North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives

Life Fellow-Retiree Luncheon
2020-02-04 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Denver) | UT Southwestern Frisco, 12500 Dallas Parkway, Frisco, TX, 75033
Our next Retirees & Life Fellows luncheon will be at UT Southwestern Frisco, which will also include a brief tour of this new remarkable campus. You’re not going to want to miss this one!
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2020 New Horizons Event
2020-02-12 17:30 - 20:00 | Texas Scottish Rite Hospital For Children – Dallas, 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX, 75219
This is our fourth annual New Horizons event, a special educational opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to learn from local Executives. Early careerist and others in transition are also encouraged to attend.
Note: In addition to being able to hear and meet the below presenters, on a first-come/first served basis we will also be offering a limited number of registrants the opportunity to have brief mock interviews and resume reviews with healthcare human resources experts from around the metroplex. This will not be a job fair, but instead a professional development opportunity – enabling you to receive direct feedback from those who are conducting healthcare industry interviews and filtering through resumes on a day-to-day basis. A photographer will also be onsite (more details to follow) for those wanting professional headshots taken as well.
Agenda:
5:30-7pm – Optional Exercises (1st come/1st served) with Local Healthcare Human Resources Representatives
7-8pm – Panel Discussion and Q&A with attendees
8-8:30pm – Networking
Register Here
Presenters:
Margaret Base (Moderator) is the Director of Executive Talent Acquisition for Baylor Scott & White Health. BSWH is a nationally-recognized healthcare system with a commitment and track record of innovation, collaboration, integrity and compassion for the patient. Margaret leads the recruitment of leaders at the director level and above for this 50-hospital system that spans 28 Texas counties.
Margaret’s prior role was executive search consultant in Witt/Kieffer’s Healthcare practice. Here she conducted searches for CEOs, CFOs, CNOs, COOs, and many other executive roles on behalf of hospitals, health systems, and integrated delivery networks. Her clients included not-for-profit and investor-owned health systems. She also led searches for foundation and non-profit executive leadership.
Based in Dallas, Margaret has over 20 years of executive search experience that has included tenure with two F500 companies, an early-stage private-equity healthcare services start-up, and boutique executive search firms. Margaret spent six years with Tenet Healthcare, an investor-owned hospital system with more than 50 facilities in 11 states. As Managing Director of Executive Search, Margaret led an internal team that recruited 75+ executives on an annual basis, focusing on Tenet’s hospital C-suite and corporate leadership, as well as roles within the system’s performance management and innovation team.
Margaret is a hands-on professional who supports client searches at both a tactical and strategic level. Her work is defined by a collaborative spirit, sense of urgency, and quality and thoroughness. Margaret is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In her free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her new grandchild, and teaching yoga.

Celina Burns has garnered a diverse breadth of health care experience in highly successful start-up and turn-around efforts spanning payer, health system and integrated provider network development, risk contracting, employer benefit plan design, product development and execution on transformative client channel development and revenue growth. Passionate about building profitable relationships across all segments of healthcare delivery, Celina serves as Vizient’s corporate head of value-based healthcare product strategy. Prior to joining Vizient she was SVP, Marketplace leading Healthcare Bluebook’s B2C value-based cost transparency and consumer decision-making product development.
Celina began her career in hospital contracting, provider network development and medical economic management. She subsequently led the successful start-up of a leading Medicare risk health plan, and further held diverse market leadership and general management roles for some of the largest health plans, including Aetna and Humana. Additionally, she previously served as president of Davis Vision Inc., the nation’s third largest vision plan. Prior to joining Davis Vision Celina was Managing Director, Buck Consultants where she was one of two national subject matter experts in accountable care strategic planning.
Driven by clinical quality and care coordination passion Celina has cultivated a strong track record in building high impact business plans with in-depth expertise in consumer-driven healthcare strategy, health system and integrated network development, population health engagement, ancillary health products and strategic alternate payment model provider contracting.
Celina received a bachelor of science in speech pathology from Texas State University. She has been actively engaged in a number of industry and community based healthcare organizations over the years, including as a board member of the American Heart Association (AHA); Health Industry Council board member; multiple year Chair for AHA Go Red for Women’s Campaign; National Association of Vision Care Plans board member, and Gerson Lehrman council member.

Sean Dyer has led the IT recruiting practice for Medix in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since July of 2017. He has been with Medix for 13+ years and recruited/sold/managed for his organization in the clinical, revenue cycle and care management space within healthcare as well. Medix is a national recruiting firm focusing on healthcare, scientific, and information technology recruiting and consulting and has been an Inc 5000 fastest growing company multiple times.
Sean lives in Frisco with his wife, Anna, and two young sons – Wesley (2) and Michael (6 months).

Lisa Hall, MPH, currently works as the Assistant Director of Clinical Operations at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She has over 17 years of experience in the healthcare industry with a strong portfolio in ambulatory operations. She has a wealth of experience in physician practice acquisitions and transitions. She has successfully leveraged her knowledge over the years to improve specific clinic processes, resulting in increased clinic efficiencies and patient experience outcomes. Lisa is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Lisa received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma.

Andre Storey, FACHE is the Director of Hospital Operations at Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health. In this role Andre oversees Responsible for facility compliance, support services, and bundle payment programs in addition to the development and management of facility operational strategy. Baylor University Medical Center is a quaternary care, teaching and research center that has more than 4,500 associates while providing care through more than 300,000 patients per year. Andre has served in this role since 2018. Prior to this appointment, he served as an executive with CHRISTUS Health in Northeast Texas and Southwestern Louisiana.
As an active community member Andre founded the Greater Texarkana Young Professionals, named one of the 2014 Top 40 under 40 by Four States Living Magazine, and recognized as a Rising Star by the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association in 2017. He is Board certified in healthcare management by the American College of Healthcare Executives, and currently the DFW Chapter President of the National Association of Healthcare Executives. Lastly, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University.
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ACHENTX Networking Blitz - February 18 2020
2020-02-18 17:30 - 19:45 | Texas Health Resources Pavilion, 2nd Floor, 600 E Lamar Blvd, Arlington, TX, 76011
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A tremendous networking opportunity for new and more seasoned members alike!

This event is for all ACHE of North Texas members who want to become more involved and/or become more connected/networked with their fellow ACHENTX members.

The ACHE North Texas Membership & Networking Committee cordially invites you to the ACHE of North Texas chapter’s Networking Blitz. This fun event will allow members to get to know one another in a very meaningful way. There will be special fun breakout sessions and activities, where personal connections will be made. The intent of this program is to bring members together to get a real in depth view of ACHENTX, to enable you to meet some of the chapter’s leadership and other fellow ACHE members, and to help you map out how to best take advantage of the plethora of local and national benefits and opportunities available to you through. It’s a way to “let us get to know you” as well and become a part of your professional network.
We are looking forward to meeting each of you.
A light meal will be served.

Register Here!

First Quarter Education Event
2020-02-27 15:00 - 19:30 | Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving, 1901 North MacArthur Boulevard, Irving, TX, 75061, United States
We have a great program in store for our 2020 First Quarter Education Event!
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3-3:30pm – Networking and Check-In
3:30-5pm – Panel 1: Providing Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
Moderator: Kyle Armstrong, FACHE
President
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney
Panelists:
Robin Gordon
Manager, Language Access Services
Texas Health Resources
Ashleigh Kinney
Director of Patient Experience
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Melina Kolbeck
Director Language Access Services
Children’s Health
5-6pm – Networking & Dinner
6-7:30pm – Panel 2: Diversity & Inclusion
Moderator: Victoria Sanders, FACHE
Senior Vice President
USMD Health System – OptumCare
Panelists:
Traci Lawler-Shortt
Client Services Vice President
Clinical Operations Specialist/Lead Nurse Practitioner
SCP Health
Michelle Green-Ford
Chief Diversity Officer
JPS Health Network
Chris Moreland
Chief Diversity Officer
Vizient
Guwan Jones
Chief Diversity Officer
Baylor Scott & White Health
Register Here!

Thanks to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving for hosting this event!
Speaker Bios:
Kyle E. Armstrong, FACHE, became president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney in July 2016. Armstrong joined the McKinney team from Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the Mid-South. Armstrong is recognized as a results-driven, relationship-oriented leader who has experience and expertise in leading dynamic health care organizations. As president of Baylor Scott & White – McKinney, he is committed to nurturing the hospital’s existing strong foundation and culture, and continuing its growth.
Since joining Baylor Scott & White McKinney, the hospital has earned its first Magnet Designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, become accredited by the Commission on Cancer and been designated as a Level III Trauma Center by the State of Texas.
Armstrong earned master’s degrees in both health administration and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Armstrong has been a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2014.
Active in the community, Armstrong currently serves on the Board for both the McKinney Chamber of Commerce and the Samaritan Inn and is an Advisory Board Member for CASA of Collin County. Away from work, Armstrong’s favorite thing to do is spend time with his wife, Tabitha, and their three daughters. He also enjoys running, snow skiing and golf.
Robin Gordon holds the position of System Manager Language Access for Texas Health Resources in the Central Staffing and Patient Logistics department. As Manager of Language Access, Robin designs and implements programs related to language access and language education for Texas Health Resources as well as manages the system interpreters and system interpreting needs. Robin graduated with a BA in Foreign Languages – Spanish from UNT in Denton and has a master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University. She lived in Mexico for five years studying at Tec de Monterrey, working as an ESL teacher, and providing classes and translation services to Mexican businesses. After moving back to Texas, she continued to teach and worked as a Spanish interpreter in a local clinic and has been tested and trained to become a qualified interpreter in a local interpreting program. In her role, she is responsible for the credentialing, deployment and operational processes for the Qualified Bilingual Interpreters and System Interpreters across the enterprise. Currently over 200 different languages are provided through on-site, video or over-the-phone interpreters.
Michelle Green-Ford has vast experience as a diversity and inclusion leader for more than twenty years. Her background includes international work in: Canada, Puerto Rico, England, Dominican Republic and the United States. Previous organizations that have benefited from Michelle’s experience include: IBM, DFW Airport, American Airlines, Sheppard Air Force Base and Texas Health Resources. She received her bachelor of business administration from the University of North Texas and her MBA from Amberton University in Strategic Leadership.
Michelle is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer leading cultural competency education and vendor business development initiatives. She manages delivery of customized organizational wide programs to promote employee engagement, cultural competency and excellent patient experience. She has been with JPS since 2014 and her continued goal is to assist in facilitating the JPS Mission “Transforming healthcare delivery for the communities we serve” through maximizing cultural competency skills for team members to meet patient and community needs.
Guwan Jones is the Chief Diversity Officer of Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas. The integrated delivery network includes 47,000 employees, 50 hospitals, more than 1,000 access points, Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and one of the nation’s largest accountable care organizations, Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance.
Continuing a career dedicated to advocacy for the vulnerable and underserved. Ms. Jones leads efforts to shape the workforce of the future so that it better mirrors communities served. She is an impassioned advocate, addressing racial and ethnic care disparities in health care. Additionally, she serves as one of 30 members in an executive council of the American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare, an executive support team for the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity in Healthcare Management. The executive council’s focus is on guiding efforts to improve representation and care for underserved/underrepresented populations.
During Ms. Jones’ tenure, local and national organizations continue to recognize Baylor Scott & White Health’s commitment to building a more
inclusive environment. Honors include the Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces for Diversity (multi-year), Military Friendly® Employer (multi-year) and the Distinguished Healthcare Diversity Excellence Award (2018).
Prior to her current role, Ms. Jones served as Advocacy Manager at Dallas, Texas-based Children’s Health and held various advocacy roles in North Texas (Tarrant County Health Department and the La Sima Foundation) and Arkansas (Arkansas Minority Health Commission).
Ms. Jones holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, AR. She is the recipient of multiple honors including the Dallas Business Journal’s 2019 Minority Business Leader Awards.
Ashleigh Kinney is the Director of Patient Experience at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. In this role, she oversees the institution’s strategic initiative on Patient Experience, as well as supports the Family Services, Family Resource Center, Medical Library and Child Life teams at the Dallas and Frisco campuses. These teams provide social work services, interpretation and translation, patient education, supportive play and off-site scheduling coordination. With a passion for comprehensive, empathic care of children and families, Ashleigh graduated with her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. Ashleigh is also a Certified Patient Experience Professional. In her current work, Ashleigh seeks ways to continuously improve and showcase the patient experience – from the time they make their appointment to the time they transition from care. Together with the team, Ashleigh’s primary focus is connecting support and comfort to those facing medical experiences
Melina Kolbeck, CHI, is the Director of Language Access Services for Children’s Health of Dallas. At Children’s Health, she has helped developed an effective system of on-demand interpreter services for language access for LEP patients and medical providers. Among other projects and innovations, she has also taken part of the development of Children’s values for Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural Competency and serves as Co-Chair of their Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion Commission. She lead Children’s Health Language Access Services when they received the Texas Start Award Organization of the year in 2016, and in 2018, she received the individual Texas Star Award presented by the Texas Association for Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT.)
Melina has a Bachelor Degree in Communication Science from ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico. She has 18 years of experience as an interpreter, bilingual consultant, public speaker and has focused her professional career advocating and implementing health care specific language access services to provide support to families with Limited English Proficiency. This includes working in leadership roles for health care systems in central Wisconsin for almost 14 years and more than 4 years at Children’s Health System of Dallas.
CHI=Certified HealthCare Interpreter
Chris Moreland is the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Advocate for Vizient®. In this capacity, he leads inclusion and diversity efforts for Vizient, which includes the company’s diversity networking associations (DNAs). He chairs an executive diversity steering committee as well as a network of health care chief diversity officers. He also speaks on diversity and inclusion-related topics within health care and beyond.
Prior to creating the office of Inclusion and Diversity at Vizient, Moreland was the senior vice president of sales operations at Vizient.
Over his 20+ year career, he has held multiple senior executive roles with companies such as the General Electric Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Mobil, Expedia and Microsoft.
Moreland spends much of his free time volunteering with non-profit organizations such as Integrity Mentors. He also consults with the Dallas-based Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) and is an active board member and co-founder of CourMed Inc.
Moreland has a bachelor of science degree in engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, a master’s in business administration from Central Michigan University, and a Certificate of Inclusion and Diversity from Cornell University.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Moreland lives in Dallas, is a Certified Master Black Belt in quality and enjoys cycling, reading and spending time with his family.
Victoria O. Sanders, FACHE is a faithful leader with a commitment to mission guided work and a reputation for efficiency, building and rewarding effective teams, and achieving exemplary results. She obtained her BS from Emory University in Atlanta, GA then joined Tarheel Nation by completing her MHA at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since that time, she has been privileged to lead a career filled with diverse experiences in academic, for-profit, joint venture, & government healthcare environments with financial, operational, and business development responsibilities. Mrs. Sanders currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Specialty & Ancillary Operations for USMD-Optum with accountability for all specialty ambulatory, imaging, and laboratory strategy across the DFW market. As the benefactor of extraordinary mentorship – Victoria’s greatest professional accomplishments have been each opportunity she has had to provide the same level of unconditional guidance and support that she so greatly benefitted from. As a native Texan, Victoria is grateful to reside in Lewisville, Texas with her husband and 17-month old son.
Traci Shortt, a native of Fort Worth, TX brings 21 years of experience in nursing, advanced practice nursing, project management, contract management, and change facilitation to her role with SCP-Health. In her Client Services Vice President role, Traci facilitates engagement with stakeholders to optimize contracts financially, operationally, and culturally. As a Clinical Operations Specialist and Nurse Practitioner she is responsible for special projects, evaluation of contracts, operational assessment and clinical practice. In this role, she ensures clients receive facility specific analysis of their processes, staffing models, and practice guidelines. She works to ensure efficiency, efficacy, and safety in the delivery of patient care.
She completed a doctoral project on Waveform Capnography Use in Moderate Sedation and IV Analgesia. She has worked with ANCC in developing a national emergency nurse practitioner board certification and is active in nurse practitioner lobbying and legislation. Another area of expertise is the prehospital and transport environments. She has taught classes nationally and internationally on this topic and is working on an infrastructure project currently in Nigeria. Traci was recognized as one of Baylor Health Care Systems top directors for clinical and operational performance. Traci also has worked with the U.S. Army in developing and delivering a critical care field medicine course for their Special Forces medical personnel, which was utilized in Iraq, and Afghanistan resulting in decreased field mortality numbers.
She formerly served as a Director of Emergency and Critical Care Services at Baylor Health System. While there, she was able to develop Left Without Treatment Plans, Door to Provider Time reduction plans, Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia Practice Protocols and Central Line and Sepsis bundles in their clinical transformation, Traci received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice Degree from Chatham University. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Brenau University in Gainesville, GA and an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University. Traci is certified as an Adult and Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner clinically and also as a Six Sigma Blackbelt operationally. Traci is based out of the Houston, TX office.

WHEN Women’s Conference 2020
2020-03-05 07:30 - 12:00 | Texas Woman’s University – Dallas, 5500 Southwestern Medical Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75235
Join us for ACHENTX’s first ever WHEN (Women’s Healthcare Executive Network) Women’s Conference! This is an excellent opportunity to network with fellow women healthcare leaders and participate in break-out sessions designed to help you professionally advance. Speakers and schedule follow; participants will have the chance to register and attend two of the four break-out sessions. Breakfast and refreshments will be served.
Date: Thursday, March 5
Time: 7:30am-12pm
Location: Texas Woman’s University Dallas
Click Here to Register
Schedule:
7:30-8:00am – Registration & Breakfast
8:00-8:10am – Kickoff
8:15-9:00 – Breakout Session 1
9:00-9:10 – Break
9:10-9:55 – Breakout Session 2
10:00-10:30 – Network Break
10:30-11:25 – Keynote Address
11:30-11:45 – Closing Comments
Keynote and Distinguished Speakers:
Break Out Sessions

Building Your Brand – Nancy Vish, President/CNO – Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas and Fort Worth
The Power of Negotiation – Meridith Ward, Founder & CEO – In-Charge Career Consulting, LLC
Mentor vs Advocate: Pro’s, Con’s and the Benefit of Both – Pat Driscoll – Professor, Texas Woman’s University and Kenya Woodruff – Partner Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Effective Communication – Felixia Colón, FACHE, Regional Vice President, Hospital Medicine at SCP-Health at SCP-Health, and Dr. Beverly Gladney, Chief Medical Officer our Emergency Medicine physicians.

Keynote Address: “A Gritty Girl’s Leadership Trip: Are We There Yet?“
Join us as Chandini Portteus shares her story to help us forge forward not just as leaders, but collectively as women.
Chandini Portteus is a female executive who has spent over 20 years in leadership across various sectors of healthcare, from her roots in the pharmaceutical industry and basic and clinical research, to her years as a public health professional and organization wide leader. Early in her career, she held C-level roles in the nonprofit sector and will share her journey of leadership through various phases of her career. Chandini will recount what it was like to lead through times of public crisis as Chief Mission Officer at Susan G. Komen, her work as a notable turnaround CEO at Livestrong, and her experiences as a growth catalyst CEO at Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer. Chandini has held numerous roles as a board member, advisor, or change agent throughout her career and was named in 2018 to The Dallas Business Journal list of 40 under 40 Honorees. Today she leads as Principal and CEO of her own consulting firm, working in both the nonprofit and for profit sectors, leading initiatives across start-ups, emerging tech, blockchain, biotech, and fintech, with specific focus on female entrepreneurship and diversity leadership. Above all other roles or accolades, Chandini is most passionate and honored to have been gifted one role in particular, her role as a mother to four school age children.
Our inaugural conference will take place on Thursday, March 5 at Texas Woman’s University – Dallas. Free parking is available on-site in the garage adjacent to the main TWU entrance. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us as WHENNTX@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you in March!
A special thank you to TWU and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP for hosting this event!

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Community Event: Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)
2020-03-07 09:00 - 11:00 | Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), 1680 N Glenville Drive, Suite 300, Richardson, TX, 75081
ACHENTX Members Making a Difference!

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Come join your ACHE of North Texas colleagues as we hand-pack rice, soy, dried vegetables and a nutritionally complete blend of vitamins and minerals into bags which are then sealed, boxed, placed on pallets and shipped to Feed My Starving Children’s partners working hard to reach the neediest children around the world.

Visit www.fmsc.org to learn more about this incredible organization.
Restrictions: anyone with a soy allergy, anyone will illness within 24 hours of the volunteering event, but there are no lifting restrictions. For safety reasons, the minimum age for volunteering is 5 years old and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult during the packing experience. Please also note, FMSC is banking on our group’s help and will be turning away other volunteers to accommodate our anticipated number of attendees. If you are unable to attend, please let us know right away so we can fill your slot. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you there and rolling up our sleeves together to do this important work!

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Zoom Event: COVID-19: A Rapidly Changing Dynamic for Healthcare Policy & Management
2020-04-23 12:00 - 13:30 | TX
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This virtual event is offered to you free of charge by ACHE of North Texas.
Please join us for these important and timely updates!

Zoom Event Agenda:
12-12:15pm: Telehealth: A Fast and Furious Update
Presented by: Christine Kalish, President/CEO, Brittain Kalish Group, LLC
12:15-12:30pm: COVID19: The Truth
Presented by: Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, Infectious Diseases Physician Advisor, Texas Health Resources
12:30-12:45pm: The CARES Act—Clarifying Confusion
Presented by: Matthew Agnew, JD, Associate Attorney, Barnes & Thornburg
12:45-1pm: COVID-19: May the Force Majeure Be With You
Presented by: Bill Drabble, Partner, Gray Reed & McGraw LLP &
Ken Stone, Leader, Healthcare Litigation Practice Group , Gray Reed & McGraw LLP
1-1:30pm: Q&A
Presenters’ Bios:
Matthew Agnew, JD, is an associate attorney at Barnes & Thornburg, Matthew counsels healthcare companies on legal issues pertaining to business transactions and regulatory compliance, and defends healthcare companies in government investigations and commercial litigation. He focuses on providing healthcare clients with practical, business-oriented solutions designed to comply with the law while leaving room for business growth. Matthew’s client-base spans across the broader healthcare sector and he is an active community member in DFW law circles as well as ACHE’s NTX chapter. Of notable achievement, Matthew received the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Outstanding Committee Chair Award in 2017

Dr. Nikhil Bhayani is certified in infectious disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Bhayani earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Utah. He subsequently graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from the Ross University School of Medicine.
Upon graduating from medical school, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center between 2003 and 2006. Subsequently, Dr. Bhayani pursued a fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago and became a consulting physician for Infectious Disease Doctors, PA, from 2008 until 2016.
In the years since, Dr. Bhayani has excelled as the owner of Nikhil K. Bhayani, MD, PA. He has also been active as a physician advisor with Texas Health Resources. As an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Bhayani is involved with clinical care and medical administration, and he liaises with various hospitals, clinical pharmacies and administrators to ensure that medical policies and safeguards are in place to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
Dr. Bhayani maintains his professional alignment with the Infectious Disease Society of America as a Fellow, the Texas Medical Society and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in order to remain aware of industry changes and network with others in the field.”
Due to his outstanding work in the field, Dr. Bhayani has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Greater Fort Worth since 2012. Over the years, he also accepted the Physician of the Year Award from Texas Health Arlington Memorial. A member of the Leading Physicians of the World, Dr. Bhayani was presented with a Recognition Award from the Illinois Math and Sciences Academy for mentoring students and developing a rapid HIV testing protocol at the University of Illinois, Chicago Medical Center Emergency Room.
Bill Drabble is a partner in Gray Reed’s Dallas office. He focuses on representing property owners, landlords, tenants and developers in real estate litigation before courts throughout North Texas, including disputes over land sales, breaches of lease agreements, premises-liability claims and other disputes involving commercial and residential properties.

Christine Kalish, MBA, CMPE, is a senior executive and trusted healthcare advisor with deep experience in ambulatory care and academic medicine. She is a thought leader and strategist for emerging and expanding healthcare organizations. For more than thirty years, Kalish has been leading organizations and teams to develop critical infrastructure and growth planning to improve operations, workflow, human resources and revenue cycle. She continually searches for innovative ways to assist her clients so they can deliver quality care for the populations they serve.

Leader of Gray Reed’s Healthcare Litigation Practice Group, Ken Stone is based in Dallas and focuses his practice on commercial and personal injury litigation matters, primarily within the healthcare field but also across several other industries. Licensed in Texas and Oklahoma, he spends a substantial portion of his time assisting parties in resolving contractual disputes, and he works with a diverse group of healthcare clients – individual physicians, physician groups, hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis centers.

Register Here
The Zoom login details will be sent to registrants prior to the event.

POSTPONED: Second Quarter Education Event
2020-04-23 15:00 - 19:30 | Baylor University Medical Center, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75246
Please join us for our second quarter double panel education event.

This event has been approved for 3.0 Face-to-Face Credits (1.5 per panel)
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Panel 1: Risk Issues We Face in our Daily Roles

Moderator: Teresa R. Danna, BSN, MSN, FACHE, Market President, Tenet Healthcare/ USPI
Panelists:
Brandi Crow, MSN, RN, Director of Healthcare Improvement, Clinical Risk Management, and Operational Excellence, Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital
Karen Dinh, RN, BSN, Risk Manager, Texas Health Hospital Frisco
Christi Nguyen, DNP, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, Executive Director of Medical Surgical Nursing Services at JPS Health Network
Brenda Slade MSN/MHA, RN-BC, Director, Quality & Patient Safety-Risk, Infection Prevention

Panel 2: Human Trafficking and the Impact on Healthcare
Moderator: Benson P. Chacko, FACHE, serves as the Vice President Operations to Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Panelists:
Cindy McCarthy DNP, MHA, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, CEN, Chief Nursing Officer, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville
Shelbi McReynolds, RN, CEN, CA-SANE, Emergency Department Nurse, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Marjorie Quint-Bouzid, MPA, RN, NEA, BC, Senior Vice President of Nursing, Parkland Hospital and Health System
Larinda Smith, Director of Community Outreach, Unbound Fort Worth

A huge thanks to Baylor University Medical Center for hosting this event!
Speaker Bios:
Benson P. Chacko, FACHE, serves as the Vice President Operations to Methodist Dallas Medical Center, a 585-bed tertiary Level I Trauma Center providing compassionate care for over 90 years. Prior to joining Methodist Dallas, Benson was with Tenet Healthcare for nine years most recently serving as the interim CEO/COO at its joint venture hospital Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Lake Pointe. His healthcare career spans nearly two decades and covers a wide spectrum to include human resources, business development and hospital operations. In addition, he was part of for-profit, non-profit, academic, and community hospitals. Born and raised here in the DFW Metroplex, the majority of his time was spent outside of the area in Palo Alto, CA, St. Louis, MO and El Paso, TX.

Brandi Crow, MSN, RN is Director of Healthcare Improvement, Clinical Risk Management, and Operational Excellence for Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital – Dallas and Fort Worth a nationally recognized specialty hospital, and a part of Baylor Scott & White Health.
Through her leadership in quality and patient safety, Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital consistently places near the top of national quality performance metrics and has been consistently recognized by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a top hospital performer, noted publicly as receiving five stars, the highest rating possible. During her tenure the hospital has also received an 8th Consecutive “A” grade for Patient Safety in Spring 2019 by the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. healthcare system.
Brandi’s prior healthcare experience spans 20 years and includes serving as cardiovascular surgical intensive care staff nurse, regional STEMI coordinator, and various nursing leadership positions within Texas Health Recourses and Christus Trinity Mother Frances.
Brandi received her Master’s in Nursing Administration from the University of Texas in Arlington, after completing her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Texas Woman’s University in Dallas.
Brandi’s affiliations include: Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, National Association for Healthcare Quality, and the Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists.
Teresa R. Danna, BSN, MSN, FACHE, is a Market President with Tenet Healthcare/ USPI. Teresa has overall responsibility for joint ventures with physicians and hospital partners including 53 ASCs and 6 hospitals in CA, CO, NV, LA, OK, SD and TX. Ms. Danna was the Northeast Market President 2013-2018 in CT, NJ, NY, NJ, MA and PA, adding to that portfolio in the states previously listed above beginning in 2017. She was the recipient of the 2015 CEO’s Award for overall leadership and performance.
Prior to joining USPI, Ms. Danna was the Chief Executive Officer of Houston Town & Country Hospital from 2005 to 2007. From 1999 to 2004 she held several positions with St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System including CEO of the Community Medical Center in The Woodlands. Ms. Danna was a Vice President with Heritage Health Systems from 1996 to 1999 which included the MSO for three IPAs and Executive Director, Heritage Physician Network, an IPA of 1700 multi-specialty physicians managing capitation in Medicare and commercial populations. Prior to 1996 Teresa held various management positions in both hospital and ambulatory settings, including administrator for two de novo ASCs.
Ms. Danna received her B.S. and M.S. in Nursing from The University of Texas and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Karen Dinh, RN, BSN, is the current Risk Manager at Texas Health Hospital Frisco (THF). She has more than 15 years of experience in healthcare, including Conflict resolution, claims investigation, Serious Safety Events management, and Grievance resolution, as well as comprehensive Risk Management. Karen oversees all aspects of the Healthcare Risk Management, and Patient Safety program at THF including Grievance Resolution.
Karen received a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas Arlington and is enrolled in a Master of Applied Science in Patient Safety and Quality through Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Cindy McCarthy is the chief nursing officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville. Prior to accepting this position, she worked as a Transitional Leader in organizations which included Johns Hopkins Bayview, Virginia Mason Medical Center and University of Texas Medical Branch among others.
Her areas of expertise in nursing are emergency department, critical care, flight nursing and nursing leadership. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California University of Pennsylvania, Master’s in Health Services Administration and Masters in Business Administration from University of St. Francis and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Texas Christian University. She is passionate about patient care, quality and developing strong nursing leaders.
She has had articles published on reducing readmission rates in rural hospitals, emerging global health issues which included a human trafficking section and the role of the nurse leader in battling human trafficking in rural hospitals in Texas. She also presented at the 2019 Texas Hospital Association conference in Austin TX during a breakout session addressing human trafficking.
Shelbi McReynolds, RN, CEN, CA-SANE currently serves as a staff direct-care Emergency Department Nurse with Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford (THHEB). McReynolds has served in the Emergency Nursing position for almost 6 years. McReynolds currently also holds a position as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner with Texas Health Resources Southwest Division serving victims of sexual violence at 7 local Texas Health Resources Hospitals.
McReynolds has been with the Texas Health Resources System since 2012. McReynolds began her nursing career as a Nurse Resident at Texas Health Denton Presbyterian Hospital. During her time with Texas Health Denton, she gained experience in nursing areas including Medical-Surgical, Post-Partum, Post-Surgical, and Intermediate Medical Care. In 2014, McReynolds transitioned to her current role in Emergency Nursing and in 2018 started her pursuit in Forensic Nursing.
McReynolds currently serves in multiple roles including as her Emergency Department Unit Based Council Chair, THHEB Professional Governance Chair, THHEB Nursing Congress Delegate and as a core member of the THHEB Human Trafficking Team that has been involved in assisting in reviewing system based policies regarding Human Trafficking. McReynolds has assisted as a co-writer on Evidenced Based Practice and Process Improvement Projects regarding Human Trafficking education and Human Trafficking Identification tools for healthcare staff.
McReynolds is a member of both the Tarrant County Emergency Nurses Association and the International Association of Forensic Nurses. McReynolds holds an Honors of Bachelor of Science of Nursing Degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, is a Certified Emergency Nurse and is credentialed through the Texas Office of the Attorney General as a Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
Dr. Christi Nguyen has been a nurse for over 25 years and nurse leader for 15 years. She is presently the Executive Director of Medical Surgical Nursing Services at JPS Health Network in Fort Worth. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of Texas at Arlington’s MSN Nursing Administration Online Program. She earned both her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing and Healthcare Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1994 and 2004, respectively. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Texas Christian University in 2016. Dr. Nguyen is certified as a Nurse Executive, Advanced and a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE).
Dr. Nguyen is a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leaders, Texas Organization for Nursing Leaders, North Central Organization for Nursing Leaders, and ACHE. She is currently the President-Elect of the North Central Organization of Nurse Executives.
She was recognized as a DFW Great 100 Nurse in 2013, Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas Hospital’s “Excellence in Nursing – Transformational Leadership” in 2015, and D Magazine’s “Excellence in Nursing Awards – Nurses in Leadership Roles” in 2016 and 2019.
Marjorie Quint-Bouzid, MPA, RN, NEA, BC, currently serves as Senior Vice President of Nursing at Parkland Hospital and Health System in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Quint-Bouzid has over 33 years of experience as a Registered Nurse with more than 19 years of progressive experience in hospital administration. She has demonstrated experience in leading and managing successful teams to achieve local and national accreditation and quality designations. She is a subject matter expert in emerging trends in healthcare regulations, operations and to include intimate partner violence and human trafficking as it relates to healthcare management. She currently provides oversite of a victim intervention program and has extensive real life experience developing and implementing collective impact programs designed to address issues pertinent to women’s health and intimate partner violence. She frequently provides education and training on the national and international stage on a variety of patient safety, women’s health, and quality topics such as safe environments, personal safety and safety in the healthcare setting, building a sustainable safety culture and quality/risk management in the leadership role
Brenda Slade has been a practicing nurse for 25 years. The daughter of a career Air Force Staff Sargent Brenda was raised in Minot, North Dakota. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing, a Master of Health Administration and is Board Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Medical-Surgical Nursing. Brenda is studying for and will sit for the Certified Professional in Health Care Quality exam this year. Her clinical background includes staff and leadership roles in acute care nursing. Brenda currently serves as the Director of Quality, Patient Safety-Risk, and Infection Prevention at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hurst-Euless Bedford. She believes every patient deserves safe, high quality, evidence-based care and enjoys her role because it allows her to use her training and education to support those closest to the patient in their efforts to provide safe, high quality care to every patient, every day.
Larinda Smith is the Director of Community Outreach for Unbound Fort Worth. Unbound’s mission is to support survivors and resource communities to fight human trafficking. Its primary program areas are prevention & awareness, professional trainings, and survivor advocacy. Unbound provides 24/7 crisis response and ongoing case management for human trafficking survivors of all ages. In her role with Unbound, Larinda coordinates community presentations and trainings for healthcare providers and support staff. Unbound’s medical trainings focus on identifying and responding to victims of human trafficking in the clinical setting. Larinda has personally witnessed the impact of equipping healthcare providers to identify victims and connect them with resources to help in their recovery and healing. She enjoys sharing how awareness of human trafficking can save lives.

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POSTPONED: Cocktails with the Chiefs - Dallas
2020-04-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Haworth Showroom, 2021 McKinney Avenue, Suite 500, Dallas, TX, 75201
Our popular Cocktails with the Chiefs event is back in Dallas – this time at the lovely Haworth Showroom in the Uptown area of Dallas.

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This event always offers incredible networking opportunities and this year will feature the following special panelists:

Janelle Browne
Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Josh Floren, FACHE
President
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano
Pete Havel
Author
The Arsonist in the Office: Fireproofing Your Life Against Toxic Coworkers, Bosses, Employees and Cultures
Stephanie Speights, PhD
Senior Vice President of Talent Management Development & Chief Learning Officer
Parkland Hospital and Health System
Laura Tortorella
Executive Vice President, Operations
Steward Health Care System
A special thanks to Haworth for hosting this event!
Speakers Bios:
Janelle Browne is the Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer, joining UT Southwestern Medical Center in March 2019. Previously, she was Vice President for Human Resources at Texas Health Resources, where she had oversight of the nonprofit health system’s 13 wholly owned hospitals, more than 250 specialty and primary care clinics, and the Texas Health Physicians Group.
Before joining Texas Health in 2008, Ms. Browne gained extensive experience in academia with executive leadership roles at University of Washington Health Sciences Center and University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. She additionally served as an examiner for the New Mexico Performance Excellence Awards, which is based on the Malcolm Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence.
Ms. Browne holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Phoenix.
Josh Floren, FACHE, is the president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.
Josh joined Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano in 2013. Prior to joining the hospital, he worked as the executive vice president of operations at Parkland Hospital. Josh has an extensive background in business development, physician relations, financial management, strategic planning, hospital operations, performance and quality improvement.
Josh earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University and a master’s in health administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed a fellowship at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, WV and while there became a certified Six Sigma Blackbelt by GE.
Josh currently serves on multiple community boards including the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center and is a past president of the North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He currently participates on the Texas Hospital Association’s Policy Council and is on Texas A&M University’s Biomedical Science Advisory Board.
Josh received the American College of Healthcare Executive Reagent’s Award in 2016 and was awarded Texas A&M University’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2017
Josh has been married for 15 years to his wife Valerie. They have 3 children, Jackson (12), Brooks (9) and Charlotte (6). He is active in his church and spends much of his time coaching the kid’s baseball and soccer teams.
Pete Havel, author of The Arsonist in the Office: Fireproofing Your Life Against Toxic Coworkers, Bosses, Employees and Cultures, is a former lobbyist, political consultant and crisis communications professional who now serves as a corporate Hazmat team.
After a professional experience placed him inside ‘the world’s most toxic workplace’ and hired to work with the untouchable employee his management called ‘The Arsonist’, Pete spoke up to his leadership about disturbing behavior that could have led to scandal, lost careers, and company embarrassment. When he did, his career path was changed forever. He got burned by the Arsonist—the classic employee that burns down careers, companies, and cultures in their path. In the book, he shares the tools and techniques that everyone—from entry level to C-Suite—need to understand about office politics, challenging cultures, difficult people, and dealing with hard issues that can make or break organizations.
He’s a speaker, author, trainer and consultant on workplace culture, leadership, and politics. His company, The Cloture Group, helps organizations—from coast to coast—build and fix their cultures to ‘fireproof’ them against bad behavior and in favor of strong ethics, high productivity, and effective leadership.
In his spare time, he enjoys rooting for his beloved Boston Red Sox, Baylor Bears and also searching for his next stop in his search for great BBQ and working on 3 new books.
He lives in Dallas with his wife Janie and daughter Reagan (16).
Stephanie Speights, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Talent Management Development & Chief Learning Officer at Parkland Hospital and Health System. An experienced health care executive, Stephanie is tasked with aligning talent development programs, employee engagement, and workforce management consulting to grow a highly skilled and competitive workforce. Prior to joining Parkland in July 2019, Stephanie spent 10 years at Children’s Health, most recently as the Vice President of Talent Management & Chief Learning Officer.
At Children’s Stephanie led talent acquisition, learning and leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and workforce development integration.
Recent Presentations & Recognition

Texas Hospital Association (THA) Leadership Fellow, class of 2018
Conference Speaker, ASHHRA 2018 Annual Conference and Exposition: Going Beyond the Usual Suspects: Unleash the Power of Quiet Leadership, September 2018
National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) 2018 BOLD Award Recipient: Best Organizations for Leadership Development
AXIS Awards, including 2018 Best in Show, Dallas Association for Talent Development (ATD)

Laura Tortorella is the Executive Vice President of Operations of Steward Health Care System. In this role, she oversees labor management, supply chain, and hospital operational initiatives as well as the system’s predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and operational platforms. Ms. Tortorella has over 14 years in health care business management. Before joining Steward, she held management positions overseeing the respiratory disease division at Children’s Hospital, Boston. Ms. Tortorella earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Harvard College and MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

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POSTPONED - Community Service Event - DME Exchange
2020-05-02 08:00 - 12:00 | DME Exchange of Dallas, 12015 Shiloh Road, Dallas, 75228
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Join fellow ACHENTX members at the DME Exchange and help clean, repair or refurbish donated medical equipment to prepare them for their next use. Come out and help support the organization’s mission, meet ACHENTX members, donate unwanted equipment, and even earn credit towards Fellow status while giving back to your community.
A breakfast snack will be provided.
The DME Exchange is a nonprofit agency that collects, repairs and sanitizes durable medical equipment and then distributes them to individuals living in Dallas county who have a doctor’s prescription for the item, are 200% below the poverty level, have no insurance coverage or have a gap in coverage. DME equipment includes: canes, crutches, walkers, rollators, bedside commodes, tub transfer benches, manual and power wheelchairs, Hoyer lifts, hospital beds and mattresses.
If you are unable to attend the event and wish to donate supplies, please contact Betty Hersey, DME Exchange Executive Director at +1-214-997-3639.
Donation Items Sought:
1. Manual wheelchairs (especially 18”, 20” and 22” chairs)
2. Rollators
3. Shower chairs and tub transfer benches
4. Walkers with wheels
5. Hospital beds w/ vinyl mattresses
*Dress is casual. (Open toe shoes or sandals are not recommended.)

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POSTPONED - Breakfast with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Kelly Barnes, Global and US Health Industries Leader
2020-05-19 07:30 - 09:00 | PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2121 North Pearl Street, Dallas, TX, 75033
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Date: Tuesday, May 19
Time: 7:30-9am
Location: PricewaterhouseCoopers
2121 North Pearl Street
Dallas, TX 75201

Please join us for a special breakfast featuring Kelly Barnes, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global and US Health
Industries Leader
PwC partner Kelly Barnes is a leading force behind a new understanding of a healthcare system undergoing unprecedented change. With over 30 years of experience, Kelly guides a team of over 12,000 professionals across all Global and US health-related industries, including payers, providers and the pharmaceutical, and life sciences sectors.
As the Global and US Health Industries Leader and one of the first women named to the Firm’s national Leadership Team, Kelly is the embodiment of embracing change and leading with it. Under her leadership, PwC has been a leading force in health industries, setting forth what PwC has trademarked as the “New Health Economy” based on the changing dynamics of the health industry. Kelly has spearheaded the transfer of PwC’s health expertise to new clients and industry sectors. She also leads initiatives regarding public/private collaboration to create greater value in the health system and to help shape the dialogue around the future of health.
Kelly established PwC’s Health Research Institute, which has created a significant body of research analyzing the shifting relationships of payers, providers, patients and new entrants in healthcare.
Aside from her professional achievements, Kelly is a nationally recognized speaker on topics ranging from the future of the U.S. health system to strategic planning as well as business transformation. Kelly is a Tocqueville Member of United Way, active in the International Women’s Forum (IWF), and has been named one of Health Data Management’s Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT. At the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business, Kelly and her husband Steve have created a Health and Wellbeing Innovation Fund which will promote collaborations between health care and business. Kelly also serves on the college’s executive advisory board.
Kelly earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from the University of Arkansas.
Thank you, PwC, for hosting this event!

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Voices that Care: Navigating a Covid-19 Future
2020-06-25 12:00 - 13:00 | TX
This event will be a virtual program offered through Zoom. Please join us to hear from experts in the field on their visions of the future of healthcare as we continue to confront COVID-19.

As an independent chartered chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, ACHE of North Texas is authorized to award 1.0 hour of ACHE Qualified Education credit toward advancement or recertification in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Participants in this program who wish to have it considered for ACHE Qualified Education credit should list their attendance when they apply to the American College of Healthcare Executives for advancement or recertification.
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time: 12-1pm

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Our Professional Panel will include:

Benson P. Chacko, FACHE
Vice President of Operations
Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Tracy Martinez
Professional and Support Services Officer
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance
A. Chris Rubio, MBA, FACHE
Chief Operating Officer
UT Southwestern William J. Clements University Hospital
Mary Wylie, DHA, MBA, MHA, FACHE
Vice President of Operations
Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Plano

Speakers Bios:
Benson P. Chacko, FACHE, is Vice President of Operations (COO) of Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Methodist Dallas is a 556-bed Level-1 Trauma Center home to The Liver Institute, Transplant Institute, Methodist Digestive Institute and Moody Brain and Spine Institute. In his role he provides day to day leadership for the operations of the hospital, collaboratively implements strategies, and efficiently manages hospital and clinic departments to maximize quality. Benson’s healthcare career spans two decades in various areas to include human resources, project management, ambulatory care, business development, and hospital operations. Prior to joining Methodist Dallas, Benson served as Interim Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Lake Pointe, where he led the organization through a successful Joint Commission Survey, achieved the Leap Frog “A” Rating for the organization, and led the corporate transition from Tenet Healthcare to Baylor Scott & White. Prior to returning to D/FW, Benson held the Chief Operating Officer role at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and The Hospitals of Providence-Sierra Campus in El Paso, TX, where he managed a $53 million, two-year renovation of the 329-bed tertiary care hospital.
Born and raised in Dallas County, Benson started his career as a junior volunteer at St. Paul Medical Center, which defined his career path to serve in healthcare. He holds a Bachelors of Healthcare Administration from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, and Master of Healthcare Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Texas Women’s University in Dallas. Throughout his career as a healthcare executive, Benson has continued to find time to serve on professional councils with the Texas Hospital Association and serving for community nonprofits such as The Boys & Girls Club and Center Against Sexual and Family Violence. Finally he’s had the honor of being recognized by the United States Congress for Community Service during his time at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA.
Tracy Martinez is a North Texas native, growing up in the Metroplex, and now lives in Haslet, Texas.
She started her 20-year long career in healthcare as a Physical Therapist at Arlington Memorial Hospital after graduating with her Bachelor of Science from UT Southwestern Medical Center. After many years of progressive leadership in the clinical environment, she became to have an interest in the business side of healthcare.
In 2008 she received her Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from UT Arlington. At that point, Tracy became increasingly involved in leading and developing teams, as well as managing a successful business operation.
After several years leading at the departmental level, she began looking for opportunities to expand her experience, knowledge, leadership and involvement in hospital operations. She found herself eager to support the broader mission of the organization.
In 2015, Tracy earned a role on the Executive team at Texas Health Alliance. At Alliance, Tracy oversees ancillary clinical departments as well as support departments such as food and nutrition and engineering. She is involved in all aspects of hospital operations, including construction projects, business development and physician relations.
Tracy is married to Vincent Martinez, who is a Biomedical Professional in healthcare as well. During their 16 years of marriage they’ve traveled a great deal and enjoy spending time with family, friends and their poodle, Mickey. Tracy is an avid health and wellness advocate, championing a life of health and wellness.
Chris Rubio is the Chief Operating Officer of UT Southwestern’s William J. Clements University Hospital. Prior roles include Associate Vice President of Neurosciences and the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UTSW; Director of Anesthesiology & Critical Care at the MD Anderson Cancer Center; and, served as an officer in the US Army. He has over 20 years of experience in academic medicine and the University of Texas System. Chris is the proud father of a 2-1/2 year old son and is enjoying his relatively new positions as Papa.

Mary Wylie serves as the Vice President of Operations for Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Plano. She has administrative responsibilities for ancillary services, and service line development.
Prior to her current positions, she served as the Senior Director of Professional Services for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, with administrative oversight of the neuroscience, orthopedic, behavioral health, cardiovascular, oncology, spine, post-acute, trauma, emergency management, bariatrics, pharmacy, pulmonary, physics, and radiology.
Dr. Wylie has nearly 3 decades of progressive health care management experience within the Dallas market, at 3 of the largest health care systems, with extensive experience in the areas of business development and fundraising, having generated over $20 million dollars from philanthropic sources to support both educational and clinical services.
Prior to her appointment at Texas Health Dallas, Dr. Wylie served as the Vice President of Oncology and Medical Surgical Services for Medical City Dallas Hospital. While at Medical City, she built one of the largest bone marrow transplant programs in the United States. Prior to Medical City, she was the Executive Director of Clinical Services and Development for Baylor Richardson Medical Center. During this time, she spearheaded the master plan for a new hospital, office building, and a 50,000 square-feet cancer center affiliated with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Wylie completed her doctorate in the area of Health Administration, from the Medical University of South Carolina. Her work in palliative care, and dissertation, Evaluating Palliative Care as a System: Consideration of General System Theory as a Potential Methodology led her to an assignment as Texas Health Resources palliative care project director for Texas Health Resources. Dr. Wylie’s work in palliative care culminated in the adoption of a system-wide palliative care program for 24 hospitals.
Prior to her doctorate, she received two master’s degrees from Texas Woman’s University in Healthcare and Business administration, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Dr. Wylie is an active member of the community and serves as a board of director member for several community boards. Dr. Wylie is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Alpha Eta Society and the Upsilon Phi Delta Society Chapters of the Medical University of South Carolina.
Achievements and awards include a Healthcare Administration Fellowship from the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Texas Hospital Association.
She currently is an adjunct professor for Texas Woman’s University, University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Wylie volunteers at Preston Hollow Presbyterian church, and enjoys water sports, traveling, playing the piano, tennis, cycling, and golf.

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ACHENTX Virtual Happy Hour Fellowship Informational Session
2020-07-14 17:00 - 18:00 | TX
Take your career to the next level!

Do you want to be recognized and valued for your knowledge and expertise, and continue to build your network? Becoming an ACHE Fellow represents your lifelong commitment to continuous performance improvement and sets you on a path to personal and professional growth. Learn more about how to become a Fellow and hear from leaders who understand the value this recognition adds to your career.
Join with your favorite beverage for a relaxed & engaging dialogue about your future as a healthcare leader.
Date: Tuesday, July 14
Time: 5pm-6pm
Guest Speaker: W. Scott Hurst, FACHE

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Check-In with the Chiefs
2020-07-23 06:00 - 19:00 | TX
We are excited to bring to you our first-ever Check-In with the Chiefs event, a virtual version of our extremely popular and frequently sold out Cocktails with the Chiefs.
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Our presenters will include:
Josh Floren, FACHE
President
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano
Ken Hutchenrider, Jr. FACHE (Moderator)
President
Methodist Richardson Medical Center
Stephanie Speights, PhD
Senior Vice President of Talent Management Development & Chief Learning Officer
Parkland Hospital and Health System
Laura Tortorella
Executive Vice President, Operations
Steward Health Care System

Speakers’ Bios:
Josh Floren, FACHE, is the president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.
Josh joined Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano in 2013. Prior to joining the hospital, he worked as the executive vice president of operations at Parkland Hospital. Josh has an extensive background in business development, physician relations, financial management, strategic planning, hospital operations, performance and quality improvement.
Josh earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University and a master’s in health administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed a fellowship at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, WV and while there became a certified Six Sigma Blackbelt by GE.
Josh currently serves on multiple community boards including the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center and is a past president of the North Texas Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He currently participates on the Texas Hospital Association’s Policy Council and is on Texas A&M University’s Biomedical Science Advisory Board.
Josh received the American College of Healthcare Executive Reagent’s Award in 2016 and was awarded Texas A&M University’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2017
Josh has been married for 15 years to his wife Valerie. They have 3 children, Jackson (12), Brooks (9) and Charlotte (6). He is active in his church and spends much of his time coaching the kid’s baseball and soccer teams.

Ken Hutchenrider, FACHE, joined Methodist Richardson Medical Center as President in July, 2010.
He has more than 25 years of executive experience with a result oriented record of substantially increasing financial stability and strengthening team management to build a tradition of providing the best care possible to the communities served.
During his tenure, Ken administered the assimilation of the hospital into the Methodist Health System, as well as the development of a $120M replacement hospital and its subsequent and ongoing expansions. Pam Stoyanoff, Chief Operations Officer of Methodist Health System has said “Ken is an outstanding leader with a proven track record in operational excellence.”
Additional accomplishments include the establishment of a new wound care center, recruitment and stabilization of the NICU physician group, development of the Da Vinci surgical program, and the successful recruitment/employment of new medical staff members. Under his direction, Methodist Richardson has received accreditations as a Chest Pain Center, a Stroke Center, and achieved nursing Pathway to Excellence.
Prior to July 2010, Ken served as the Chief Executive Officer of Galesburg Cottage Hospital, in Galesburg, Illinois. There, he successfully and effectively managed all facets of the 173 bed acute care facility, including a skilled nursing unit, inpatient psychiatric unit, a joint venture outpatient therapy unit, and a joint venture dialysis unit.
Previously in his career, Ken served in executive roles including Chief Executive Officer of the Terre Haute Regional Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. Ken started his career in a clinical position as a Paramedic Shift Supervisor in Pasadena, Texas.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston, Clear Lake.
Ken has received many accolades, including the American Heart Association SOAR Award, the Community Health System Outstanding Achievement Award, and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is actively involved in the community and has served as the Chairman of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and President of the Plano Independent School District Foundation. Ken is an enthusiastic supporter of the PISD Health Sciences Academy. Currently, Ken serves as the Regent for Northern Texas for the American College of Healthcare Executives and has recently been elected to the Richardson City Council in Place 5.
On a personal note, Ken and his wife Melinda have two teenage daughters. When he’s not spending time with his family, you are most likely to find Ken on the golf course. He is also a private pilot.

Stephanie Speights, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Talent Management Development & Chief Learning Officer at Parkland Hospital and Health System. An experienced health care executive, Stephanie is tasked with aligning talent development programs, employee engagement, and workforce management consulting to grow a highly skilled and competitive workforce. Prior to joining Parkland in July 2019, Stephanie spent 10 years at Children’s Health, most recently as the Vice President of Talent Management & Chief Learning Officer.
At Children’s Stephanie led talent acquisition, learning and leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and workforce development integration.
Recent Presentations & Recognition

Texas Hospital Association (THA) Leadership Fellow, class of 2018
Conference Speaker, ASHHRA 2018 Annual Conference and Exposition: Going Beyond the Usual Suspects: Unleash the Power of Quiet Leadership, September 2018
National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) 2018 BOLD Award Recipient: Best Organizations for Leadership Development
AXIS Awards, including 2018 Best in Show, Dallas Association for Talent Development (ATD)

Laura Tortorella is the Executive Vice President of Operations of Steward Health Care System. In this role, she oversees labor management, supply chain, and hospital operational initiatives as well as the system’s predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and operational platforms. Ms. Tortorella has over 14 years in health care business management. Before joining Steward, she held management positions overseeing the respiratory disease division at Children’s Hospital, Boston. Ms. Tortorella earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Harvard College and MBA from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

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A special thanks to The Medicus Firm for hosting this event!

COVID-19: A Public Health Crisis - Health Disparities
2020-08-18 18:00 - 19:30 | TX
A panel discussion on what the COVID-19 pandemic reveals about health disparities.

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This event is being presented to you by the ACHE of North Texas Diversity & Inclusion Committee.
Thanks to the University of North Texas Health Science Center for hosting this event on their webinar platform.
Preamble by: Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, FACHE
MHA Director/Assistant Professor, Dept of Health Behavior and Health Systems
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Moderator: Tracy Brown
President
Intentional Inclusion Incorporated
Panelists will include:
Jim Allard, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
VP Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer
Medical City Children’s Hospital / Medical City Women’s Hospital – Dallas
Tiffany Capeles, FACHE
System Director, Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
CHRISTUS Health
Ajith Pai, PharmD, FACHE
President
Texas Health/Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne
Carlos Ramirez, MD, MBA, FACHE, CHCQM
VP and Regional Medical Officer, Emergency Medicine Physician
SCP Health

Speakers Bios:
Dr. Jim Allard is the Chief Nursing Officer at Medical City Children’s Hospital and Medical City Women’s Hospital – Dallas. Jim’s clinical and leadership tenure has span 22 years in nursing. As a frontline clinician he worked in pediatric critical care with a focus on pediatric congenital heart. As a driven nurse leader since 2008, Jim’s interests include civility, shared governance, evidence based practice, MAGNET and Just Culture principles. Jim’s current responsibilities include strategic development and oversight of nursing services, inclusive of all Women’s and Children’s areas.
Prior to his most recent role, Jim has served in various leadership roles in HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, Medical City Children’s, Children’s Health Dallas, Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Jim earned a Doctorate of Nurse Practice at Texas Christian University, and Masters in Nursing Administration from the University of Texas Arlington. He holds a certification from ANCC as a Nurse Executive Advanced and is a member of ANA, TNA, TONE, AONE and ACHE. He has served on the TONE Membership Committee, Texas Team Practice Committee and was appointed to the TNA Policy Council where he has chaired the Maternal Mortality Task Force and most recently serves as the Workplace Advocacy and Practice Committee Chair. Community service includes serving on the ANA Professional Issues Panel as a Steering Committee member, updating the fatigue position statement. Jim has been an ACHE member for 3 years and joined the LGBTQ Forum in late 2019, and most recently the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Jim’s personal leadership vision is “To develop the leader in every nurse.”
Tracy Brown is a nationally recognized expert and author whose clients rely on her advice about leadership development, diversity strategy and employee engagement. Her company, intentional inclusion inc, has provided training to more than 400,000 people and she has been recognized twice for Innovation in Diversity by the Celebrate Diversity Awards sponsored by Ernst & Young.
Tracy is an accomplished speaker and author of 12 books who is known for her ability to engage people in sensitive conversations. Her interactive presentation style is engaging and encourages participants to take personal responsibility for making change in their lives and in their organizations. She has produced or hosted six different internet radio programs since 2006 and has been featured in Texas Business Monthly, Dallas CEO, HR Magazine, Money Magazine and many other publications.
In addition to her business experience, Tracy has served as a board or advisory council member for more than a dozen professional associations or nonprofit organizations. She co-founded Dallas Dinner Table (Healing Race Relations One Dinner at a Time) and co-designed The Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership curriculum sponsored by Southern Methodist University and The Center for Nonprofit Management. Tracy completed serving 3 consecutive years as the Chair of the governing body for Centers for Spiritual Living worldwide.
Tiffany Capeles is the System Director for Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at CHRISTUS Health. CHRISTUS Health is an international Catholic, non-profit health system comprised of 60 hospitals, long-term care facilities, 175 clinics and outpatient centers, and many other health ministries and ventures. In in her role, Capeles leads system efforts to improve patient health outcomes, and sets the strategy for diversity and inclusion within the organization.
Prior to joining CHRISTUS, Capeles was the Program Director at Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas. In this capacity, she led multiple community workgroups to address childhood asthma exacerbation rates, consisting of nearly 60 members. The community collaborative resulted in partnerships with the city in issuing citations to property managers for health violations, revisions to the housing code, training of compliance code enforcement officers on health-related issues, and community education. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Center for Healthy Housing hailed the program for its innovation and impact; and later the American Hospital Association conferred the 2017 NOVA Award.
Prior to Children’s Health, Capeles served in multiple roles at Adventist HealthCare. There she implemented the Qualified Bilingual Staff Program that became a state hospital association endorsed standard; developed online cultural competency training modules; race, ethnicity, and language data collection trainings; conducted 360° Organizational Cultural Competency assessments; and secured continuation of a state accreditation for the certified nursing assistant program.
Her work has led to CHRISTUS receiving the 2016 Equity Care Award from the American Hospital Association, as well as the 2017 National Diversity Council Excellence Award for Healthcare Diversity, at the Dallas Chapter. In 2019, she earned Fellow status, from the distinguished American College of HealthCare Executives, and was recognized as a Tomorrow’s Leader by the Catholic Health Association. A recent publication of her work can be found in the Journal of Healthcare Management’s September/October 2019 issue titled, “What Happens When an Organization Tackles Unconscious Bias and Promotes Diversity of Thought?”
She is an active member and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and currently serves additional roles with the National Association of Health Service Executives, and the National Association of Latino Health Executives. Capeles earned her Master of Business Administration in Finance from Hood College in Maryland, and her Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Kent State University in Ohio. She resides in the suburbs of Dallas, TX with her husband, and two daughters.
Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, FACHE, serves as MHA director and assistant professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health. He is a fellow and national faculty member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and serves as the national Chair of the ACHE LGBTQ Forum committee. He is co-chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee at the School of Public Health and serves as the alumni co-chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action Solutions (IDEAS) council at Yale University, School of Nursing. Dr. Davis’ prior work related to diversity and inclusion resulted in organizations achieving leadership designation in healthcare equality with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). He has provided talks and seminars across the nation on healthcare leadership and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. His graduate education includes a doctorate of nursing practice in healthcare leadership, systems, and policy from Yale and a master’s degree in health systems administration from Georgetown. In addition to fellowship with ACHE, he holds several board certifications in healthcare finance, quality, education, and nurse executive leadership. He is also a Myers-Briggs Certified Practitioner and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.
Ajith Pai, PharmD, FACHE, is President of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne. In the role of president, Ajith oversees day to day operations, works to advance physician engagement and promote effective employee, governance and community relations. Together with Texas Health Cleburne’s chief nursing officer and chief medical officer, he is responsible for ensuring the achievement of the hospital’s goals for patient safety, clinical and non-clinical quality, operational performance and patient, physician and employee satisfaction.
He began his career with Texas Health Resources, at Texas Health HEB in 1999 as a certified pharmacy technician. In 2011, he became the director of Pharmacy at Texas Health Kaufman where he oversaw the day to day operations and championed safe, quality-driven patient care through the implementation of best practices and improved clinical monitoring. His leadership continued as he served as the professional and support services officer working closely with the Texas Health Kaufman triad to meet system and entity objectives. Under Ajith’s leadership, the hospital achieved the highest performing Consumer Focus metrics in 2017, in the hospital’s ambulatory patient experience scores.
Ajith received his Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) from Texas Tech School of Pharmacy and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Ajith enjoys spending time and traveling with his wife of 11 years, Myriam, and their three-year-old daughter, Elyse. He’s also an avid runner and has participated in more than 15 marathons throughout the country and remains involved in the community through memberships on various committees. Ajith is a member of the Texas Health Huguley Community Board, Texas Health Surgery Center Cleburne Board of Managers, City of Cleburne Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Cleburne Tuesday Forum, Cleburne Rotary, ACHE Asian Healthcare Leaders Forum, Texas Hospital Association Leader Fellowship, Leadership North Texas and ACHE North Texas.
Dr. Carlos Ramirez brings an array of experience to his role with SCP Health. As Vice President and Regional Medical Officer, he is responsible for the Emergency Medicine practices at multiple facilities including UHS, HCA and Driscoll Health System, among others.
In this role, he ensures consistent patient care and management practices in Emergency Medicine that ensure the highest quality and dependable performance while maintaining a financial viability of those practices.
He formerly served as the Chief Medical Officer for a Health Plan and prior to that, he served as a Regional Medical Director of a large group of physician practice in Texas.
He holds an MBA/MHA from Baylor University and advanced training in Business Analytics from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. As a diplomat of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physician, he has served as a Physician Advisor for UR at several facilities. He is also a Board certified in Family an Emergency Medicine and he is a fellow of the ACHE.
He continues to enjoy the practice of Emergency Medicine and works at several of the STHS facilities.

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Virtual: COVID-19: What We Learned: Leadership
2020-08-27 15:30 - 17:00 | TX
This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.

Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants. Please register early to reserve your spot.
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Moderator: Michael Sanborn, RPh, FACHE
President & CEO
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center Fort Worth
Panelists:
Ralph Baine, MD
President
Emergency Medical Consultants of TeamHealth
Nikhil Bhayani, MD
Infectious Disease Consultant, Associate Professor
TCU/UNTHSC Medical School
Steven Love
President
Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council
Mary Robinson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Reliable Health for Texas Health Resources
Speaker Bios:
Ralph Baine, M.D., FACEP, serves as one of three Clinical Sr. Vice Presidents in TeamHealth’s West Group over the Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine service lines. Prior to accepting this position, he served as President at Emergency Medicine Consultants (EMC) since April of 2014, in addition to being a practicing physician.
Dr. Baine’s clinical history began in 1991 as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) at one of Texas Health Resources’ largest facilities, Texas Health Fort Worth (THFW). He is recognized as a national leader in process improvement throughout the country. Under his leadership and vision, the THFW ED was bestowed the Quality Cup Award from the Rochester Institute of Technology and USA Today. Dr. Baine went on to graduate in 2010 from UT Southwestern Medical Center Emergency Medicine residency and has held numerous leadership positions before joining TeamHealth.
He lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife Jennifer and has four daughters and two granddaughters. He enjoys golf, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Certified in infectious disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Nikhil Bhayani earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Utah. He subsequently graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from the Ross University School of Medicine.
Upon graduating from medical school, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center between 2003 and 2006. Subsequently, Dr. Bhayani pursued a fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago and became a consulting physician for Infectious Disease Doctors, PA, from 2008 until 2016.
In the years since, Dr. Bhayani has excelled as the owner of Nikhil K. Bhayani, MD, PA. He has also been active as a physician advisor with Texas Health Resources. As an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Bhayani is involved with clinical care and medical administration, and he liaises with various hospitals, clinical pharmacies and administrators to ensure that medical policies and safeguards are in place to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
Dr. Bhayani maintains his professional alignment with the Infectious Disease Society of America as a Fellow, the Texas Medical Society and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in order to remain aware of industry changes and network with others in the field.”
Due to his outstanding work in the field, Dr. Bhayani has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Greater Fort Worth since 2012. Over the years, he also accepted the Physician of the Year Award from Texas Health Arlington Memorial. A member of the Leading Physicians of the World, Dr. Bhayani was presented with a Recognition Award from the Illinois Math and Sciences Academy for mentoring students and developing a rapid HIV testing protocol at the University of Illinois, Chicago Medical Center Emergency Room.
Mr. W. Stephen Love is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council which promotes collaboration, cooperation and advocacy on behalf of its 90 member hospitals. The Hospital Council also has approximately 100 Associate Members (business and industry), including prominent accounting, legal and consulting firms. The primary mission is to promote patient safety, quality healthcare and coordination in the delivery of healthcare within the North Texas market. He served as 2015 Chair for the Conference of Metropolitan and Regional Hospitals Association in the United States. He serves on the Dallas American Heart Association; Cure Glaucoma Foundation Advisory Board; North Texas Eye Research Institute; Children at Risk, the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Prism Health North Texas and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Dallas. Mr. Love has worked in healthcare management for over 40 years. He has demonstrated leadership in tax exempt, investor-owned, specialty and private hospitals in operations, finance and corporate governance. Prior to joining the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, Mr. Love was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a Fortune 500 healthcare company that owned over 50 hospitals and managed approximately 200 facilities in the United States.
As the CNO Reliable Health, Mary Robinson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, SVP, CNO, works in a Dyadic relationship with the CMO, Reliable Health. In this role Dr. Robinson is responsible and accountable for achieving and sustaining positive differentiation of consumer focused clinical care in all segments of the core business, leveraging consumer insights and research, consumer centric design principles and relevant strategies, tactics and objectives established at the System level to design solutions that provide Reliable Health in all venues of care at THR.
Prior to this role, Dr Robinson served as Vice President for Nursing Professional Practice, Research, and Magnet for Texas Health Resources. In her current role she is responsible for system wide nursing shared governance councils and activities, the Faith Community Nursing and Patient Education Program, the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, and the Magnet/Pathway to Excellence Recognition Programs. She was most recently served as the Chief Nursing Officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest Hospital located in Fort Worth Texas for 10 years. In this role Dr. Robinson served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer and is responsible for the clinical operations and the strategic nursing direction of this 209 bed community hospital. Additionally, she has been a Magnet Appraiser for 11 years.
Prior experience includes the following: Dr. Robinson served as the Director of Professional Practice and Education as well as the Magnet Project Director for Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth (THFW). While in this role, THFW became the first hospital in Tarrant County to receive the coveted Magnet excellence in nursing designation.
Robinson joined the Harris Methodist Fort Worth nursing team in 1981 and has served in a variety of staff and leadership positions throughout her tenure at Harris, including: ICU Nurse, ICU Unit Manager, Coordinator of Education and Research, Director of Education, and Regional Director of Clinical Education for Texas Health Resources.
Dr. Robinson received her Doctorate in Nursing and a Master of Science Degree from Texas Woman’s University. She completed her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Dr. Robinson has earned a number of professional awards. She was the D Magazine Excellence in Nursing Leadership Award Winner for 2015. She was named one of the Fort Worth Business Press Health Care Heroes in 2011 and one of the DFW area’s “Great 100 Nurses” in 2000; she received the YWCA Tribute to Women in Business honor in 2002 and the UTA Distinguished Alumni designation from the University’s School of Nursing in 2003. Dr. Robinson has served on the Texas Nurses Association (TNA) Board of Directors for three terms since 2003 and is currently a board member. In 2006, she was part of a group that received the TNA Leadership in Clinical Education Award that was presented to the Members of the North Texas Consortium of Schools of Nursing and their Practice Partners. In her ongoing affiliation with TNA, Dr. Robinson testified before the Texas State Senate and actively worked for passage of legislation in the form of the Hospital Safe Staffing Act (SB 476/HB 591). Her further commitment to excellence in nursing is evidenced by her role as Magnet Appraiser. She has served in this role for 9 years and visits hospitals around the country who have applied for Magnet recognition. Dr. Robinson currently serves as Vice Chair of the THR Institutional Review Board and continues to be active in her church serving as a Faith Community Nurse and Eucharistic Minister. Dr. Robinson is a native of Fort Worth, and lives there with her husband of 31 years, Paul, who is a financial consultant and their three children and is also expecting her second grandbaby! She has a very “Be Healthy” lifestyle, as her hobbies include jogging, working out and watching the Texas Rangers Baseball Team.
Michael Sanborn, MS, FACHE, FASHP currently serves as President of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth. He is responsible for the leadership and management of the 538-bed acute care hospital with more than 2,400 employees and 1,000 medical staff members. Services include transplantation, heart/vascular, oncology, trauma, and one of the largest women’s hospitals in the area.
Before joining All Saints, Sanborn served as the president of Baylor Scott & White – Carrollton where he was responsible for the hospital, three satellite medical offices and a freestanding diagnostic center. Prior to his position at Carrollton, Sanborn served as the corporate vice president of cardiovascular services for the Baylor Scott & White System. Throughout his 30+ years in health care, Sanborn has taken on increasingly complex roles, initially in pharmacy leadership and then in health care administration.
Mike holds a B.S. and M.S. in Pharmacy and Administration respectively from the University of Kansas and is a Fellow of both ACHE and ASHP. He is active in a variety of community activities, including serving on the boards of the Fort Worth Chamber, Healing Shepherd Clinic, Health Tarrant County Collaborative (Chair) DFW Hospital Council, and the Executive Committees of Near Southside and Fort Worth Adolescent and Young Adult cancer program.

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Virtual: Equity of Care
2020-08-27 17:30 - 19:00 | TX
This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.

Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants. Please register early to reserve your spot.

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Moderator: Matt Richardson, FACHE
Director of Public Health
Denton County, Texas
Panelists:
Ruby Blum
Health Policy Advisor
Dallas County, Texas
Joy Griffin
Director of Community Health Improvement
Texas Health Resources, Tarrant & Parker Counties
David Mansdoerfer
Special Assistant to the President
University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth
Paula Turicchi, FACHE
Chief Strategy Officer
Parkland Community Health Plan
Speakers Bios:
Ruby Blum serves as the health care policy advisor for the Office of the Dallas County Judge. She comes to Dallas after working for the Wyoming Department of Health’s Director’s Unit for Policy, Research and Evaluation. Her work in Wyoming focused on Medicaid research and exploring possibilities for coverage Expansion.
In her work for Dallas County she works closely with the county public hospital, Parkland, and the other local hospitals systems, doctor’s organizations, and various community partners. Ruby serves in a leadership position with the Enroll North Texas ACA Coalition and works closely with enrollment groups to support the coalition’s efforts. In addition to her work locally, she works with statewide partners to bring about the best legislative outcomes for health care in Texas.
She was directly involved in the county’s response to the unprecedented Ebola virus cases in Dallas, working with local, state, and federal public health experts. During the current COVID-19 response her work has focused on hospital and health care capacity and response, as well as working closely with Dallas County Health and Human Services on core public health functions.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Seattle University in Seattle, Washington, and a Masters of Health Care Leadership from the University of Texas at Dallas. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Ruby enjoys many outdoor activities and is an avid equestrian.
Joy Griffin BSN, RN, is the Director of Community Health Improvement for
Tarrant/Parker Counties. Joy graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington (Go Mavericks!) and is a registered nurse with 23 years of experience in a variety of areas including- medical-surgical, home health, pediatrics, case management, and community health. Joy has chaired and/or served on numerous coalitions and committees including Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration and Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. Additionally, she has served as Community Health Outreach subject matter expert assisting Texas Health Arlington Memorial to attain Magnet Designation and several other accreditations including Cancer, Stroke, and Baby Friendly designations. Joy was the 2010 Community Service Award recipient and Diversity and Inclusion Mosaic Pin recipient in 2012, both during her tenure at Texas Health Arlington Memorial.
Joy has been married to Scott for 22 years, and together they rescued a black lab named Jet. She loves running, hiking, and any activities that allow her to spend time with the two loves of her life: Scott and Jet.
David Mansdoerfer, MPP, is the Special Assistant to the President at UNT Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth. David joined UNTHSC in September of 2019. Prior to joining, David served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). There, he had operational responsibility for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health including the offices of: HIV and Infectious Disease, Human Research Protection, Minority Health, Women’s Health, and Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. David also served as the HHS Chief Labor Negotiator. During his time at HHS, David worked on a variety of topics including the top Presidential initiatives of Ending HIV, Opioids, Youth Sports and Veterans Suicide.
In other capacities, David has also worked for the California State Senate, County of Orange, and served as the Chairman of the Mission Viejo Planning and Transportation Committee.
David will be primarily focused on building strategic partnerships for the Health Science Center. From philanthropy to research, David will bring his background in high level health communications and operations to increase support and visibility for the University.
Dr. Matt Richardson was appointed as the Director of Public Health for Denton County in the summer of 2014. Dr. Richardson previously served as Director with the City of Amarillo and Potter/Randall Counties for 9 years. Dr. Richardson has authored peer-reviewed publications, testified to the Texas Legislature regarding public health issues and continues to advocate for public health practice and resources for Denton County and the state of Texas.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Abilene Christian University and both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Public Health from the University of North Texas. He is currently board certified and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dr. Richardson also serves as an accreditation site reviewer for public health programs in universities across the US.
Matt lives in Argyle with his wife of 24 years and their two daughters.
Paula Turicchi is the Chief Strategy Officer at Parkland Community Health Plan in Dallas, Texas. The health plan serves more than 185,000 members in Medicaid’s STAR, CHIP, and CHIP Perinatal programs through a network of more than 3,000 providers and 25 facilities located in 7 counties in the Dallas service delivery area.
Previously, Paula served as the Vice President of Hospital Operations and Administrator of Women and Infant’s Specialty Health (WISH) at Parkland Health & Hospital System. She was instrumental in the design and construction of the New Parkland Hospital facility and the Moody Center for Breast Health. Paula played a key role in completing the System Improvement Agreement (SIA) and Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) from 2013 to 2018. In addition, she chaired the Women’s Health Advisory Committee of Texas which was created by Texas’ 84th Legislature to advise the Health & Human Services Commission on consolidation of women’s health programs.
Paula was a 2018 Texas Hospital Association Leadership Fellow. She is board certified in Healthcare Administration and holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University and Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

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Breakfast with the President-COO - Pamela Stoyanoff, MBA, CPA, FACHE
2020-09-01 08:00 - 09:00 | TX
A Virtual Breakfast with Pamela Stoyanoff, MBA, CPA, FACHE

For the time being we’re offering our popular Breakfast with the President series virtually. Please join us as Pam Stoyanoff , President and Chief Operating Officer at Methodist Health System shares with us her experiences, wisdom and perspectives.

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Pamela J. StoyanoffSummary Bio
Born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, Pam attended Valparaiso University (Indiana) where she obtained her Bachelors of Business Administration Degree with an Accounting major. She received her CPA in 1983. She later received her Masters in Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Illinois.
She began her career at Arthur Andersen & Co. After several years, she accepted a position as Controller with St. Therese Hospital and Provena Health System. After nearly 16 years she left Provena and became the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for St. Vincent Health System, Little Rock, Arkansas. After 7 years, she was recruited from Arkansas to Texas where she is currently the President – Chief Operating Officer of Methodist Health System in Dallas. She is responsible for the 4 main Hospital campuses, Graduate Medical Education, Transplant Services and many centralized functions (IT, HIM, Materials Management, Quality).
Pam has often been recognized for her leadership, and was most recently named one of the Top 12 women in Healthcare in North Texas by the Health Industry Council of the North Texas Region. She was also named on of the “56 Women Hospital and Healthcare Leaders to know” by Becker’s Hospital Review and one of the top 56 women nationally in healthcare by Modern Healthcare, both in 2011.

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Telemedicine in the Healthcare Delivery System
2020-09-17 10:30 - 12:00 | TX
A multi-chapter event offered by the East TX, North Texas and TX Midwest ACHE Chapters.

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This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants – limiting it to 16 per hosting chapter. Please register early to reserve your spot.

Moderator: Richard G. Greenhill, DHA, PMP, FACHE
Asst Program Dir/Assistant Professor
Dept of Healthcare Management & Leadership
TTUHSC School of Health Professions
Panelists:
Leonard “Lenny” Christo
Patient Experience Specialist
Shannon Health
Christopher M. Roquemore
VP of Operations & Data Management
Adjunct Professor, Liberty University
José F Flórez-Arango MD PhD
Associate Professor
College of Medicine, Texas A&M University

Speakers Bios:

Dr. Richard Greenhill joined Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) as Assistant Program Director, Bachelor of Science Healthcare Management and Assistant Professor on the tenure-track in the Dept. Healthcare Management and Leadership – School of Health Professions. He teaches courses in both the BS Healthcare Management and MS Health Administration as well as the TTU Rawls College of Business. His teaching courses include Healthcare Data Informatics, Leadership, Strategy, Organizational Behavior, and Six Sigma DMAIC.
A recognized leader in healthcare quality, he brings more than 27 years of experience as a highly skilled practitioner with prior roles including executive leadership in healthcare operations, strategy, quality, and project management. His most recent role was as Chief Quality Officer at the Edward Hines VA Hospital and its affiliated organizations in Chicagoland. He was responsible for implementation and optimization of strategic initiatives that included infection control, workflow optimizations, and telehealth services.
Dr. Greenhill is an honorably retired U.S. Navy Veteran. He is a seasoned Lean Six Sigma Black Belt practitioner, Project Management Professional, Change Acceleration Process facilitator; maintains Board Certification in Healthcare Management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Leonard “Lenny” Christo is the Patient Experience Specialist for Shannon Health located in San Angelo Texas. He has served in this role since April of 2018. Lenny graduated in 2002 with a B.A. in Economics from Bentley University and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force where he became an Intelligence Officer and Systems Engineer. In 2010 he was stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo Texas where he led the development of the air force analysis and advanced analysis courses. Lenny has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea culminating his 10-year military career as the Counter-terrorism Team Lead, South Asia Division for Pacific Command. He is married to the former Morgan May, and is father to Caroline and Hunter Christo. He is a 2013 Graduate of Leadership San Angelo, 2015 San Angelo Standard Times 20-under-40 awardee, Howard College Foundation Board Member, Superintendent for San Angelo Stock Show in Rodeo Junior Robotics Competition, and ACHE member. He has a M.B.A in Finance from Touro University, a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Angelo State University. Lenny is an active multi-sport endurance athlete, Crossfitter, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, and lean process improvement advocate.
Christopher M. Roquemore is currently Vice President of Operations with over a decade of senior leadership within the healthcare industry. He has served in various roles throughout his tenure, including Area Operations Director, Program Director Operations & Data Management (Analytics), and National Executive Director of Operations & Process Improvement. Christopher has a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX. and is a Doctor of Health Sciences (Candidate) from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville, MO. He is currently a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Adjunct Professor for Liberty University.

José F Flórez-Arango MD PhD: Colombian physician and health informatician with more than 20 years of experience as clinician, educator, researcher, opinion leader, innovator and entrepreneur. His purpose is to contribute his knowledge and experience to help develop skills for innovative, creative, flexible, compassionate 21st century health care providers capable to deliver high quality patient-centered care in resource-constrained environments. His clinical experience is in emergency medicine, with special training in prehospital care, and disaster planning, and management. As educator, he is interested in curricular innovation, development, implementation and evaluation. His research explores the use of information and communication technologies for delivering humanized clinical encounters experience to patients and providers. His leadership expands from academic and clinical institutions, transiting by membership organizations, to voluntary organizations.

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COVID-19: What We Learned: Staffing/People Resources
2020-09-17 12:30 - 14:00 | TX
A multi-chapter event offered by the East TX, North Texas and TX Midwest ACHE Chapters.

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This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants – limiting it to 16 per hosting chapter. Please register early to reserve your spot.
Moderator: Victoria O. Sanders, FACHE
Senior Vice President of Specialty & Ancillary Operations
USMD-Optum
Panelists:
Kyle Cavin, FACHE
Assistant Administrator
Patient Services at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Deb Chelette, RN, BSN, MHA
Vice President of Operations
CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances in Tyler, Texas
Holly Hrabik
Director of Operations
Methodist Medical Group, with Methodist Health System in Dallas

Speakers Bios:

For more than 14 years, Kyle Cavin has been at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Administrator directing teams to accomplish quality outcomes through integrity, vision and relationships. He is a certified fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and was recognized as an Outstanding Young Graduate by his alma mater in 2011. Kyle graduated from Howard Payne University in 2002 and received his MBA from Dallas Baptist University in 2003. Kyle is active in his community of Rockwall along with his wife, Kelley, and their two sons, whom he coaches in sports and life.

Deb Chelette, RN, BSN, MHA serves as Vice President of Operations at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances in Tyler, Texas. She has been with CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances since 2008 and has held previous roles including Divisional Director, Chief Nursing Officer, and Associate Vice President of the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis & Peaches Owen Heart Hospital. Prior to that, Deb served in Cardiology leadership roles with Methodist Health System in Dallas and at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Deb holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Austin and a Masters in Healthcare Administration from the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. Deb has a special passion for developing models that support physician engagement and for increasing awareness of women’s heart disease.

Holly Hrabik is currently the Director of Operations at Methodist Medical Group, with Methodist Health System in Dallas. She serves as the lead operator for the north Dallas primary care practices, neuroscience outpatient service line, and cardiology practices in Dallas- Richardson. This includes oversight of financial performance, patient experience, physician and staff engagement to ensure health system, medical group, and physician success. Holly has enjoyed living and working in Dallas for the last year and a half with Methodist.
Holly was previously with CHRISTUS Health, based in Irving, leading ambulatory and physician practices for almost four years. Her scope included primary care, surgical specialties, and oversight of the urgent care service line throughout the state of Texas. She started with CHRISTUS in San Antonio in 2015 after completing her Master of Health Administration at Texas A&M University in 2014. During her time in College Station at Texas A&M, Holly worked at HealthPoint Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network, that serves communities throughout the Brazos Valley in medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services. Here, her work focused on quality improvement of clinic operational processes and development and implementation of manager and staff training programs.
Originally from Kansas, Holly attended Texas A&M directly after undergraduate school at Pittbsurg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas where she received a Bachelor of Science in Biology, with double minor in Chemistry and Public Health in 2012. She is currently completing the professional Master of Business Administration program with an emphasis in International Business at Pittsburg State University, expecting to graduate in the spring of 2021. Holly remains active with her graduate program, serving on the Professional Advisory Committee for the MHA graduate program at Texas A&M University (Gig ‘em!). She also serves as the Chapter Advisor for the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority at Pittsburg State University.

Victoria O. Sanders, FACHE is a faithful leader with a commitment to mission guided work and a reputation for efficiency, building and rewarding effective teams, and achieving exemplary results. She obtained her BS from Emory University in Atlanta, GA then joined Tarheel Nation by completing her MHA at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since that time, she has been privileged to lead a career filled with diverse experiences in academic, for-profit, joint venture, & government healthcare environments with financial, operational, and business development responsibilities. Mrs. Sanders currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Specialty & Ancillary Operations for USMD-Optum with accountability for all specialty ambulatory, imaging, and laboratory strategy across the DFW market. As the benefactor of extraordinary mentorship – Victoria’s greatest professional accomplishments have been each opportunity she has had to provide the same level of unconditional guidance and support that she so greatly benefitted from. As a native Texan, Victoria is grateful to reside in Lewisville, Texas with her husband, 2 year old, & 3 month old sons.

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ACHENTX Life Fellows & Retirees Zoom Luncheon
2020-09-22 12:00 - 13:00 | TX
We have not been able to schedule an in-person meeting during this Covid pandemic so we have decided to have a Zoom meeting instead.
We will have a roundtable discussion and share what we are doing to weather this Covid situation. We will also give you more details on our Guest Faculty Program.
Hope you can join us!
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Sustainability of Healthcare Organizations: A Plan of Action
2020-09-24 10:30 - 12:00 | TX
A multi-chapter event offered by the East TX, North Texas and TX Midwest ACHE Chapters.

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This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants – limiting it to 16 per hosting chapter. Please register early to reserve your spot.

Moderator: Kevin Barnes
Director of Finance
Southwest Transplant Alliance
Panelists:
Christina Haxton
Founder and CEO
Center for Sustainable Strategies (CFSS)
Armida Klute
Executive Director of Managed Care and Financial Clearance
Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin
Ajith Pai, PharmD, FACHE
President
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne

Speakers Bios:
Kevin Barnes joined STA as Controller in July of 2014 and was promoted to Director of Finance in January of 2016. He is responsible for the management oversight of the finance department including budgeting, payroll and financial reporting. Prior to joining STA, Kevin was the Director of Finance and Information Systems at Indiana Organ Procurement Organization (IOPO) from 2006 to 2014. As the highest-ranking financial leader in the organization, he helped lead revenue growth by more than 50 percent from 2006 to 2012. Kevin has more than 19 years of financial leadership experience in the organ procurement industry, is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has served on the board examination committee. Kevin earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Purdue University, a Masters in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University, and has a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas.
As Founder and CEO of the Center for Sustainable Strategies (CFSS), Christina Haxton has spent the last two decades helping leaders from Fortune 1000 companies, mid-market companies and government agencies dramatically boost their strategic execution results. Ms. Haxton is a nationally recognized author, speaker and thought leader on the topic of disruptive yet practical approaches to strategic execution, leadership development and organizational change. She brings a unique perspective with 20 years of experience as a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and credentialed executive & business coach and strategic advisor supporting closely held, small to mid-market enterprises, family-owned businesses & business partnerships. Ms. Haxton specializes in developing essential leadership skills for visionary founder/CEOs of fast-growth companies whose executives and leadership teams are responsible for sustainable results.
Armida Klute is Managed Care Executive with over 15 years of progressive experience leading international and domestic payor strategies for insurance carriers and providers including hospital systems. Recognized for excellence in commercial contracting, business development, network strategy, alternative payment models, financial management and ACOs. Ms. Klute currently serves as the Executive Director/ VP of Managed Care and Financial Clearance at the University of Texas Dell Medical School where she is responsible for overall payor strategies including setting strategic direction and implementing plans to provide leading-edge alternative payment models that are critical to the Institution’s mission and financial sustainability by ensuring operational compliance with all contractual agreements.
Prior to Dell Medical School, Ms. Klute served as System Director of International Commercial Contracting at CHRISTUS Health where she was responsible for maximizing hospital revenue opportunities through effective contract management, negotiations and business development. Prior to CHRISTUS Health, Ms. Klute held leadership positions at Western Behavioral Health Network, FirstCare Health Plans, Oregon Health Systems, ACE Group and the Texas Department of Insurance. Ms. Klute holds a BHA in Healthcare Administration from Texas State University in San Marcos, Tx.
Ajith Pai serves as president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne, on the Boards of HOS PAC – Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Health Surgery Center Clybourn, Texas Health Huguhley and the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the Asian Healthcare Leaders Forum Committee of ACHE and has provided leadership on the ACHE North Texas Advancement Committee. Before his role at Cleburne, Ajith held management positions at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital HEB. Ajith earned his Pharm.D. from Texas Tech University and his MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

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COVID19: What We Learned: Supply Chain
2020-09-24 12:30 - 14:00 | TX
A multi-chapter event offered by the East TX, North Texas and TX Midwest ACHE Chapters.

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This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants – limiting it to 16 per hosting chapter. Please register early to reserve your spot.

Moderator: Patrick Brown
VP/Chief Operating Officer
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
Panelists:
Charles (Charlie) Cobb
Associate Vice President for Supply Chain Management
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Kito Gary
Director, Supply Chain
Texas Health Resources
Soumi Saha, PharmD, JD
Vice President of Advocacy
Premier Inc.
Speakers Bios:
Patrick Brown is the VP/Chief Operating Officer of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center and oversees the daily operations of the 254 bed hospital that has over 1,200 employees and over 900 physicians. While at MMMC, Patrick has helped guide the organization to a Leapfrog A rating and a recently acquired 5 Star Quality rating through CMS. He is also involved in the local community by participating in the 2019/2020 class of Leadership Mansfield and now serves as a board member for the Mansfield ISD Foundation. Prior to joining Methodist Health System, Mr. Brown was with Texas Health Resources where he served as COO/Professional & Support Services Officer for Texas Health Allen. While at Texas Health Allen, Mr. Brown oversaw daily operations of several ancillary departments and was in charge of the business development of the cardiovascular and general surgery service lines. He also served on the system’s Heart and Vascular Committee and served on the Allen ISD District Improvement Planning Committee.
Prior to his time at Texas Health Resources, Patrick worked at Tenet Healthcare serving as the Chief Strategy Officer over multiple hospitals in Tenet’s Phoenix market. His responsibility included service line development, physician recruitment, and narrow network enhancements with the market’s accountable care organization, Arizona Care Network.
With nearly 15 years of progressive healthcare leadership experience in operations, human resources, supply chain, and business development roles across Georgia, Texas and Arizona, Patrick is committed to servant leadership, service excellence, and always doing the right thing, at the right time for patients.
Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, FL and an MBA degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and Vice President for the DFW Chapter of the National Association of Health Service Executives.

Charlie Cobb is the Associate Vice President of Supply Chain Management and Chief Procurement Office for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, one of the country’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to medical education and training, research, and patient care.
Charlie is focused on creating an integrated Supply Chain Management infrastructure ensuring outstanding customer service and leveraging system-wide opportunities. As a leading Academic Medical Center, we must provide an uninterrupted flow of goods and services at best value by utilizing market leading technologies, performance metrics, optimized processes, and strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining UTSW, Mr. Cobb was the Director, Materials Management at the University of Arizona Health Network and spent 2.5 years helping rebuild their supply chain prior to the Banner Health acquisition. He also previously served as an Strategic Account Vice President for Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20 health care services company dedicated to improving the cost-effectiveness of health care. He joined Cardinal Health in 1999 where he spent 14 years holding positions of increasing responsibility including Region Director, Director of Logistics, Surgical Products Representative, and Operations Manager.
Prior to joining Cardinal Health, Mr. Cobb served in the U.S. Air Force where he also earned his Associates Degree in Logistics. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Operations Management from Texas A&M University and completed his MBA from the University of Arizona. He also is a Certified Texas Procurement Manager (CTPM).
Charlie serves as a member of ACHE and AHRMM and actively participates in the local chapters. He and his wife, Shannon, have two children, Cael (16) and Brooke (14). In his leisure time, he enjoys playing golf, basketball, and spending time with his family and friends.

Kito Gary serves as Director, Supply Chain for Texas Health Resources, which is comprised of 14 acute-care hospitals serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Prior to joint Texas Health, Kito was a Sourcing Executive for Vizient Inc., a Group Purchasing Organization that specializes in bolstering members’ supply chain initiatives. As a Sourcing Executive, he worked with strategic member accounts supply chain team to identify, implement and manage their businesses purchasing requirements. Prior to Vizient, his 10-year professional experience spans across industries, which includes Xerox, New York Life, Legatum Aviation, Northrop Grumman and Vought Aircraft Industries. Kito earned a Master of Business (Management) degree from Dallas Baptist University. He earned his BA in Sociology from Wake Forest University, where he competed as a scholarship-athlete on the football team. Kito lives in the Grand Prairie area; and is married to Stephanie Gary. They have two children, (Isaiah and Corinne). Kito and Stephanie are passionate about sports, education, travel, family and financial investments.

Soumi Saha, both a pharmacist and attorney, is the Vice President of Advocacy at Premier Inc. and is responsible for influencing legislative and regulatory proposals that support a competitive drug marketplace and lead the transformation to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare.
Prior to joining Premier, Soumi served as the Director of Pharmacy & Regulatory Affairs for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) where she was responsible for advocating the Academy’s regulatory positions at the federal and state level with agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and State Boards of Pharmacy. Soumi led AMCP’s initiatives related to health care economic information communications between population health decision makers and biopharmaceutical manufacturers, including adoption and advocacy efforts with Congress and the FDA. Soumi was also responsible for advancing the interests of the Academy’s members in managed care pharmacy issues such as specialty pharmacy, medication therapy management, real world evidence, and research.
Previously, Soumi worked for Kaiser Permanente where she most recently served as the Director of National Pharmacy Controls and was responsible for leading the planning, development, and implementation of strategic initiatives for the National Pharmacy Controls Improvement Program, specifically related to the Policy & Procedure and Training & Awareness initiatives, across all aspects of pharmacy operations including outpatient, inpatient, infusion, oncology, clinical services, and pharmacy distribution centers.
Soumi has a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and a Juris Doctor (JD) with a concentration in Health Law from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is actively involved in the pharmacy law community as a member of the American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL) and American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Soumi speaks regularly at schools of pharmacy and local events regarding her unique background and opportunities for pharmacists to become involved in legislative and advocacy efforts.

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Breakfast with the President - Clint Abernathy
2020-10-13 08:00 - 09:00 | TX
Join us for the next event in our Breakfast with the President Series!
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This event will be held via Zoom.

Clint Abernathy serves as president of Texas Health Alliance, with a focus on safe and quality patient care.
Abernathy and his team view their work as a ministry to the community. Texas Health Alliance serves more than 50,000 patients each year and connects with the community outside the walls of the hospital by providing more than 9,000 service hours. Under his leadership, the hospital was honored as one of the 2017 Truven Top 100 Hospitals in the nation.
He joined Texas Health Alliance in 2012 as professional services officer and played an integral role in efforts to open the facility. During that time, he recruited and worked with physicians on the medical staff and oversaw ancillary services, including the Imaging, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Cardiopulmonary and Rehabilitation departments. He also led the Texas Health Convenient Care Clinic and Outpatient Surgery Center and spearheaded process improvements throughout the hospital.
Previously, Abernathy served as administrative director of Operations and Clinical Excellence for Texas Health Dallas. He was also the hospital’s director of Performance and Productivity from 2007-2011. During that time, Abernathy implemented process improvements that helped reduce costs and improve quality of care.
He served as a Lean Six Sigma black belt and associate plant manager for Fresenius Medical Care from 2005-2007 and the quality assurance supervisor for PCI Technology from 2003-2005.
Abernathy received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Dallas and a master’s degree in health care management from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. He is a Lean Six Sigma master black belt and a certified quality engineer, as designated by the American Society for Quality.
He serves as board president of the Northwest Independent School District Education Foundation and is involved with the March of Dimes Strategic Leadership Team, DFW Hospital Council, Healthy Tarrant County Collaborative and the Northeast Tarrant County Leadership Team. He is also a volunteer and welcome team member at Keystone Church.
He enjoys everything outdoors in particular taking care of his horses, cows and spending time with his wife, Stephanie, and their four daughters.

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Moving Forward in the Age of Covid
2020-10-17 11:00 - 12:30 | TX
This virtual event is being hosted by the ACHE of North Texas Student Council
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Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 11am-12:30pm
Speakers:
Sobya Ball
Talent Acquisitions Partner
Parkland Hospital
Dewotta Gossett
Senior Recruiter
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Daniel Karnuta
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Dallas
Speakers’ Bios:
Sobya Ball was raised in East Texas and resided there until 1998 when she relocated to Arlington, Texas with her son. She moved to North Texas so that she could provide more opportunities for them both. In March of 1999 she attended DeVry University, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. After finishing school, she decided to take a few years off from pursuing more education so that she could focus on getting her career started and raising her son. After a seven-year hiatus, Sobya decided to return to school in May of 2009 to pursue her graduate degree and in 2010 graduated from Ashford University receiving her Master’s in Organizational Management.
She received her first job within the healthcare industry in 1995 at the age of nineteen working for a multi-specialty clinic named Collom and Carney in Texarkana, Texas. During her time there, she was part of the float pool which allowed her to work in a variety of different departments; sometimes being the only person that the department would request whenever there was a need and if she were not scheduled to work elsewhere. The experience gained is what helped to build her work ethic and shape her career, which is the reason that she has remained in healthcare to date. While living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area Sobya has had the opportunity to work for some of the most premier healthcare organizations in Texas. Such as Medical Center of Arlington-HCA now known as Medical City Arlington, Kindred Healthcare, UT Southwestern Medical Center and now Parkland Health and Hospital Systems.
Although Sobya passively thought about going into Human Resources, it was not anything that she would entertain immediately. That was until she worked for Kindred as a Staffing Coordinator where the role branched into a Human Resources Coordinator. This allowed her to dabble in many areas of this field of expertise. It was during this time that she then knew, Human Resources was the field she wanted to operate in. Now, having remained in HR for thirteen years, she has had the opportunity to learn from very skilled individuals such as a Chief Executive Officer, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, a Manager of Employee Relations and various co-workers (past and present) who have all had some part in helping to build the knowledge base she holds today. She has had the opportunity to take part in numerous hiring events, as well as, helping organize a training for managers called HireRight which provided guidance to hiring leaders on how to hire the right candidates for their positions. She has also been a part of a systems implementation team that was created to test the new applicant tracking system before go-live. Additionally, being part of a project team that put together an instructional manual teaching new Talent Acquisition Partners and Coordinators how to use the system.
For the last 3 years, she has been an active volunteer for the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) New Horizons speed networking resume event for master level/mid-careerist. Having been a Talent Acquisition Partner for the last four years has offered Sobya the opportunity to help create a wonderful customer experience for incoming new hires. She can see their eagerness as well as willingness in wanting to prove to the organization that they made the right decision in hiring them. By far, the most rewarding part of working in HR is that she can offer a broad spectrum of expertise ranging from counsel, to upholding the functions of the organization, to invoking change and educating. But more than anything maintaining a high level of ethics and integrity.

Dewotta Gossett, was born in Georgia and has traveled the majority of her life; due to her father being in the military. She lived in Anchorage, Alaska and graduated from high school in Okinawa, Japan. She currently holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources Management. She is working on completing her Doctorate degree in Leadership and Organizational Change. She currently works as an HR Talent Acquisition Partner at UT Southwestern Medical Center – University Hospitals. Her husband (a Navy veteran) and she have a 23 year old son and a 12 year old daughter. She enjoys singing, bowling and taking vacations to sight see.

Prior to joining the University of Texas at Dallas, Mr. Daniel Karnuta served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conifer Health Solutions, a healthcare revenue cycle management and consulting company serving over 800 healthcare provider organizations throughout the US. Previously, he spent nearly 20 years at Perot Systems Corporation, a worldwide provider of information technology services, where he held several senior-level positions including Vice President of Finance, Healthcare Industry Group Chief Financial Officer and Global Tax Director. He began his career in public accounting where he served as a Tax Manager with Price Waterhouse.
With over 30 years of professional experience, Mr. Karnuta has led finance and accounting organizations focusing on: financial reporting, operational delivery, taxation, pricing, strategy and decision support. He spent several years working in Europe where he led a finance team that spanned 6 countries on three continents.
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Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success
2020-10-22 15:30 - 17:00 | TX
Lead and Reward a Just Culture and Establish Organizational Behavior Expectations
This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants. Please register early to reserve your spot.
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Moderator: Glenn Hardesty, M.D., FACHE
Medical Director
Texas Health Physician Leadership Policy Council
Panelists:
Paula Brandon, FACHE, MSN
Vice President, Quality and Clinical Support
Community Hospital Corporation
Kristin Duncan, RN, BSN, MBA, CPPS
Senior Director, Reliable Health / Patient Safety-Risk
Texas Health Resources
Denise B. Elliott, FACHE, CLSSMBB
Quality Management Officer
Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems
Tamala Norris, DHA, BSN, RN, CPHQ, HACP, LSSGBC
Vice President, Clinical Operations & Group CNO
United Surgical Partners International
Speaker Bios:

Paula Brandon continues her career journey of improving healthcare across multiple organizations in her position as the Vice President, Quality and Clinical Support at Community Hospital Corporation (CHC). The CHC mission is to guide, support and enhances the mission of community hospitals and healthcare providers. CHC supports acute and long-term acute care facilities across the country providing consultation, management, and ownership services. Paula’s primary focus is on the quality programs, regulatory compliance, and clinical excellence.
A nurse, with an MSN in Nursing Administration from the University of Tennessee, Paula’s background includes over 25 years as a Chief Nurse in several organizations across the mid-south and south. She began her administrative career as an Associate Chief Nurse at the VA in Memphis, Tennessee, then as a Chief Nurse for an HMA Hospital in Van Buren, Arkansas and Good Shepherd Medical Center, Marshall, Texas. In 2012 Paula transitioned to become the Senior Vice President of Organizational Excellence, Good Shepherd Health System, where she was responsible for quality across multiple organizations.
Prior to joining CHC in 2018, Paula worked at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSCT) in Tyler Texas. During her tenure at UTHSCT, Paula was responsible for multiple Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) projects as a part of the 1115 Healthcare Transformation Waiver, with a focus on redesigning fragmented, episodic care across geographically diverse partners.
Paula’s utilizes a system theory conceptual framework to guide her clinical and quality leadership with an emphasis on collaboration and team building within organizations to create a comprehensive, integrated, patient-centered, safe, and preventive quality program which promotes organizational excellence. The goal of this type of care model is to create a culture of safety, quality, service, efficiency, and care coordination.
Paula is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives ACHE and has served in a leadership capacity for the Northeast Texas ACHE for several years. In 2011, Paula was awarded the Senior-Level Healthcare Executive Award by the ACHE Regent. Paula was also appointed as a sponsor for the UT System Women’s Senior Leader Network. Additionally, Paula has presented at several national conferences on Palliative Care, 1115 Waiver Delivery System Incentive Reform Projects, and the Role of the Chief Nursing Officer. She has published several journal articles and book chapters related to nursing leadership.

Kristin Duncan serves as Senior Director for Patient Safety/Risk Management at Texas Health Resources and is responsible for overseeing the Patient Safety and Risk Management program which includes analyzing and trending patient safety events and data, conducting Patient Safety and Risk Management educational programs, complying with regulatory obligations with the objectives of enhancing patient, visitor and employee safety and promoting HRO implementation and sustainability activities. Kristin has been at Texas Health for over 20 years with 15 of those years in Patient Safety and Risk Management. Kristin is Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), has a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is a Registered Nurse.

Denise Elliott is the Quality Management Officer for the VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network. In this role she oversees the activities and programs related to healthcare quality and process improvement within seven of the eight Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Master of Neuroscience from Baylor University. As the Quality Management Officer, Denise must employ her skills as a life-long learner, an active listener, and an empathetic leader to be able to appropriately consult on both clinical and administrative processes that affect the healthcare of Texas Veterans. She is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and has over 25 years of healthcare experience.
When she is not actively picking apart and putting together systems and processes, Denise is an avid Camp Gladiator enthusiast and competitor. She and her husband live in Tarrant county with their 16-year-old daughter.

Glenn Hardesty has been a practicing Emergency physician with Texas Heath for the past 20 years. Seeing the opioid crisis on the front lines in the emergency department and from the streets serving on the Arlington Police Department SWAT team. He frequently addresses the media on a wide variety of topics, including opioids and the dangers that surround them. Additionally, he is a certified physician executive and has held many different leadership roles within Texas Health over the years. Currently serving as medical director for the Physician Leadership Council, Physician Leadership Policy Council, Physician Lead! (Texas Health’s own physician leadership development program) and co-chair of Texas Health’s comprehensive opioid plan.

Tamala Norris joined Tenet Healthcare and United Surgical Partners International in December 2016 and serves as the Vice President of Clinical Operations and Group Chief Nursing Officer with national oversight for USPI’s hospital service line, nursing practice, the Baylor Scott & White Health and Memorial Hermann partnerships. She serves as an Editorial Board Member for the International Journal of Nursing Sciences and Clinical Practices reviewing journal articles and research. She has a Bachelor of Nursing from South University and a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Walden University. As a clinician, Tamala worked in Labor and Delivery, Emergency Services, and was a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. After leaving the bedside she transitioned into quality management focusing serving as a hospital then system leader of Quality, Patient Safety, Risk Management, and Regulatory Operations before joining Tenet Healthcare and USPI.

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Crisis Management: Strategies Effectively Managing Healthcare Organizations
2020-10-22 17:30 - 19:00 | TX
Providing insights and perspectives on ways to manage unforeseen crises within healthcare organizations and the community.

This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.

Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants. Please register early to reserve your spot.

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Moderator: Nkem Okafor, FACHE
Founder and Principal
Vieve Enterprises
Panelists:
Grant Davies
President and CEO
Solis Mammography

Daniela Decell
Chief Executive Officer
Medical City Las Colinas

Lance Lynch
Business Continuity Program Manager
Parkland Health and Hospital System

Cindy K. Schamp
President
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Irving

Speakers Bios:
Grant Davies is Solis Mammography’s Chief Executive Officer. Grant has a deep understanding of health systems, having served in senior executive roles at Sutter Health, a health system with over 5,500 physicians and 53,000 employees, where he is known for his focus on clinical quality, patient satisfaction and integrated care delivery.
Grant has over 30 years of experience in healthcare services with specific experience managing physician practices and health systems. He’s also led organizations and created cultures dedicated to elevating the delivery of compassionate healthcare to patients and communities. This background and focus should serve Solis well as it enters this exciting new phase of growth.
Importantly, Grant is committed to our purpose and values outlined in our Promise Book, as well as our mission of being the nation’s premier provider of breast screening services where the patient comes first. Under Grant’s leadership, Solis will remain dedicated to fostering relationships with health systems and physicians nationwide to deliver exceptional, patient-centric services.

Daniela Decell is the Chief Executive Officer of Medical City Las Colinas, a full-service, acute care facility a part of Medical City Healthcare, one of the region’s most comprehensive health care providers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Daniela, who has been a part of the HCA Healthcare family for over 35 years, began her career as a bedside nurse in Critical Care. Since then, she quickly progressed into executive leadership roles, including Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Executive Officer. Dany has a passion for excellent, quality outcomes and believes success is rooted in exceptional leaders, strong physician partnerships and operational execution. Dany is focused on leading her teams to deliver high-quality, compassionate patient care.
Under her instrumental leadership, Medical City Las Colinas is a Leapfrog A rated facility, became certified by the Joint Commission in Hip and Knee Replacement surgery, Irving’s first Advanced Primary Stroke Center, a leading edge women’s services center and a Level III Trauma Center.

Lance Lynch began his career in Emergency Medical Services in 2003 and served as a 911 paramedic, field training officer, and certified flight & critical care paramedic. During this time, he participated in and chaired several patient safety, performance improvement, and educational committees while providing clinical education for various public safety programs in the community college setting and serving as Regional Faculty for the American Heart Association. While finishing his undergraduate degree in Emergency Medical Care Administration at Western Carolina University, Lance turned his attention to hospital-based emergency preparedness, response, and resilience. Lance holds an MBA in organizational consulting from Michigan’s Spring Arbor University and a Certified Business Continuity Professional certification through Disaster Recovery International, Inc. He currently serves as the Business Continuity Program Manager for Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas and as Chair of the Regional Emergency Preparedness Committee for the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, which supports the emergency preparedness needs of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region’s 7.5 million residents, more than 150 hospitals, and dozens of emergency medical care & public safety agencies. Lance currently resides in the Fort Worth area with Julia, his wife and biggest cheerleader of 14 years, Natalie, his 4 year old daughter, and Echo, their 2 year old German Shepherd.

Nkem Okafor is a dynamic leader who helps companies develop and execute effective business strategies. She is the Founder and Principal of Vieve Enterprises LLC, a business strategy consulting firm that delivers strategic and analytic advisory services across industries for corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and government entities. In her role, she develops growth strategies, serves as a thought partner to senior executives, evaluates performance, and creates strategic plans to craft system-wide strategies for success. She has over 11 years of expertise in strategy, business development, and performance improvement—notably serving as the System Vice President of Strategy & Planning for Methodist Health System, leading system integration and global operations at Houston Methodist, and working with healthcare clients in strategy and operations at Deloitte Consulting. Nkem is a Fellow of ACHE, has a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis and Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master’s Degrees in Public Health from Yale School of Management and Yale School of Public Health.

In July 2008, Cindy K. Schamp assumed her role as President of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Irving – a full-service, fully-accredited hospital offering innovative health care services from cardiovascular care to orthopedic surgery to oncology treatment. Since joining Baylor Scott & White – Irving, Schamp has been instrumental in growing and advancing quality services including, a robotic-assisted surgery program, a comprehensive digestive program, an accredited hyperbaric wound program, a stroke program with telemedicine, an accredited oncology program, a vascular medicine program and expanded emergency department. Most recently, Schamp has spearheaded the launch of Project Renaissance-a $170M building program to be completed in 2021.
During her tenure, Baylor Scott & White-Irving has received numerous recognitions, accolades, and accreditations including Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognition Program in 2014 and again in 2018. Earning this recognition ranks the hospital’s nursing care in the top 7% of hospitals in the country. Other achievements include recognized by U.S. News & World Report in their latest “Best Hospitals” ratings as high performing in treating congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® Recognition from the Joint Commission, Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award, Chest Pain Center certification, Primary Stroke Center, and nationally accredited cancer program and outstanding achievement from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
In 2020, under her leadership, Baylor Scott & White – Irving is paving the way for COVID-19 Safe Care. The hospital implemented new preventive measures and innovative offerings designed to protect patients, visitors and staff at the facility. These safety initiatives included, COVID-19 testing for surgical patients, masking of patients, visitors and staff, screening stations at the hospital entrances, enhanced cleaning and touch-free protocols, virtual care options, and COVID-19 home monitoring digital care journey through the MyBSWHealth app or website.
Ms. Schamp earned her undergraduate degree in gerontology/business administration from the University of Oregon and her master’s degree in hospital and health administration from the University of Iowa. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Ms. Schamp remains active in the community and has served on the Board of Directors of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce.
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2020 ACHENTX Women's Breakfast
2020-10-27 07:30 - 09:00 | TX
Join us for one of our most popular ACHENTX annual events – this year being held virtually.

Brought to you this year by our Women’s Healthcare Executive Network (WHEN).

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Moderator:
Carolyn Simmons
Vice President of Healthcare & Life Sciences
Pearson Partners International
Panelists:
Cathy Bryan, MHA, BSN, RN
Executive Vice President Patient
Services & Operations
Prism Health North Texas
Tina Hicks, MHA, MBA, FACHE
Director of Finance Operations
Parkland Hospital
Barbara D. Viso Mueller
Associate Director, Strategic Programs
Premier Management Company

Speaker Bios:
Cathy Bryan, MHA, BSN, RN, brings a broad range of industry experience to her new role as Executive Vice President Patient Services & Operations for Prism Health North Texas. As both a private practice and safety net organization, Prism Health North Texas is the premier HIV disease management and sexual health wellness provider in the region, serving almost 30,000 patients annually across 4 clinic locations.
Prior to joining Prism Health North Texas, Ms Bryan served as Director of Care Coordination and Post-Acute Utilization Management for Southwestern Health Resources, one of the largest and most successful Medicare NextGen ACOs in the country. During Ms Bryan’s tenure at SWHR, the ACO grew from a patient population of 19,000 Medicare Shared Savings lives to over 700,000 lives spanning all commercial insurers, Medicare NextGen ACO, and Medicaid Managed Care.
In addition to her previous experience at the ACO, and in in effort to satisfy her entrepreneurial spirit and internal data nerd, Ms. Bryan was privileged to serve as Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer of QED Clinical for 15 years. A clinical software solution, QED Clinical became an industry leader in point of care clinical decision support for busy ambulatory providers by turning disparate EMR documentation into actionable and accessible information. Other career highlights include neonatal nursing, home infusion therapy, consulting, metrics and quality management programs, data analytics, workflow process, and research.
Ms Bryan is an RN and holds a BSN from Baylor University School of Nursing and an MHA from University of Missouri-Columbia. She is published in peer reviewed journals, served as co-investigator on federally funded research projects, and is an active member of ACHE North Texas, serving currently on the Mentorship Committee. In her personal life, Ms Bryan is an active volunteer, working with marginalized populations across our community, and, in the rest of her free time, spending time with family, especially her 3 adult children and 1 precious granddaughter.

Tina Hicks proudly serves as the Director of Finance Operations for Parkland Hospital. In her role, she has oversight for financial planning, financial analysis and operations support. She has over fifteen years’ experience in healthcare management to include progressive leadership roles in finance and hospital operations. Prior to joining Parkland, she held leadership roles at Texas Health Resources and Methodist Health System.
Tina is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the education committee of the ACHE North Texas Chapter. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Health Administration from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University – Commerce.

Barbara D. Viso Mueller completed her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Italian at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2012. While working directly with patients and their families at Rogers Behavioral Health System in Wisconsin, she learned about the barriers that keep patients from getting the care they need and decided to pursue a Master’s of Public Health. While pursuing further education at Baylor University, she taught an undergraduate health class and assisted in behavioral and community health research. In 2016, she joined Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center at Juanita J. Craft in South Dallas, TX and gained first-hand experience into how population health can be executed at the community level. She then moved into Quality Improvement Team at Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance (accountable care organization) as a project coordinator. As she gained more performance and project management experience in the value-based care world, she eventually transitioned into Quality Manager. In December 2019, Barbara transitioned to work at Premier Management Company, an accountable care organization and healthcare management company in Carrollton, TX. She is currently the Associate Director of Strategic Programs, which includes overseeing a team responsible for performance oversight, project management, several human resources duties, and value-based care consulting.
Barbara is passionate about social justice causes whether it is mentoring at-risk college students, refugee resettlement, and homelessness. Currently, she is the American College of Healthcare Executives North Texas Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair. She also enjoys being physically active whether it is hiking or running a marathon. She lives with her husband in Dallas, TX.

With more than 20 years’ experience in retained executive recruiting, executive coaching and succession planning, Carolyn Simons leads Pearson Partners International’s Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. She specializes in C-suite and board searches for healthcare, MedTech and pharma companies worldwide.
Carolyn partners with boards, CEOs and investors to gain an in-depth understanding of their companies, organizational structures and business strategies to deliver best-in-class executives to lead and grow their businesses in today’s rapidly evolving global economy. She has successfully placed hundreds of CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and Vice Presidents across the health care industry.
Prior to Pearson Partners, Carolyn helped launch a Dallas-based, boutique executive search firm serving as a founding member of the healthcare and life sciences practice and working extensively with private equity clients to build out executive teams for their portfolio companies. Earlier in her career, Carolyn spent more than 15 years leading executive search and interim management services for a national advisory and professional services firm focused on home-based and post-acute healthcare services.
Carolyn currently serves on the boards for the DFW Alliance for Healthcare Excellence and the Texas Healthcare Advisory Council, and she is an active member of Women Business Leaders in Healthcare (WBL), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and MedTech Women. She is also a frequent speaker on Leadership Development and Talent Planning in Post-Acute Healthcare. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago.
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ACHENTX General Membership Convocation
2020-11-04 17:00 - 20:00 | TX
Please join us as we hear from featured keynote speaker, Scott Becker, publisher and founder of Becker’s Healthcare and Becker’s Hospital Review. Mr. Becker will engage with C-suite executives across Texas in discussion around the latest healthcare industry trends, how these executives have maneuvered change in the industry and leadership lessons they have learned along the way.
This year we are excited to be offering this program through the REMO platform, which for the networking portion of the agenda will allow you to virtually join “a table” of six of your ACHENTX colleagues so you can better get to know your peers. You can stay at the first table for the entire networking hour or please feel free to click over to another table to say hello and meet others as you wish.
Virtual Networking: 5-6pm
Presentations: 6-8pm
A special thanks to our 2020 GMC Presenting Sponsor:

Please note: Early Bird Ticketing Pricing is Offered
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Speakers:
Scott Becker
Publisher and Founder
Becker’s HealthCare & Becker’s Hospital Review
Frederick P. Cerise, MD, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer
Parkland Health & Hospital System
Malisha S. Patel, FACHE
Senior Vice President, CEO
Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital & Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital
Ernie W. Sadau
President & Chief Executive Officer
CHRISTUS Health

Speaker Bios:
Scott Becker is the Publisher and Founder of Becker’s HealthCare and Becker’s Hospital Review. He is a partner at McGuireWoods and a former board member of McGuireWoods. Mr. Becker also served as chair of the national health care practice at McGuireWoods for more than 12 years. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a CPA.

Fred Cerise, MD, MPH has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Parkland Health & Hospital System since March 2014. He leads one of the largest academic and public safety net hospitals in the country as well as 20 community-based clinics and numerous educational outreach programs. The system focuses on serving the comprehensive needs of a largely uninsured population.
Prior to joining Parkland, Dr. Cerise served as Vice President for Health Affairs and Medical Education of the Louisiana State University System. From 2004 to 2007, Dr. Cerise was Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Prior to that he was the CEO of Earl K. Long Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he began his career between 1991 and 2004 as an LSU Clinical Faculty member in Internal Medicine.
Dr. Cerise holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Notre Dame and earned his Medical Degree at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In 2001, he earned a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University School of Public Health. From 2010 to 2016 he served on the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and currently serves on the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Nurse Family Partnership Board of Directors.

Malisha S. Patel is Senior Vice President and CEO for Memorial Hermann Southwest and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land hospitals. In her role, she oversees the strategic development and operations of both campuses. Prior to this role, she served as the VP of Operations for Memorial Hermann Southwest, where under her leadership, the hospital received Magnet recognition for excellence in nursing services by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program.
Prior to her tenure at Memorial Hermann Southwest, she was at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land for 10 years serving in multiple roles with five years as the VP of Operations. In that role she oversaw a $93M expansion project that has added 60 beds, an additional medical plaza and expanded services. In November 2016, as the Executive Champion for this effort, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land was recognized as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, the highest Presidential honor for performance excellence given in the country. Prior experience includes positions in the private sector as an Internal Operations Consultant with Tenet Healthcare and in the government sector as Administrative Officer of the Ambulatory Care and Physical Medicine & Rehab departments with the Dallas, Texas VA system.
Malisha, received her Bachelors from the University of Texas at Austin, holds a Masters in Health Care Administration from Trinity University, is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt, and is Board Certified in Health Care Management as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Community involvement includes active membership on several local Boards including Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she is active with the Texas Hospital Association and the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston. She is a current member of the Trinity HCAD board, past chair for FBCC and was recognized by the Houston Business Journal in 2019 as a 40 Under 40 honoree.
She was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and resides in Houston with her husband (Bhavesh) and two sons (Jai and Avi).

Ernie Sadau assumed the role as President and Chief Executive Officer of CHRISTUS Health on March 1, 2011. In this position, Mr. Sadau leads daily operations for CHRISTUS Health and lends extensive expertise in improving quality and clinical integration and capitalizing organizational opportunities of the future, while modeling a commitment to CHRISTUS’ sponsoring congregations, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio and Houston and the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Mr. Sadau joined CHRISTUS Health as Senior Vice President of Patient and Resident Care Operations in 2006. His title was changed to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2008 as he expanded his role within the organization. He has almost 35 years of experience in health care operations and finance, providing measurable operational performance improvement and strong leadership skills. Mr. Sadau has also served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for CHRISTUS Health.
Before joining CHRISTUS Health, Mr. Sadau held and served in various executive positions in the Adventist Health System from 1983-2006. Mr. Sadau holds a master’s degree in hospital administration from Southwest Texas State University. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of North Texas. Mr. Sadau is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, and was named an Up & Comer by Modern Healthcare magazine in 2000, an award that honors rising young stars in the health care management field.

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Ensuring Your Community’s Emergency Preparedness
2020-11-10 13:30 - 15:00 | TX
This panel has been approved by ACHE National to qualify for 1.5 Face-to-Face virtual credits.
Please note we are required to restrict this event to a maximum of 50 participants. Please register early to reserve your spot.
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Moderator: Ken Hutchenrider, FACHE
President
Methodist Richardson Medical Center
Panelists:
Bruce J. Brown, Dr.P.H.
Associate Vice President for Safety and Business Continuity
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Wes Dunham
Director of Emergency Management (EM)
Methodist Health System
Matt Zavadsky
Chief Strategic Integration Officer
MedStar Mobile Healthcare
Speakers Bios:

Dr. Bruce Brown is the Associate Vice President for Safety and Business Continuity at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He has over 20 years of experience with responsibilities in the areas of environmental health and safety, emergency management, business continuity, and risk management and insurance. Bruce spent 16 years at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston prior to moving to Dallas to join UT Southwestern. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and completed a Master’s and Doctorate of Public Health degrees in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at The University of Texas School of Public Health. He holds board certifications as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Biological Safety Professional (CBSP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), and Associate in Risk Management (ARM).

Wes Dunham is the Director of Emergency Management (EM) for Methodist Health System in Dallas, TX. Upon completing his administrative residency, he helped create, shape, and grow the EM program at what was then a two-hospital system. He has continued to lead and mature this effort at Methodist as it more than doubled in size, and as the field of emergency management expanded dramatically. Over the last 15 years he has served in a number of DFW preparedness bodies and real-world disaster responses, including terms on the board of directors for the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (NCTTRAC), and as chair of the Regional Emergency Preparedness Committee (REPC). He earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University, majoring in economics with an English minor, and received his Master’s in Healthcare Administration (MHA) from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.

Ken Hutchenrider joined Methodist Richardson Medical Center as President in July, 2010.
He has more than 25 years of executive experience with a result oriented record of substantially increasing financial stability and strengthening team management to build a tradition of providing the best care possible to the communities served.
During his tenure, Ken administered the assimilation of the hospital into the Methodist Health System, as well as the development of a $120M replacement hospital and its subsequent and ongoing expansions. Pam Stoyanoff, Chief Operations Officer of Methodist Health System has said “Ken is an outstanding leader with a proven track record in operational excellence.”
Additional accomplishments include the establishment of a new wound care center, recruitment and stabilization of the NICU physician group, development of the Da Vinci surgical program, and the successful recruitment/employment of new medical staff members. Under his direction, Methodist Richardson has received accreditations as a Chest Pain Center, a Stroke Center, and achieved nursing Pathway to Excellence.
Prior to July 2010, Ken served as the Chief Executive Officer of Galesburg Cottage Hospital, in Galesburg, Illinois. There, he successfully and effectively managed all facets of the 173 bed acute care facility, including a skilled nursing unit, inpatient psychiatric unit, a joint venture outpatient therapy unit, and a joint venture dialysis unit.
Previously in his career, Ken served in executive roles including Chief Executive Officer of the Terre Haute Regional Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. Ken started his career in a clinical position as a Paramedic Shift Supervisor in Pasadena, Texas.

Matt Zavadsky is the Chief Strategic Integration Officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare, the exclusive emergency and non-emergency EMS/MIH provider for Fort Worth and 14 other cities in North Texas, the recipient of the EMS World/NAEMT 2013 Paid EMS system of the Year and the only agency to be named an EMS10 Innovator by JEMS Magazine.
MedStar provides advanced life support ambulance service to 436 square miles and more than 1 million residents and responds to over 155,000 calls a year with a fleet of 59 ambulances. MedStar is a high performance, high value Emergency Medical Services system, providing advanced clinical care with high economic efficiency.
Matt has helped guide the development and implementation of several innovative programs with healthcare partners that have transformed MedStar fully as a Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) provider, including high utilizer, CHF readmission reduction, observational admission reduction, hospice revocation avoidance, 9-1-1 nurse triage programs and partnerships with home health agencies. He is also the co-author of the book “Mobile Integrated Healthcare – Approach to Implementation” published by Jones and Bartlett Publishing.
He has 41 years’ experience in EMS and holds a Master’s Degree in Health Service Administration with a Graduate Certificate in Health Care Data Management. Matt is a frequent speaker at national conferences and has done consulting in numerous EMS issues, specializing in mobile integrated healthcare, high performance EMS system operations, public/media relations, public policy, costing strategies and EMS research.
Matt is also President of the National Association of EMTs, chairs their EMS Transformation Committee. He is an appointed committee member to the Joint Commission’s Home Care Professional and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) and the Lewin Group’s Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (HOQR) Program Stroke and AMI Expert Work Group developing metrics for use in value-based purchasing measures for emergency departments.

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