North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives

Introduction to ACHE Fellowship Virtual Event
2026-07-13 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Denver) | Virtual
Demonstrate your commitment to your healthcare career by becoming an ACHE Fellow (FACHE).

Are you a healthcare professional working on your graduate degree? Perhaps you have the years of experience under your belt, are active in your profession and community and are looking for a way to differentiate yourself from your peers? Earning your board certification in healthcare management from ACHE is an excellent way to do that. The ACHENTX Advancement Committee wants to support you on your journey. Join this informative session as we discuss the pathway and requirements to earning your certification, share some details about the Board of Governors exam process, provide some tidbits about the separate Board of Governors Exam Review course (which will be offered later this year by the Advancement Committee and led by local industry professionals).
Speakers:
Day-Vene Gilliam, FACHE
SVP of National Network Optimization & Business Development
Anthem BCBSElevance Health
Warren Poquiz
Operations
Children’s Health System of Texas
Chirag Gosai
Senior Project Manager
Texas Health Resources
Sejal Patel, FACHE
Director of Operations
US Anesthesia Partners

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ACHE of North Texas Better Together
2026-07-16 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Methodist Dallas Medical Center, 221 W Colorado Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75208
Join us for an engaging evening of networking, collaboration, and community connection at Better Together: Building Bridges Across Healthcare. This event will bring together healthcare leaders, professionals, and community organizations from across North Texas to foster meaningful partnerships, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities to collectively advance healthcare innovation, equity, and community impact.
Attendees will have the opportunity to expand their professional network, connect with cross-sector leaders, and participate in conversations focused on strengthening the future of healthcare through collaboration. The evening will also feature a showcase of participating organizations and professional associations, including HLA; NCQA; CV Roman; Women in Healthcare; HIMSS; HFMA; HQA; Armanino Advisory; Catalyst Health Group; CareerSpring; NALHE DFW; NAHSE; and ACHENTX’s WHEN, AHLC, PRIDE; and more.

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Breakfast with the CMO: Dr. Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt
2026-07-21 07:30 - 09:00 (America/Denver) | Texas Health Resources Pavilion, 600 E Lamar Blvd., Arlington, Texas, 76011
Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt, M.D., M.B.A.
A cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Sunita Koshy-Nesbitt MD, MBA serves as the chief medical and quality officer for the Texas Health Physicians Group at Texas Health Resources as well as the chief quality officer of the Hospital Channel at Texas Health Resources. In her Hospital Channel role, she oversees quality outcomes, infection prevention, regulatory operations, as well as quality review and accountability related to all value-based purchasing and public reporting programs. In her physicians group role, she has oversight of patient safety and risk management, clinical performance, quality outcomes, professionalism and well-being. Texas Health Resources provides 420 access points including 29 hospitals and over 1300 providers serving communities across North Texas.
In her prior experience, she served as SVP and chief population health officer for Southwestern Health Resources Clinically Integrated Network (SWHR CIN), which was established by the UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources to optimize care for patients in North Texas. At SWHR CIN, Dr. Koshy-Nesbitt was responsible for strategies, technology and operations designed to advance value-based healthcare for quality improvement and clinical effectiveness. Based on quality and cost, she helped lead the organization to the No. 1 ACO in the United States, participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) most aggressive payment model, the Next Generation program, for 3 years in a row (2017-2019).
She is currently a board member and previous President of the American Heart Association Dallas Board of Directors over the years 2019-2021.
Prior to her roles as a physician leader, Dr. Koshy-Nesbitt was a practicing electrophysiologist in the community. She completed her training in internal medicine, and served as chief resident for an additional year, at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. She then went on to complete fellowships in both general cardiovascular diseases and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. Additionally, Dr. Koshy-Nesbitt earned a master’s degree in Healthcare Management and Administration from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas, where she is currently an adjunct executive professor.
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Summer 2026 AI in HealthCare: Leadership Essentials – Fundamentals
2026-07-23 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-07-30 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-06 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-13 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-20 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-08-27 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-09-03 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-09-10 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Denver) and 2 more dates | Virtual
ACHE of North Texas is excited to be partnering with the ACHE Southeast Texas Chapter to offer you this special opportunity!
Earn a certificate, a digital badges, and up to 20 hours of qualifying ACHE credits in an increasingly valuable area with this program – “AI in Healthcare: Leadership Essentials– Fundamentals”. GREAT VALUE!
This comprehensive AI in Healthcare virtual course, taught by a faculty of experts, is designed for healthcare administrators and emerging leaders seeking to understand and guide the integration of artificial intelligence across their organizations. AI has a rapidly expanding influence on clinical operations, administrative efficiency, and patients outcomes. This course equips participants with the knowledge to improve long-term strategic direction and lead confidently in an AI-driven healthcare environment. This course will employ a combination of foundational instruction, hands on application, and cohort based didactic sessions to give participants a deeper understanding of AI terminology, data and infrastructure requirements, risk management, governance, and implementation strategy. The course consists of 10 virtual sessions (Thursdays from 6:30-8:30PM CT starting July 23rd, 2026) and will result in participants constructing their own AI implementation plan tailored to the use case they selected. By the end of this course, participants will be prepared to evaluate, design, and oversee AI initiatives within their organizations. They will emerge capable of navigating the operational, technical, regulatory, and ethical complexities of AI in healthcare.
Throughout the course, participants will:

Gain a clear understanding of core AI concepts, terminology, and technologies and how they apply within healthcare settings.
Identify, assess, and prioritize AI use cases that address meaningful organizational challenges and strategic opportunities.
Analyze real-world AI applications in healthcare to understand impact, feasibility, ROI, and key success factors.
Develop a comprehensive business case for a selected AI initiative, including problem definition, value proposition, ROI modeling, and stakeholder alignment.
Evaluate data readiness, technical infrastructure needs, and integration requirements to support effective AI deployment.
Assess and mitigate clinical, ethical, regulatory, operational, and organizational risks associated with AI adoption.
Create a full implementation roadmap and governance strategy—including milestones, communication plans, and change management—to support responsible and successful AI adoption within their organization.

Topics covered include:

Foundational AI concepts, terminology, and healthcare-specific applications
Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing AI use cases within healthcare organizations
Real-world examples of successful AI implementations and their impact on quality, efficiency, and ROI
Business case development for AI initiatives, including value definition, cost considerations, and stakeholder alignment
Data readiness, interoperability, infrastructure requirements, and vendor assessment
Clinical, ethical, regulatory, operational, and organizational risks associated with AI
Governance models, oversight structures, and strategies for responsible AI adoption
Change management, communication planning, and leadership strategies for successful implementation
Development of a complete AI implementation plan and actionable roadmap

Click HERE to see the Spring 2026 course agenda. The Summer 2026 agenda will be available soon!
Meet Our Summer 2026 Instructors!
PRICING INFO:
$450 => ACHE Member
$650 => Non-member ($200 rebate if you join ACHE!)
$250 => ACHE Student Member or Early Careerist ACHE Member
*Please note that we will verify ACHE membership if registering as such.

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Best Practices in Adapting to Local Regulations, Markets and Trends
2026-08-27 15:30 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.50 ACHE Virtual Interactive Education Credits.

The combination of national and state legislation, and local economic conditions, market trends and health condition trends influence organizational strategies. Healthcare executives are challenged with understanding and addressing the various needs of the population in the community and factors that influence the financial status of the organization. Healthcare executives must lead the organization to adapt to ever-changing situations as well as developing strategies to achieve future goals.

Nkem Okafor, FACHE
Director of Commercial Execution, Novo Nordisk
Claire Hammer, MHA, FACHE
Executive Department Administrator, Acclaim Health
Kevin Rash, FACHE
Managing Director, Healthcare Performance Improvement, Forvis Mazars
Jennifer Tomasik, SM, FACHE
Vice President and Principal, CFAR

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Speakers’ Bios:
Claire Hammer, MHA, FACHE is the Executive Department Administrator at Acclaim Health, the multi-specialty medical group within JPS Health Network. She oversees operations and financial performance for a $260 million portfolio supporting more than 500 providers across multiple clinical service lines. Working closely with physician leaders and executive leadership, Claire focuses on improving operations, expanding access to care, and supporting high-quality patient outcomes.
One of her most significant accomplishments has been leading optimization efforts across the Primary Care and Surgical service lines, helping increase patient access by an estimated 250 additional visits each week through operational improvements and better use of provider capacity.
With more than 10 years of healthcare leadership experience in Tarrant County, Claire has built her career leading complex operational initiatives and supporting physicians and clinical teams. Before joining Acclaim Health, she served as Manager of Behavioral Health Business Operations for JPS Health Network, where she oversaw operations for a comprehensive behavioral health service line that included a 20,000-visit psychiatric emergency center, inpatient behavioral health units, and integrated behavioral health services within primary care clinics.
Claire earned both her Master of Healthcare Administration and Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Physiology from the University of Iowa. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified.
Nkem Okafor, FACHE is a healthcare executive, strategist, and transformation leader with more than 17 years of experience leading enterprise strategy, growth, execution, and organizational transformation. She currently serves as Director of Commercial Execution at Novo Nordisk, where she leads commercial execution strategy and implementation across multiple states, partnering with sales, market access, marketing, and operations to advance enterprise priorities and improve execution.
Previously, Nkem served as Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at Independence Blue Cross, where she led enterprise strategy, growth initiatives, and strategic execution. She also served as System Vice President of Strategy and Planning at Methodist Health System in Dallas and held multiple leadership roles at Houston Methodist, including global operations, system integration, population health, business development, and operational improvement.
Nkem is also the Founder of Vieve Enterprises, a business strategy consulting firm supporting corporate, not-for-profit, and government entities with strategic planning, growth strategy, business model development, and operational transformation. She earned her Master of Public Health in Health Management from Yale University and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nkem is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been recognized as a Top 15 Business Woman of Dallas and an Exemplary Trailblazer. She is a national speaker on business strategy, leadership, healthcare transformation, health equity, and organizational growth.
Kevin Rash is a Managing Director in the Healthcare Performance Improvement practice, leading the Operational, Labor, Staffing, and Margin Transformation initiatives. He applies extensive clinical and executive experience to help healthcare organizations enhance performance, improve operational efficiency, and manage major initiatives without disruption. His work includes margin improvement, workflow productivity optimization, cost structure management, and clinical and operational strategy.
He brings experience from two specialty hospital builds—orthopedic and rehabilitation—and has led multiple surgery center developments and surgical excellence programs across various care settings.
Before joining Forvis Mazars, Kevin served in hospitals, trauma centers, integrated health systems, and physician clinics. His 30+ years in healthcare include roles as a physical therapist, service line program leader, and vice president of operations for a large integrated system, where he oversaw surgical services, supply chain, rehabilitation operations, surgical clinics, and anesthesia, in addition to leading systemwide improvement initiatives.
Kevin is a frequent speaker operational and margin improvement, workforce strategy, and surgical services excellence. He is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is board-certified in healthcare management as a Fellow (FACHE).
Jennifer Tomasik, SM, FACHE is a Vice President and Principal at CFAR, a boutique management consulting firm where she serves on the Board of Directors and is the Healthcare Market Leader. Jenn has been actively engaged in ACHE at the national level and in the Rhode Island Chapter for almost two decades. She is a past President of ACHE RI, served on the ACHE Council of Regents and has been invited to chair or participate in numerous ACHE committees. As a consultant, Jenn partners with clients across academic medicine and the healthcare ecology. She is a deep believer in the power of systems-thinking and the role of active engagement of people across all levels of an organization to shape, own, and contribute to their strategic future. She is proud to work with some of the most prestigious health systems and academic medical centers in the country and helps her clients move from ideas to action, whether that be through individual or team-based coaching, leading large-scale strategy and change work or advising boards on governance.
Jennifer is deeply committed to improving healthcare, leadership and education in her home state of Rhode Island, where she resides with her husband and daughters. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and was elected to represent the state on ACHE’s national Board of Regents. She is a recipient of the Regent Awards for Early Careerist and for Senior Healthcare Executive for ACHE of Rhode Island, where she serves as a member of the Board. She is the Immediate-Past President of the Board of Trustees of the French American School of Rhode Island, where she led strategic planning, search, transition and governance efforts. She also serves on the Board of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute. Jennifer is a member of the Omicron II class of Leadership Rhode Island. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Tufts University and holds a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Risk Issues We Face in Our Daily Lives
2026-08-27 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | Virtual
This panel has been approved for 1.50 ACHE Virtual Interactive Education Credits.

Since 2000 and the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s seminal work To ERR is Human, the healthcare community has placed an increased focus on patient safety issues. Organizations such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the National Quality Forum, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Joint Commission have all focused on strategies to improve quality of patient care and to reduce the risk of harm. Organizations are now driving towards “zero harm” initiatives that involve the entire organization to be onboard with the concept to succeed. In today’s challenging healthcare environment, organizations face many types of risk such as quality and safety, financial, competition, care for the uninsured, resources for technology, workforce shortages, the political and economic environment. The purpose of this program is to explore the impact of the identified risk issues for hospitals.

Herron Mitchell, MBA, FACHE, SSGB
Chief Operations Officer, Foremost Family Health Centers
Barrett Hunter, JD
Director of Payor Relations, Compliance, and Contract Integrity, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
Ajith Pai, PharmD, MBA, FACHE
President, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth and Texas Health Hospital Clearfork
Ashley Vertuno, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, Arizona Market, Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company (HOPCo)

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Speakers’ Bios:
Barrett Hunter is the Director of Payor Relations, Compliance, and Contract Integrity at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, home to Oklahoma State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and academic clinic system. He also serves as the institution’s Privacy Officer.
Barrett’s path to healthcare began after graduating from the University of Tulsa, where he played basketball, and then earning his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He began his legal career as Assistant General Counsel at the Oklahoma Tax Commission but always intended to move into healthcare. After a few years in state government, he joined OSU Center for Health Sciences as its first Director of Compliance and Risk Management.
At OSU-CHS, Barrett’s work spans compliance, privacy, risk management, internal policy development, conflict of interest oversight, payer relations, and clinical contract integrity. In 2020, he was asked to manage the institution’s COVID-19 response, including its testing and vaccine sites, while helping develop processes and mitigation strategies to keep patients, students, and employees safe.
In his current expanded role, Barrett negotiates terms and reimbursement rates with third-party payers and manages the institution’s clinical contracts. Outside of work, he continues his connection to basketball by helping coach the Cascia Hall High School Girls Basketball Team with a former college teammate. Barrett and his wife, Rachael, have three children and recently welcomed their first daughter earlier this year.

Herron Mitchell, MBA, FACHE, SSGB is a healthcare executive with over 20+ years of leadership experience spanning both the automotive and healthcare industries. He currently serves as Chief Operations Officer at Foremost Family Health Centers, where he oversees patient access, revenue cycle, facilities, and strategic growth initiatives to expand care in underserved communities. Prior to this role, he spent more than a decade at Parkland Health leading multi-site ambulatory operations, advancing access, and driving system-wide performance improvement through Lean Six Sigma. Herron began his career with General Motors, where he built a strong foundation in operational excellence and process improvement. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Lecturer at the University of Virginia, dedicated to advancing health equity and high-performing care delivery systems.

Ajith Pai, PharmD, MBA, FACHE leads Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth with a steady focus on excellence, collaboration, and community impact. Since assuming the role of president in July 2022, he has guided the hospital through a period of remarkable achievement and growth. Under his leadership, Texas Health Southwest earned recognition as the #9 hospital in Dallas–Fort Worth in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings, was named the #1 hospital in Fort Worth and #19 in Texas on Newsweek’s 2025 America’s Best-in-State Hospitals list and was honored as a Premier Top 100 Hospital. The hospital also recently embarked on a transformative $223 million expansion, including a new five‑story patient tower slated to open in 2028.
Before joining Texas Health Southwest, Ajith served as President of Texas Health Cleburne, where he built strong partnerships with physicians, strengthened operational performance, and fostered a culture centered on safety, quality, and engagement. Across his leadership roles, he has remained committed to advancing patient care while nurturing meaningful relationships with employees, medical staff, governance leaders, and the broader community.
Ajith’s professional foundation blends clinical expertise with business acumen. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy and later completed his Master of Business Administration at The University of Texas at Dallas. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he served as the 2025 Chapter President of ACHE of North Texas. His belief in the power of advocacy has shaped his service beyond the hospital walls—most recently as the 2025 Chair of the Texas Hospital Association Political Action Committee (HOSPAC), as a member of the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees, and as a representative on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 7.
Away from his professional responsibilities, Ajith finds his greatest joy in time spent with his family—his wife, Myriam, and their three children, Elyse, Nikhil, and Yvette.

Ashley Vertuno is an award-winning healthcare executive recognized for leading large-scale organizational transformation, accelerating growth, and building high-performing cultures across complex healthcare enterprises. With more than 15 years of executive leadership experience, she has established a reputation for driving measurable results through operational excellence, physician alignment, strategic vision, and disciplined execution.
As Chief Executive Officer of HOPCo’s Arizona Market, Ashley provides executive leadership across one of the nation’s premier musculoskeletal care platforms. She is responsible for market-wide strategy, operations, physician alignment, growth, and performance across The CORE Institute, Elevation Surgery Centers, and The CORE Institute Specialty Hospital (CISH). Her leadership spans physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, specialty hospital services, ancillary care offerings, and strategic growth initiatives throughout Arizona.
Ashley is known for her ability to align physicians, executive leaders, and clinical teams around a shared vision while translating strategy into measurable outcomes. Through a physician-partnership model, she focuses on integrating care delivery, improving patient outcomes, strengthening organizational culture, and driving sustainable growth across the continuum of care.
Prior to joining HOPCo, Ashley served as Chief Executive Officer of HCA Florida JFK North Hospital, where she led a significant organizational transformation. Under her leadership, operating margin increased from 1.8% to more than 15%, EBITDA grew at a 37% CAGR, and the organization expanded key clinical service lines while strengthening physician partnerships and workforce engagement. The hospital earned national recognition from Healthgrades as a Top 100 Hospital for Orthopedic Surgery and Spine Surgery, as well as Patient Safety Excellence distinctions four consecutive years in a row.
Ashley has built her leadership reputation on the belief that exceptional performance is achieved when culture, accountability, and vision align. Her ability to connect strategy to execution has enabled organizations to navigate growth, transformation, and increasingly complex healthcare environments while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, service, and outcomes.
A nationally recognized thought leader, Ashley frequently speaks at leading healthcare conferences and executive forums, including the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Becker’s Healthcare, and healthcare leadership events across the country. Her areas of expertise include physician engagement, healthcare transformation, leadership development, workforce strategy, organizational culture, and building high performing healthcare organizations.
Her professional honors include the 2024 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Healthcare Executive of the Year from the American College of Healthcare Executives, the 2024 Baldrige Foundation Award for Healthcare Leadership, recognition as a Modern Healthcare Emerging Leader, and inclusion among Palm Beach County’s Top 100 Business Leaders.
Ashley serves on multiple nonprofit and professional boards and remains actively committed to mentoring the next generation of healthcare leaders. She currently serves as Forum Officer for the YPO Healthcare Business Network, helping foster collaboration and leadership development among healthcare executives around the world.
Ashley is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. She holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

2026 Executive Exchange
2026-09-02 07:30 - 09:00 (America/Chicago) | Forvis Mazars, Forvis14221 Dallas Parkway 1st Floor Conference Room, Dallas, TX, 75254, United States
Healthcare finance leaders converge to break down the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ in concise, high-value executive insights.

Join a select group of healthcare executives for a practical, high-value discussion on the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Hear short, candid perspectives from senior leaders on what the changes mean in practice designed to help you make informed decisions and prioritize what matters most in the months ahead.

This session is open only for those executives currently at VP-level and higher.

Speakers:
Lauren Billman
Vice President of Federal Affairs for Baylor Scott & White Health
Keith Cantrell
Chief Revenue Officer for SCP
Dr. Frederick Cerise MD, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer for Parkland Health
Monica Price, CPA
Vice President and Group Financial Officer for Texas Health Resources
Dr. Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer for Vituity

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Speakers’ Bios:
Lauren Billman serves as Vice President of Federal Affairs for Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas. In her role, she helps lead the organization’s federal strategy and represents Baylor Scott & White’s priorities before Congress and the Administration, with a focus on policies that expand access, support innovation, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and make care easier for customers to navigate.
Prior to joining Baylor Scott & White Health in 2023, Lauren spent nearly nine years in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill. Most recently, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Carol Miller (WV), a member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee where she managed the Congresswoman’s healthcare and international trade portfolios. Lauren also worked for two different members of the House Appropriations Committee, advising on federal budget and policy matters.
Originally from Idaho, Lauren now resides in Texas. She is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict.
Keith Cantrell joined SCP Health in 2012 and is a seasoned executive leader in the healthcare industry with more than 25 years of revenue cycle experience. In his role as Chief Revenue Officer, he is responsible for revenue operations across all service lines and taking innovative strategies to reality that support SCP’s business objectives. Under Cantrell’s leadership, SCP’s revenue cycle has grown to become a leading practice operation that manages the revenue associated with 10 million annual patient encounters for our 7,500 providers. Cantrell puts a great deal of emphasis on developing people and leveraging technology to drive positive outcomes.
Prior to joining SCP, Cantrell held leadership positions at EmCare, Deloitte Consulting, KPMG, and Arthur Andersen. Cantrell holds a Masters in Health Care Administration from Southwest Texas State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Baylor University.

Frederick P. Cerise, MD, MPH has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Parkland Health since 2014. His previous roles include the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Vice President for Health Affairs and Medical Education of the Louisiana State University System.
He is the chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation Board of Trustees and serves on the board of KFF. He previously served as a Commissioner on the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.

Monica Price, CPA, is the Vice President and Group Financial Officer of Mid-Cities, North Tarrant & Denton Region with responsibility for eight acute care hospitals, all part of the Texas Health Resources System. Serving in her position as of mid-2025, she is responsible for financial operations and key support functions including strategic financial management, supply chain management, financial reporting, budgeting, decision support, and patient access. Prior to her current position, Monica was Group Finance Officer within THR for 3 other hospitals.

Dr. Imamu Tomlinson, who joined the Vituity Partnership in 2004, is the Chief Executive Officer of Vituity where he oversees Vituity’s more than 580 practice locations nationwide. His focus is on clinical integration, strategies that improve patient experience, and operational efficiency for the health systems Vituity serves. Dr. Tomlinson appointed Vituity’s first Chief Innovation Officer and formalized an innovation team dedicated to supporting care transformation on the front lines as well as collaborating with technology companies to drive the development of tools that empower clinicians to improve care at the bedside. Additionally, he launched Vituity’s first diversity and inclusion initiative with a focus on growing a talent pipeline of diverse candidates and organization-wide efforts to mentor fellows and providers new in their fields.
Dr. Tomlinson is committed to improving care delivery industrywide and brought awareness to healthcare disparities in underrepresented populations. One of his recent outreach initiatives, through Vituity’s Foundation, focuses on promoting and mentoring underrepresented and disadvantaged high school students who have an interest in pursuing STEM majors and potentially going on to medical careers. Dr. Tomlinson’s influential leadership has been recognized by numerous institutions such as: Highly Commended CEO of the Year (2025) by The CEO Magazine-North America, Modern Healthcare’s 2025 Innovator Award Honoree, Becker’s Healthcare Great Leaders in Healthcare (2025), Becker’s Healthcare 231 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know (2024), Becker’s Healthcare Great Leaders in Healthcare (2024), Becker’s Healthcare 75 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know (2022 & 2023), Modern Healthcare 25 Top Diversity Leaders in Healthcare (2022), Modern Healthcare 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives (2022 & 2021), and Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare (2021).
Prior to his appointment in 2017, he served as Vituity’s President. As a former Regional Director of the Sequoia Region, Dr. Tomlinson led the creation of one of Vituity’s first multihospital, multispecialty, integrated networks. He also served as a member of the Vituity Board of Directors from 2014 to 2015. Dr. Tomlinson is a former Chief of Staff for the Adventist Health Central Valley Network, where he continues to practice as an emergency physician. He previously served as Medical Director for Adventist Health’s Hanford and Selma emergency departments, which received Vituity Practice of the Year distinctions. Dr. Tomlinson also spearheaded an effort to create the network’s Department of Emergency and Diagnostic Medicine and later served as its chair.
Dr. Tomlinson holds a Bachelor of Science in biology from St. Lawrence University and a medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his residency at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio and is board-certified in emergency medicine. In 2012, Dr. Tomlinson earned an MBA in healthcare administration from California Coast University.

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ACHE of North Texas Board of Governors Exam Preparation Course
2026-09-18 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford (HEB), 1600 Hospital Parkway, Bedford, TX, 76022
Become a recognized leader among executives in healthcare management by becoming a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Guided by North Texas Healthcare Leaders, Designed for Your Success!

Join the ACHE NTX Advancement Committee for our annual Board of Governors Prep Course

We’ve brought together a diverse group of seasoned leaders and hospital executives from across North Texas to guide you through our Board of Governors Exam Preparation Course. These accomplished professionals will share their firsthand knowledge, expertise, and insights to help prepare the next generation of Fellows.
Parking is free, Breakfast & Lunch included courtesy of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless-Bedford catering team.
Subject Matter Presenters:
Lee Ann Benson, FACHESenior Vice PresidentChildren’s Health
Matt Richardson, DrPH, MPH, FACHEDirector of Public HealthDenton County Public Health
Phaedra Johnson, RACR, CCMP, SHRMHuman Resources OfficerTexas Health Fort Worth Hospital
Heather Jones, FACHEVice President & CFOBaylor Scott & White Frisco
Brandon Goertz, PhD, FACHEPresidentTexas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Ken Hutchenrider, FACHEPresidentMethodist Richardson Medical Center
Toya White, JD, MBA, APRN, FNP-C, FACHEPresident & Chief Nursing OfficerTexas Health Kaufman
Nick Kagal, FACHE, FHIMSSSenior Client Implementation ManagerPressGaney
Eric Stephens, FACHEVice President, Enterprise Data & AnalyticsCatalyst Health Group

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