100 Hospital and Health System COOs to Know

Staff -
Becker's Hospital Review has named "100 Hospital and Health System COOs to Know" based on individuals' healthcare and leadership experience. The COOs and leaders of operations listed here are key members of executive teams at hospitals and health systems who have demonstrated commitment to high-quality care and continuous operational improvement at their respective organizations.

Note: This list is not an endorsement of included hospitals, health systems or associated healthcare providers, and organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Hospital and health system COOs and operations leaders are presented in alphabetical order.

Robert Adams. Vice President of Operations of Jersey Shore University Medical Center (Neptune, N.J.). Mr. Adams has served as vice president of operations at Jersey Shore University Medical Center since 2005. Before then, he held various management positions within the hospital and also served on several boards as a trustee.

Charles J. Barnett. President of Healthcare Operations and COO of Ascension Health (St. Louis).
Mr. Barnett was named president of healthcare operations and COO of Ascension Health in January. He previously served as Texas/Missouri Ministry Market Leader of Ascension Health and as president and CEO of Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas. Prior to joining Seton, he served as vice president and COO of Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va.

Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD. Senior Vice President, Vice Dean and Chief of Hospital Operations of NYU Langone Medical Center (New York City).
In addition to serving as senior vice president, vice dean and chief of hospital operations, Dr. Birnbaum is the executive sponsor of NYU Langone Medical Center's Lean Six Sigma management initiative. He is an abdominal radiologist and computed tomography expert, and previously served as vice chair of clinical affairs and operations and chief of service in the department of radiology at NYU Langone.

Andre Boyd. Associate COO of Centerpoint Medical Center (Independence, Mo.). Mr. Boyd was named Associate COO of Centerpoint Medical Center in January 2010. He also serves as the hospital's ethics and compliance officer. He previously served as a business administrator for perioperative services at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md.

Tammie Brailsford, RN. Executive Vice President and COO of MemorialCare Health System (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Ms. Brailsford has served as executive vice president and COO of MemorialCare Health System since 2003. Before joining MemorialCare, Ms. Brailsford served as executive vice president and COO of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. She also previously served as administrator and COO of St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, and CEO of Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach.

Robert Braithwaite. COO of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, Calif.). Mr. Braithwaite is COO of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. He previously served as chief administrative officer of Hoag Hospital Irvine (Calif.). He has also served at Hoag as administrative resident, purchasing manager, director of materials management, vice president of support services and senior vice president of hospital operations, among other positions.

Thomas M. Brisse. Executive Vice President of Operations of Beaumont Health System (Royal Oak, Mich.).
Mr. Brisse became executive vice president of operations of Beaumont Health System in April. He joined Beaumont in 1987 as a management engineering coordinator and later held the positions of administrative associate for the Beaumont Reference Laboratory at Beaumont, Royal Oak, and as vice president of operations, senior associate director, associate director, assistant director, system vice president and president of Beaumont Hospital, Troy (Mich.).

Gary Brock. COO of Baylor Health Care System (Dallas). Mr. Brock serves as COO of Baylor Health Care System and co-leader of Baylor's clinical transformation initiative and "Best Care" efforts, which are designed to improve quality, operations and finance through information technology. He previously served as executive director at Baylor Garland (Texas), as well as senior vice president of managed care and physician network development and executive vice president for the system.

Herbert C. Buchanan Jr. Senior Vice President and COO of University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore). Mr. Buchanan has served as senior vice president and COO of University of Maryland Medical Center since 2005. He previously served as vice president of operations of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago from 2001 to 2005. He also served as vice president of operations and process improvement of Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital System from 1994 to 2001.

Steve Burriss. COO of Rex Hospital (Raleigh, N.C.).
Mr. Burriss has served as COO of Rex Healthcare since April. He joined the system in 1998 and previously served as vice president of human resources for the system. Mr. Burriss developed the Rex Employee Relief Fund, which provides assistance to employees in crisis.

Peter W. Butler. President and COO of Rush University Medical Center (Chicago).
Mr. Butler has served as president and COO of Rush University Medical Center since 2004. He is also an associate professor and chairman of the health system's management department at Rush University's College of Health Sciences. Prior to his current position, Mr. Butler served for two years as president of Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie, Ill., which was renamed Skokie Hospital in 2009 when it became part of Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Terry Capuano, RN. COO of Lehigh Valley Health Network (Allentown, Pa.). Ms. Capuano became COO of Lehigh Valley Health Network in 2010. She previously served as Lehigh Valley's senior vice president of clinical services for 11 years. She joined the system more than 25 years ago as a staff development educator and has previously served as director of the cardiac division, administrator for a variety of patient care and clinical support areas, and vice president of operations.

Patrick Christiansen. COO of Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, Va.). Mr. Christiansen was named COO of Inova Fairfax in September 2010. He joined the hospital in 2007 as administrator of Inova Heart and Vascular Institute and later served as senior vice president. He previously served as vice president of operations of St. John's Mercy Health Care in Creve Coeur, Mo., and as vice president of St. Edward's Mercy Health Network in Fort Smith, Ark.

Kathleen Crawford, MSN, MBA. COO of Ashtabula (Ohio) County Medical Center. Ms. Crawford has been COO of Ashtabula County Medical Center, an affiliate of Cleveland Clinic, since February 2010. She also serves as a nurse surveyor for the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.

Richard D'Aquila. President and COO of Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital.
Mr. D'Aquila serves as president and COO of Yale-New Haven Hospital as well as executive vice president of Yale New Haven Health System. Prior to joining the hospital in 2006, he served as a senior vice president and COO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. He has also served as executive vice president and COO of St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn.

Deborah Davis. COO of MCV Hospitals (Richmond, Va.).
Ms. Davis was named COO of MCV Hospitals, the teaching hospital component of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, in 2007. She previously served as president of Pitt County Memorial Hospital, now called Vidant Medical Center, in Greenville, N.C.

Pete DeAngelis. Executive Vice President and COO of Catholic Health East (Newtown Square, Pa.). Mr. DeAngelis became executive vice president and COO in May 2010. He previously served as Catholic Health East's executive vice president and CFO for about seven years. Prior to joining the system, he was senior vice president and CFO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.

Faye Deich, RN. COO of Sacred Heart Hospital (Eau Claire, Wis.).
Prior to her current role as COO, Ms. Deich served as CNO of Sacred Heart Hospital. She has also served as a member of the Wisconsin Hospital Association Board of Directors and as president of the Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives.

Tony Denton, JD, MHA. Executive Director of University Hospitals and COO of University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (Ann Arbor).
Mr. Denton became COO of U-M Hospitals and Health Centers in March 2004. He previously served as associate hospital administrator and associate hospital director for operations, associate director for clinical services and administrator of University Hospital at the system.

David M. Dill. President and COO of LifePoint Hospitals (Brentwood, Tenn.). Mr. Dill was named president of LifePoint Hospitals in January 2011. He has served as COO since April 2009, at which point he also became executive vice president. Mr. Dill joined LifePoint in 2007.

Verdi J. DiSesa, MD, MBA. COO of Temple University Health System (Philadelphia). Dr. DiSesa became COO of Temple University Health System and vice dean for Clinical Affairs of Temple University School of Medicine in May 2011. He is board certified in internal medicine, general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery. He previously served as chair of the department of surgery at the University Hospital and Harvard Medical School Dubai Center in the United Arab Emirates.

Phillip Dutcher. COO of NCH Healthcare System (Naples, Fla.). Mr. Dutcher serves as COO of two-hospital NCH Healthcare System. He served at Hurley Hospital in Flint, Mich., beginning in 1975, where he was CEO from 1981 to 1995. He also served as CEO of the combined Good Samaritan and St. Mary's Medical Centers in West Palm Beach, Fla., from 1995 to 2000.


Mitch Edgeworth. COO of Vanderbilt University Hospital (Nashville, Tenn.). Mr. Edgeworth became COO of Vanderbilt University Hospital in June. He previously served as regional vice president at Quorum Health Resources. He also held various leadership positions at Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. from 2002 to 2009, including serving as CEO of Doctors Hospital in Dallas.

Casey Fatch. Executive Vice President and COO of Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside, Calif.).
Mr. Fatch became executive vice president and COO of Tri-City Medical Center in 2009. He previously served as CEO of Western Medical Center-Anaheim (Calif.).

Gary Ferguson. Executive Vice President and COO of Christiana Care Health System (Wilmington, Del.).
Mr. Ferguson was named executive vice president and COO of Christiana Care Health System in 2003. He joined the health system's executive management team in 1986 as president of Christiana Care Health Initiatives and as the system's senior vice president of strategy and business development. He previously served as executive director of Rockford Center, a full-service psychiatric facility in Newark, Del.

Laura L. Forese, MD, MPH. Group Senior Vice President, COO and CMO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center (New York City).
Dr. Forese added COO to her positions as senior vice president and CMO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2006. She served as vice president for medical affairs at NewYork-Presbyterian from 2002 to 2005, when she was named CMO. Dr. Forese joined the full-time faculty at Columbia University in 1993, specializing in pediatric orthopedic surgery, and continues to hold an appointment as associate clinical professor.

Erik Frederick. COO of Weiss Memorial Hospital (Chicago). Mr. Frederick was named COO of Weiss Memorial Hospital, a member of Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanguard Health Systems, in January. He previously served as director of operations of Vanguard-owned Baptist Medical Center in San Antonio since 2007. Before joining the healthcare industry, he received several medals as a military intelligence specialist in the Army.

Mark Gavens. Senior Vice President for Clinical Care Services and COO of Cedars Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). Mr. Gavens was named senior vice president for clinical care services and COO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in February 2004. He previously served as corporate vice president of systems services at Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare. He also served as senior executive officer of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Peter Geier. COO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus).
In addition to serving as COO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mr. Geier serves as vice president of health services and CEO of The Ohio State University Health System. He became COO of the medical center in 2001 and became CEO of the health system in 2003. He previously served as executive vice president and then president of Huntington Bank from 1984 to 1994.

Kristi Glover. COO of Piedmont HealthCare (Statesville, N.C.). Ms. Glover has served as COO of Piedmont HealthCare since September 2010. She previously served as CEO of the multi-specialty medical clinic King's Daughters Clinic in Temple, Texas, for 10 years. She also served as vice president of physician services at St. Mary's Hospital in Jefferson City, Mo., part of St. Louis-based SSM Health Care.

Brian P. Goldstein, MD, MBA. Executive Vice President and COO of UNC Hospitals (Chapel Hill, N.C.). Dr. Goldstein became executive vice president and COO of UNC Hospitals in 2010. He previously served as UNC Hospitals' chief of staff and as the UNC School of Medicine's executive associate dean for clinical affairs. He has held various other positions within UNC Health Care, including chair of the medical staff executive committee.

Daniel L. Gross, DNSc, RN. Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations of Sharp HealthCare (San Diego). As executive vice president of hospital operations, Mr. Gross oversees four acute-care hospitals and three specialty hospitals. He joined the system in 1979 as a clinical nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego. He has served in several positions throughout the organization, including CEO of the Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus in San Diego.

Jamie L. Haeuser. Senior Vice President of Operations of Woman's Hospital (Baton Rouge, La.). Ms. Haeuser serves as senior vice president of operations of Woman's Hospital. She has served in positions at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, La., Children's Hospital in New Orleans and Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.

Chris Hammes. Executive Vice President and COO of INTEGRIS Health (Oklahoma City). Mr. Hammes became executive vice president and COO of INTEGRIS Health in July. He previously served as managing director of the system's metro facilities and president of INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. He joined the system in 1990 as radiology manager.

Greg Harb. Executive Vice President and COO of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.).
Mr. Harb joined Baystate Health in 2011 as executive vice president and COO. He previously served as COO of St. Joseph's/Candler Health System in Savannah, Ga., since 2006. He has also served as vice president and COO of Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and as CEO of Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville (Texas).

Samuel N. Hazen. President of Operations of Hospital Corporation of America (Nashville, Tenn.). In February 2011, Mr. Hazen became president of operations of HCA, a position that gives him oversight of the company's 163 hospitals. He previously served as president of HCA's Western Group. He joined HCA in 1994 as CFO of the North Texas Division and became CFO of the Western Group in 1995.

Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN. Executive Vice President and COO of Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston). Dr. Hickey became executive vice president and COO of Brigham and Women's Hospital in September 2010. She previously served as CNO and senior vice president of patient care services and vice president of women's health and specialty services at the hospital. She also held the position of associate professor and chair of the graduate program for clinical nurse specialists at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

Jeffrey H. Hillebrand. COO of NorthShore University HealthSystem (Evanston, Ill.).
Mr. Hillebrand joined NorthShore University HealthSystem in 1979 and has served as COO since 1996. Although he will retire Sept. 30 to launch a healthcare consulting firm, Mr. Hillebrand will maintain ties with NorthShore and advise the system on mergers, acquisitions and integrations. J.P. Gallagher, current president of NorthShore's Evanston Hospital, will replace Mr. Hillebrand as COO of the system.

Kristopher Hoce. COO of Morton Plant Hospital (Clearwater, Fla.). Mr. Hoce was named COO of Morton Plant Hospital in 2011. He previously served as president and CEO of Margaret R. Pardee Memorial Hospital in Hendersonville, N.C. He also served as president and CEO of Youngstown, Ohio-based Forum Health, which was acquired by Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems in 2010.

Daniel Jantzen. COO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock (Lebanon, N.H.). Mr. Jantzen serves as COO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock. He joined the system's management team in 1990 and has held several positions, including vice president of finance and CFO. He previously served as a senior manager in the audit department of KPMG Peat Marwick.

Ed Jimenez, MBA. Senior Vice President and COO of Shands at the University of Florida (Gainesville). Mr. Jimenez became senior vice president and COO of Shands at UF in October 2010. He previously served as system vice president of St. Joseph's Healthcare System in Paterson, N.J. He also held administrative positions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; University Hospital in Newark, N.J., part of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; and Valley Health System in Ridgewood, N.J.

Laura S. Kaiser. Executive Vice President and COO of Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City).
Ms. Kaiser was named executive vice president and COO of Intermountain Healthcare in January. She previously served as president and CEO of Sacred Heart Health System in Pensacola, Fla., and Ministry Market Leader for the Gulf Coast/Florida region of St. Louis-based Ascension Health.

Wayne E. Keathley. President and COO of The Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City). Mr. Keathley joined The Mount Sinai Hospital in 2003 as COO. In 2008 he was named executive vice president for business development of The Mount Sinai Medical Center — which includes the hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine — and later that year he became president of the hospital. Before coming to Mount Sinai, he served as executive vice president and COO of St. Peter's Health Care Services in Albany, N.Y.

Howard P. Kern. President and COO of Sentara Healthcare (Norfolk, Va.). As president and COO of Sentara Healthcare, Mr. Kern oversees Sentara's hospital division and health plan. He joined the system in 1980. Mr. Kern has served on a task force for Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council.

Don King. COO of Saint Thomas Hospital (Nashville, Tenn.). Mr. King was named COO of Saint Thomas Hospital in December 2011. He previously served as COO of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA's Lee's Summit (Mo.) Medical Center. He has also served as vice president of operations at HCA's Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and administrator of urgent and corporate care at Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System's Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Medical Center.

Kathy Klock. Senior Vice President of Operations and Human Resources of Gundersen Lutheran Health System (La Crosse, Wis.).
Ms. Klock is senior vice president of operations and human resources at Gundersen Lutheran Health System. She joined the system in 2003. She previously served in director positions for nursing, quality and human resources for healthcare organizations in New York and Michigan.  

John C. Kohne, MD. COO of Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis).
Dr. Kohne became COO of IU Health Methodist Hospital in November 2006. He previously served as the hospital's CMO for about four years and as president of Methodist Specialty Physicians for four years. He also serves as chief medical executive officer of Indiana University Health Physicians.

Sara Krevans. COO of Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.).
In January, Ms. Krevans became the first COO of Sutter Health since 2005, when then-COO Pat Fry was promoted to CEO. Ms. Krevans previously served as president of the health system's Sacramento Sierra region.


Wendy S. Leutgens, RN, MSN. COO of Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, Ill.). Ms. Leutgens serves as COO of Loyola University Medical Center. She previously served as associate hospital director of professional services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Lee Ann Liska, MBA. COO of Mercy Health (Cincinnati).
Ms. Liska was named COO of Mercy Health in May 2010. She previously served as executive director and senior vice president of University Hospital in Cincinnati, COO of Weston, Fla.-based Cleveland Clinic Florida Hospitals and Clinics, vice president of operations of MetroHealth System in Cleveland and administrator for several clinical departments at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Jason Little. Executive Vice President and COO of Baptist Memorial Health Care (Memphis, Tenn.). Mr. Little was named executive vice president and COO of Baptist Memorial Health Care in January 2011. He previously served as vice president and market leader for Baptist Memorial's seven Memphis hospitals and Nea Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark. He has also served as CEO and administrator at three Baptist Memorial hospitals.

Phillip J. Mazzuca. COO of IASIS Healthcare (Franklin, Tenn.).
Mr. Mazzuca was named COO of IASIS Healthcare in October 2010. He previously served as president and CEO of Brim Holdings, which operates two hospitals in Texas and Colorado. He has also held the positions of division president of IASIS and executive vice president and COO of Charlotte, N.C.-based MedCath Corp.

Michael McCurry. Executive Vice President and COO of Mercy (Chesterfield, Mo.). Mr. McCurry became executive vice president and COO in 2009. While retaining his position as COO, he also served as president of Mercy Hospital St. Louis from 2010 to 2011 and as regional president of Mercy's East Communities from 2010 to March 2012. He joined Mercy in 1988 and has held several other positions in the organization, including vice president and CIO.

Kathleen A. McManus. COO of Munson Medical Center (Traverse City, Mich.). Ms. McManus became executive vice president and COO of Munson Medical Center in June 2010. She previously served as senior vice president. She joined Munson Medical Center in February 1992 as director of radiology services, later serving as director of imaging and cardiac services and vice president for outreach and network development. Ms. McManus also serves as president of North Flight, Munson Healthcare's emergency medical and patient transport service.

David McQuaid. President and COO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals (Philadelphia). Mr. McQuaid added president to his position as COO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in July. He had served as executive vice president and COO since 2007. Mr. McQuaid previously served as CEO of Durham (N.C.) Regional Hospital and executive vice president and COO of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore.

Steven L. Mickus. President of Healthcare Operations and COO of Catholic Health Partners (Cincinnati).
Mr. Mickus became president of healthcare operations and COO of Catholic Health Partners in August 2010. He previously served as COO and CEO of the Northern Division of Catholic Health Partners, which included 10 acute-care hospitals.

Robert Millen. Executive Vice President and COO of OhioHealth (Columbus). Mr. Millen became executive vice president and COO of OhioHealth in 2008. He joined the system in 2004 as senior vice president and COO. Mr. Millen previously served as executive vice president and COO of Southcoast Hospitals Group in New Bedford, Mass.

Kevin Molloy. Senior Vice President and COO of Beth Israel Medical Center (New York City).
Mr. Molloy became COO of Beth Israel Medical Center in December 2010. He previously served as COO and executive vice president for operations of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Dennis M. Murphy. Executive Vice President and COO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (Chicago). Mr. Murphy serves as executive vice president and COO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. He joined the system in 2000 after serving as vice president of ambulatory services and business development at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Prior to that position, he served at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for 10 years in various roles, including medicine department administrator.

Becky Nelson. Senior Vice President and COO of Sanford Health (Fargo, N.D., and Sioux Falls, S.D.). Ms. Nelson became senior vice president and COO of Sanford Health at the end of 2009, when Sanford Health merged with MeritCare Health System. She previously served as president of Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., for about 13 years. She joined the former Sioux Valley Hospital as a critical care staff nurse in 1975.

Marvin O'Quinn. Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Dignity Health (San Francisco). Mr. O'Quinn joined Dignity Health (then Catholic Healthcare West) as executive vice president and COO in 2009. He previously served as president and CEO of Jackson Health System in Miami for six years. Prior to that position, he was executive vice president and COO of Atlantic Health System in Florham Park, N.J.

Philip O. Ozuah, MD, PhD. Executive Vice President and COO of Montefiore Medical Center (New York City). Dr. Ozuah serves as executive vice president and COO of Montefiore Medical Center. He previously served as professor and university chairman of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and physician-in-chief of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City.

Brian Paradis. Executive Vice President and COO of Florida Hospital (Orlando).
Mr. Paradis serves as executive vice president and COO of Florida Hospital. He previously served as CFO of the hospital. He joined the organization in 1995.

Kathy Parrinello, RN, PhD. Associate Vice President and COO of Strong Memorial Hospital (Rochester, N.Y.). Dr. Parrinello became COO of Strong Memorial Hospital in 2000. She joined the hospital in 1975 as a staff nurse in general surgery and has held several positions since, including clinical chief for surgical nursing and senior director for hospital operations. She also serves as associate professor at University of Rochester School of Nursing and clinical associate professor of community and preventive medicine in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Ketul J. Patel. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Operations Officer of Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Mr. Patel serves as executive vice president and chief strategy and operations officer of Hackensack University Medical Center. He previously served as vice president of operations of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center/Magee-Women's Hospital. From 1993 to 2008, he also held senior management positions at systems including Mishawaka, Ind.-based Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, now called Franciscan Alliance; San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare; and Johnstown, Pa.-based Conemaugh Health System.

William M. Peacock, III. Chief of Operations of Cleveland Clinic.
Mr. Peacock was named chief of operations in July 2009. He previously served as executive director for operational support services, in which he led all construction efforts throughout Cleveland Clinic. He joined Cleveland Clinic in 2005 after serving for 24 years with the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps., which oversees construction at naval bases around the world.

Joseph G. Piemont. President and COO of Carolinas HealthCare System (Charlotte, N.C.). As president and COO of Carolinas HealthCare System, Mr. Piemont leads the development and operations of the health system. He joined the organization in 1997 after serving as president and CEO of Coastal Physicians Group, formerly located in Durham, N.C.

Keith Poisson. Executive Vice President and COO of Greater Baltimore Medical Center. Mr. Poisson joined Greater Baltimore Medical Center as executive vice president and COO in September 2007. He previously served as COO of St. Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids, Mich., president of St. John West Shore Hospital in Westlake, Ohio, and in several leadership positions in Kansas with Denver-based Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System.

Karen Poole. Vice President and COO of Boca Raton (Fla.) Regional Hospital.
Ms. Poole was named vice president and COO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital in 2008. She previously served as CEO of Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena, Texas.

Joshua Putter. COO of Steward Health Care System (Boston).
Mr. Putter was named COO of Steward Health Care in September 2011. He previously served as the leader of Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates' division of 13 Florida hospitals.


Scott Reiner. Executive Vice President and COO of Adventist Health (Roseville, Calif.). Mr. Reiner was named as executive vice president and COO of Adventist Health in December 2010. He previously served as senior vice president of the system for about four years. He has also served as CEO of Glendale (Calif.) Adventist Medical Center.

Judy A. Reitz, ScD. Executive Vice President and COO of The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore).
Dr. Reitz was named executive vice president and COO of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1999. She also serves as vice president of operations integration for Johns Hopkins Health System, a position she has held since 1995, and as vice president for quality improvement of Johns Hopkins Medicine, which she added to her roles in 2003. Dr. Reitz joined The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1981 as director of nursing practice.

Britt T. Reynolds. President of Hospital Operations of Tenet Healthcare Corp. (Franklin, Tenn.).
Mr. Reynolds became president of hospital operations of Tenet in January. He previously served as senior vice president and division president of Naples, Fla.-based Health Management Associates. He has also held executive leadership roles at Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA, Humana and Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems.

Bob Riney. Executive Vice President and COO of Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). Mr. Riney was promoted from executive vice president and COO to president and COO in March 2011. He joined the system in 1978 and has worked in almost every business unit in the system, including senior vice president and chief administrative officer, senior vice president and chief human resources officer and vice president of organizational design and effectiveness.

Tracy Rogers. Vice President of Operations of Alexian Brothers Health System (Arlington Heights, Ill.).
Ms. Rogers joined Alexian Brothers Health System in 2007 as vice president of operations. She previously served as president and CEO of Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago and as CEO of Lakeland Medical Center in New Orleans and Columbia Suburban Hospital in Louisville, Ky.

Michael Rowan. COO and Executive Vice President of Catholic Health Initiatives (Englewood, Colo.). Mr. Rowan joined Catholic Health Initiatives as executive vice president and COO in March 2004. He previously served as executive vice president and COO of St. John Health in Detroit. He has also served as president and CEO of Humility of Mary Health Partners in Youngstown, Ohio, executive vice president and COO of Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Health Care System and vice president of Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, Ga.

William P. Santulli. Executive Vice President and COO of Advocate Health Care (Oak Brook, Ill.). Mr. Santulli serves as executive vice president and COO of Advocate Health Care. He previously served as chief executive of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill. Prior to that position, he was COO of New England Medical Center in Boston and held leadership positions with Iowa Health System in Des Moines.

Garry L. Scheib. COO of University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia). Mr. Scheib serves as executive director of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in addition to his role as COO of the health system. He is also chair of the board of the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

Martin G. Schweinhart. Senior Vice President of Operations of Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.). As senior vice president of operations of Community Health Systems, Mr. Schweinhart is responsible for capital spending, facilities management, materials management and other operational duties. He joined the system in 1997 after serving at Humana and Columbia/HCA in Nashville, Tenn.

Terry D. Shaw. Executive Vice President, CFO and COO of Adventist Health System (Altamonte Springs, Fla.).
Mr. Shaw serves as executive vice president, CFO and COO of Adventist Health System. He previously served as senior vice president and CFO of Adventist's Florida Division. He was also the vice president, assistant vice president and director of DRG management at Florida Hospital Orlando.

John Sheehan. COO of St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Mr. Sheehan has served as COO of St. Luke's Hospital since 2002. He previously served as vice president of hospital administration at Appleton, Wis.-based ThedaCare. He also served as vice president of marketing operations and later vice president of operations of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System.

Thomas E. Sibert, MD, MBA. President and COO of Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Dr. Sibert became president and COO of Wake Forest Baptist Health at the end of 2010. He previously served as president of Wake Forest University Physicians and CMO of the health system. He joined the organization in September 2009 after serving as associate vice chancellor and president of the faculty practice group at University of California, Los Angeles and adjunct professor of psychiatry for the David Geffen School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry at UCLA.

Leslie Simmons, RN, BSN, MA. Executive Vice President and COO of Carroll Hospital Center (Westminster, Md.). Ms. Simmons assumed her position as executive vice president and COO in July, part of the hospital board's succession plan to transition Ms. Simmons the president and CEO role by 2015. Previously, Ms. Simmons served as senior vice president and COO of Carroll Hospital Center.

Ronald Sliwinski. Senior Vice President and COO of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (Madison). Mr. Sliwinski was named senior vice president and COO in May 2010 after joining University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in September 2009 as vice president of professional services. Before then, Mr. Sliwinski served as vice president of operations at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Mark J. Solazzo. Executive Vice President and COO of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (Great Neck, N.Y.). Mr. Solazzo assumed the COO role in 2005 and oversees all operations of the 16-hospital system. Before his current role, he served as chief of staff and chief administrative officer to the system's president and CEO, Michael J. Dowling.

Marianne Spencer, RN. Vice President and COO of Edward Hospital & Health Services (Naperville, Ill.). Ms. Spencer was named vice president and COO of Edward Hospital & Health Services in June 2011. Before then, Ms. Spencer served as vice president of operations and nursing. She also previously served as vice president of cardiovascular services at the hospital and administrator of Edward Heart Hospital.

Charles "Chuck" Stokes, RN, MHA. COO of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System (Houston).
Mr. Stokes assumed the COO position of 13-hospital Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in September 2008. He previously served as CEO of North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, and before then, as executive vice president, COO and chief nurse executive at Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital System.

Pamela Stoyanoff. Executive Vice President and COO of Methodist Health System (Dallas). Before Ms. Stoyanoff assumed her role at four-hospital Methodist Health System, she served in senior management and executive positions with Mokena, Ill.-based Provena Health, Vista Health in Waukegan, Ill., and St. Vincent Health System, based in Little Rock, Ark.

Kenneth L. Taft. Executive Vice President and COO of Bronson Healthcare Group (Kalamazoo, Mich.). Mr. Taft has been with Bronson since 1973 when he initially joined the system as a budget accountant. He has also served as director of budget and reimbursement; hospital controller; assistant vice president and controller; and senior vice president of finance and CFO.

Karen Teitelbaum. Executive Vice President and COO of Sinai Health System (Chicago). Ms. Teitelbaum assumed her position with Sinai Health System in 2007. She oversees all aspects of daily operations at Sinai's two hospitals: 431-bed Mount Sinai Hospital and 125-bed Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital. In her time at Sinai, Ms. Teitelbaum has reduced readmissions, reduced the nursing vacancy rate and increased quality core measures.

Frank J. Trembulak. Executive Vice President and COO of Geisinger Health System (Danville, Pa.). Mr. Trembulak has served in various management positions since joining Geisinger Health System as manager of internal audits in 1976. He is also executive vice president of operations for Geisinger Health System Foundation.

A. Ron Turner. COO and Chief Development Officer of SunLink Health Systems (Atlanta). Mr. Turner was named COO of seven-hospital SunLink Health Systems in November 2010. One year later, he assumed his title as chief development officer in addition to his COO role.

Bernard J. Tyson. President and COO of Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.).
As president and COO of Kaiser Permanente, Mr. Tyson oversees a workforce of 172,000 employees. He was named president and COO in December 2010. Before then, Mr. Tyson was part of the system's Operations Leadership Group with two other executives.

Lisa Valentine. COO of Henrico Doctors' Hospital (Richmond, Va.). Ms. Valentine serves as COO of 767-bed Henrico Doctors' Hospital. She previously held clinical physical therapy positions in inpatient and outpatient settings.

Margaret Vosburgh. COO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics (Palo Alto, Calif.). Ms. Vosburgh assumed the COO role at Stanford in February 2012. Before then, she served as executive vice president and COO of Tufts Medical Center in Boston and deputy executive director and COO of Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

Kent H. Wallace. President and COO of Vanguard Health Systems (Nashville, Tenn.). Mr. Wallace has served as Vanguard Health Systems' president and COO since 2005. Before then, he served as market president for Vanguard's Texas region for three years. Before assuming his roles with Vanguard, Mr. Wallace was group president for Province Healthcare, Columbia/HCA and HealthTrust.

Michael Wiechart. Senior Vice President and COO of Capella Healthcare (Franklin, Tenn.). Mr. Wiechart joined Capella Healthcare in 2009. Before then, he spent 10 years as senior vice president and group president with Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals, where he led two operating divisions totaling 24 hospitals.

Eugene "Gene" Woods. Executive Vice President and COO of CHRISTUS Health (Irving, Texas).
Mr. Woods joined CHRISTUS Health in his current role in June 2011 after serving as the CEO of seven-hospital Saint Joseph Health System, based in Lexington, Ky., since 2007. Before then, he was the COO at Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center.

Ian Worden, MHA, MBA, CPA. Executive Vice President and COO of St. Vincent Health (Indianapolis). Mr. Worden served as vice president and CFO of St. Vincent Hospital and St. Vincent Health for eight years before assuming the COO role. Before then, Mr. Worden served as CFO of Eugene, Ore.-based Peace Health from 1995 to 2000.

Mary L. Zuckerman. Executive Vice President and COO of Detroit Medical Center. Ms. Zuckerman joined Detroit Medical Center in January 2004. Before then, she spent eight years in executive positions with the local Wayne County (Mich.) government, including deputy county executive. 

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