is a board member of the Broward County Health Planning and Development Council and the United Way of Broward County and was past chairman of the Association of Community Hospitals and Health Systems of Florida and the Coordinating Council of Broward.
Nancy M. Schlichting (Henry Ford Health System; Detroit). Ms. Schlichting is president and CEO of the Henry Ford Health System, where she previously served as executive vice president and COO and was responsible for its hospitals, community care services, hospital joint ventures, physician practice development and integrated support services. Prior to joining Henry Ford Health System in 1998, Ms. Schlichting was executive vice president and COO of Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. She has also served as president of the Eastern Region of Catholic Health Initiatives, president and CEO of Riverside Methodist Hospitals and executive vice president and COO of Akron City Hospital. She serves on numerous community, professional and corporate boards including the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, Greater Detroit Area Health Council, City Year, C.A.T.C.H., Fifth Third Bank of Eastern Michigan, Mayor's Time and Gilda's Club. She has given numerous presentations at local, national, and international meetings and was recently inducted into the Macomb Hall of Fame. Ms. Schlichting earned her B.A. in public policy studies degree from Duke University where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her M.A. in business administration in hospital administration and accounting from Cornell University. She served her administrative residency at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and her administrative fellowship at the American Hospital Association/Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Rulon Stacey (Poudre Valley Health System; Ft. Collins, Colo.). Dr. Stacey serves as president and CEO of the Poudre Valley Health System. Since his arrival in 1996, Dr. Stacey has been successful in transforming PVHS from a one-community hospital to a full-service health system with five owned and managed hospitals, 10 outpatient facilities, 4,500 employees and services covering three states. For his efforts, Dr. Stacey was recognized by the American College of Healthcare Executives as the Young Healthcare Executive of the Year in 1999. Previously, Dr. Stacey served as executive vice president and COO of St. Francis Hospital and Health Center in Chicago, CEO of St. Vincent General Hospital in Leadville, Colo., and CEO of Summit Medical Center, Frisco, Colo., where he currently serves on the 12-member board of directors of the organization. Dr. Stacey received a B.S. in economics and a MA in health administration from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in health policy from the University of Colorado. PVHS was the only healthcare organization this year to win the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Chris Van Gorder (Scripps Health; San Diego). Mr. Gorder has served as the president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000. Scripps operates five acute-care hospital campuses, 13 outpatient clinics and regional home health care services with more than 2,600 affiliated physicians and 11,000 employees. Under his stewardship, Scripps has become a stronger, more recognized institution. Mr. Van Gorder earned his B.A. from California State University in Los Angeles, earned his M.A. in public administration/health services administration at the University of Southern California and completed the Wharton System CEO Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves as its governor for District 5, which encompasses the 12 Western states. In March 2006, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Mr. Van Gorder to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services. In Jan. 2007, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reappointed Mr. Van Gorder to the U.S. Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.