This discussion will focus on the most recent Texas legislative session and its impact on the health care community in North Texas. The panel will be comprised of healthcare policy experts in our region.

Panelists:

Dustin Anthamatten-Dominguez
Vice President of Operations, Corporate
Methodist Health System

Dan Blizzard
Vice President, Strategic Priorities
Methodist Health System

John Hawkins
President & Chief Executive Officer
Texas Hospital Association

Edna Z. Ruano
Public Policy Advisor
Parkland Health & Hospital System

Richard K. Scotch
Professor of Sociology and Public Policy & Political Economy
University of Texas at Dallas

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Speakers’ Bios:

Dustin Anthamatten-Dominguez currently serves as the Vice President of Operations, Corporate for Methodist Health System, a 12, soon to be 13-hospital health system serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Dustin previously served as Methodist Charlton Medical Center’s Vice President of Finance/CFO (2014), Vice President of Operations/COO (2015), and in a dual role of Vice President of Operations and Finance/COO & CFO (2021).

In addition to his current role, Dustin serves on several boards of directors including Methodist Transitional Care Center, Methodist Rehabilitation Hospital, Texas Oncology & Methodist Cancer Centers, the American College of Health Care Executives of North Texas (ACHENTX), the North Texas Healthcare Laundry Cooperative, Mammogram Poster Girls, Girls, Inc., and Collin County College. He was the 2021 President of ACHENTX and a professor for New York University’s (NYU) Masters in Healthcare in Administration (MHA) program.

Recently he was recognized as 2022’s 40 under 40 by the Dallas Business Journal, selected for the Leadership Dallas Class of 2021 by the Dallas Regional Chamber, recognized as 2020’s Young Healthcare Executive of the Year by the Dallas-Ft. Worth Hospital Council, awarded both 2019’s Early Careerist of the Year and Mentor of the Year by the ACHENTX, and was selected for the Leadership Southwest Class of 2017.

Prior to his roles at MHS, Dustin began his career at Fidelity Investments, holding roles as an investment advisor, financial analyst, and was also as an adjunct instructor of economics at both the high school and undergraduate levels. He transitioned to healthcare in 2012 at UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and operated in progressive roles until he was the Manager of the Office of Financial and Capital Planning, where he developed large projects which supported the growth of UTSW.

Dustin holds a Bachelors in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Economics, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA), and a Master’s of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Arlington. In addition, he holds a graduate certificate in advanced technical accounting, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), and is a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (LSSYB).

Dan Blizzard is an accomplished corporate executive with broad experience advancing organizational goals across a range of public, private and non-profit organizations. Recognized for his business acumen, emotional intelligence, mental agility and ethical standards, he has been a valued contributor to numerous leadership teams in building corporate value, enhancing operational performance, and strengthening community relations.

Dan began his career in materials management and logistics, first at Houston Lighting and Power Company and then with assignments in Dallas and the U.K. for Integral Corporation, a cable-in-conduit manufacturing company. After establishing the foundation of his career in operations and logistics with these companies, he obtained an MBA in production operations management from the University of North Texas.

While attending graduate school, he was recruited to join Span Instruments in Plano, Texas, a manufacturer of instrumentation devices, as vice president of materials. There he led a team of more than 60 in overseeing procurement, inventory management, production planning, logistics HR and customer service.

In 1995 Dan was recruited as director of supply chain management by PrimeCo Personal Communications in Westlake, Texas, a startup wireless venture of Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, US West and Air Touch Communications. There he spent the next four years creating teams, systems and processes to support the rapid launch of the business.

With his background and track record in building operational capability, he was recruited in 1999 to Belo Corp. in Dallas, a publicly-traded media company, to manage a variety of operational functions as well as key corporate initiatives, including leading the company’s increasingly important civic mission to revitalize downtown Dallas. Over the following nine years Dan served in multiple high profile roles leading government relations, the company’s extensive real estate portfolio, strengthening internal operations and affirming Belo’s legacy as a civic leader and champion for urban planning.

In 2008, as Belo’s core business required increased focus in the face of challenging economic and market conditions, Dan was made senior vice president and a member of the Management Committee to help lead the spinoff of the company’s $700M publishing division. In 2009 he was elevated to board secretary and assistant treasurer, charged with facilitating communication among senior management, board members and shareholders, as well as managing a variety of operational and corporate financial functions.

In 2015, Dan joined Methodist Health System in Dallas as vice president strategic priorities and is responsible for government relations and real estate and he serves on several joint venture partnership boards.

In addition to his MBA, Dan holds a BSBA in management from Oklahoma State University. He previously served on numerous Civic boards and advisory committees in support of revitalizing downtown Dallas. Dan and his wife, Helaine, are empty nesters and enjoy living in uptown Dallas.

John M. Hawkins took the helm as president and chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association on Jan. 1, 2022. He is the organization’s sixth CEO since its inception in 1930. A longtime advocacy veteran, Hawkins has more than 35 years of experience in legislative, leadership and policy circles and has deep knowledge of health care and hospital funding issues. As CEO, he represents the Texas hospital industry locally and nationally and helps ensure hospitals have the resources they need to deliver the highest quality health care to all Texans.

Over the years, Hawkins has fostered critical relationships among business, consumer and medical communities and continues to position THA as a thought leader and single, powerful voice for Texas hospitals.

Prior to being named CEO, Hawkins served as THA’s senior vice president of advocacy and public policy since 2004. With a long tenure at the association, his team consistently secured important resources for Texas health care, including hospital Medicaid rates, funding for trauma and behavioral health services, funding for workforce training and protections for the state’s critical safety net Medicaid supplemental payment programs. Hawkins’ team also was an integral force during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to secure staffing, supplies, vaccines and flexibilities for hospitals to keep patients safe.

Before to joining THA, Hawkins had a key role in streamlining state agencies at the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, where he managed teams of analysts and testified on issues for the commission. He also gained early experience as a legislative staffer in the Texas House of Representatives and as a legislative liaison at the Texas Department of Information Resources.

In 2020, Hawkins completed a six-month immersive hospital residency program at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest, where he gained hands-on hospital operations experience, shadowing leadership, interacting with staff and participating in governing board activities.

Hawkins graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in government. He is married to Cami Hawkins, CEO of Marathon Kids, and they have two children, Madi and Jack.

Edna Z. Ruano, a first-generation American, is a government relations and communications executive whose career spans the federal and county governments, nonprofits, and corporate. After serving in Washington, DC, she continued her public service in her hometown, Dallas, at Parkland Health, one of the largest public hospital systems in the country which serves the most vulnerable in the community to the U.S. President when in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. In her government relations role, she advocates on legislative and regulatory initiatives impacting Parkland and the patients it serves at the county, state, and federal government levels. During her tenure in the healthcare industry, she experienced a global pandemic and public health emergency, COVID-19, and saw how it transformed hospital operations, shaped employees’ resiliency, and informed public policy.

In the nation’s capital, she served in President Barack Obama’s administration as a national security appointee at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She served in communications leadership roles covering global public health, immigration benefits, and immigration enforcement.

In the nonprofit arena at Carter BloodCare, the largest not-for-profit community blood center in Texas, and the New America Alliance, a national organization comprised of prominent Latino business leaders committed to economic empowerment and philanthropy, she used her communications expertise to persuade and influence – from changing behaviors and perceptions to positioning thought leaders among influential, high-profile audiences.

As the first bilingual corporate spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, a Fortune 200 company, she developed and led the first multicultural public relations efforts and infrastructure to increase brand visibility among Hispanic consumers, along with growing its presence among African American and Asian audiences. Working at the airline pre- and post-9/11, she experienced firsthand the impact national security had on the industry.

In 2003, Edna made a bold and calculated career move to focus on writing and communications – a life-long passion and source of many recognitions and accolades. Keenly aware of the growing influence and power of the Hispanic community and media, she chose to lead in a completely new arena – communications – after first cutting her teeth in the airline’s audit department. Prior to her career transition, she began her financial career at Deloitte, one of the nation’s “Big Four” leading professional services firms.

Edna graduated magna cum laude and honors in business from Southern Methodist University. She is a former Certified Public Accountant. Edna is proud to be bicultural and bilingual.

Richard K. Scotch is Professor of Sociology and Public Policy & Political Economy at the University of Texas at Dallas. His teaching includes courses on medical sociology, public health, social stratification, and social and health policy, while his research focuses on a variety of social policy topics related to disability, health, and education.

Dr. Scotch received his B.A. with honors from the University of Chicago in 1973 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from Harvard University in 1975 and 1982 respectively. Prior to joining the UTD faculty in 1983, Dr. Scotch worked on the evaluation staff of the Virginia Division for Children and as an analyst with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1982-1983, Dr. Scotch served as a Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Representative Paul Simon (D-Ill).

Dr. Scotch is the author of several books and numerous articles and monographs on social policy reform and social movements in disability, health care, education, and human services including. From Good Will to Civil Rights, Disability and Community, Disability Protests: Contentious Politics 1970-1999. His 2020 book, coauthored with Pam Block and Allison Carey, is Allies and Obstacles: Disability Activism and Parents of Children with Disabilities; the book received “best book” awards from the North Central Sociological Association and the Section on Disability in Society of the American Sociological Association. His current research projects include a follow-up edited volume of narratives by activist parents of children with disabilities, interviews with political candidates with disabilities, and a five year study with Dohyeong Kim that examines social and community barriers experienced by burn injury survivors.

Dr. Scotch serves as a reviewer for numerous professional journals, university presses, private foundations, and government agencies. He has been active in the local health and human service community in North Texas for four decades, working with agencies that include the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, Collin County, Dallas County, the Dallas Healthy Start Initiative, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Educational First Steps, the Texas Pride Impact Funds, and Parkland Health and Hospital System.

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