Speakers
80+ Speakers — The Leaders Running Rural Health Systems Today
The lineup at Becker’s Rural Health Summit reflects the people making decisions inside rural hospitals and health systems right now. It includes CEOs, CFOs, COOs and operations executives responsible for finance, workforce and strategy. The same leaders you benchmark against are the ones on stage.
About the Conference
Speakers come to be part of the conversations you need to be in
The roster is built around one question: who does this audience need in the conversation? Speakers are selected based on the decisions they own, the systems they run, and the peers they work alongside.
Featured Speakers
Prathibha Varkey, MBBS, MPH, MHPE, MBA
President, Mayo Clinic Health System
JJ Hodshire
President and Chief Executive Officer, Hillsdale Hospital
Raymond Hino, MPA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center
Athena Minor, DNP, MSN, RN, CNCO
Chief Nursing and Clinical Officer, Ohio County Healthcare
Mark Boucot, MBA, FACHE
President and Chief Executive Officer, Garrett Regional Medical Center and Potomac Valley Hospital
Chris Harrison
Chief Executive Officer, Quorum Health
Lauren LaPine-Ray, DrPH, MPH
Vice President, Policy & Rural Health, Michigan Health & Hospital Association
Robin Rose, RN, BSN, MHA
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Clinical Officer, Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services
Speaker Lineup
Explore the full 2027 speaker lineup
Browse and explore all 80+ confirmed speakers across the program.
| Full Name | Job Title | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Herb Alexander | Chief People Officer and Chief Diversity Officer | Centralus Health |
| Colton Anderson | COO, Healthcare Management, Provider Recruitment | Hammond-Henry Hospital |
| Krystal Atkinson | Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Nursing Executive | Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center |
| Karl Bezak | Director of Innovation and Technology, UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute | UPMC |
| Ashley Biddy | Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer | Doctors' Memorial Hospital |
| Adrian Billings | F. Marie Hall Endowed Chair for Rural Health, Associate Academic Dean and Professor, Rural and Community Engagement | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center |
| Tracey Bishop | Population Health Care Management Director, Population Health Department | ThedaCare Outreach Health, Lifestyle Medicine ThedaCare |
| Darrell Bodnar | Chief Information Officer | North Country Healthcare |
| Mark Boucot | President and Chief Executive Officer | Garrett Regional Medical Center and Potomac Valley Hospital |
| Eric Briesemeister | Chief Executive Officer | Jones Regional Medical Center |
| Roy Browning | Director of ER, ICU, Med/Surg | Reeves Regional Health |
| Nicole Centers | Administrative Director, Oncology Service Line | SGMC Health |
| Tommi Cline | Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Compliance Officer | Hillsboro Health |
| Elaine Cudnik | Executive Director, Women's and Children's Advanced Clinical Practice | ECU Health |
| Imee Dahl | Operations and Patient Care Executive | Adventist Health St. Helena |
| Tammy Dahl | Chief Nursing Officer | Pullman Regional Hospital |
| Nikki DeLano | Clinical Nurse Manager, Outpatient Infusions | E.C. Green Cancer Center, Deaconess Jennie Stuart Health |
| Kevin Dishman | Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer & Quality Officer | Stormont Vail Health |
| Dan Dwyer | Chief Medical Officer | ECU Health Community Hospitals |
| Joshua Elder | Vice President, eHealth Clinical Operations | SCP Health |
| Stephanie Everett | Administrator, Mountrail Bethel Home; Chief Executive Officer | Mountrail County Medical Center |
| William Frese | Midwest Market Medical Executive | Cigna Healtcare |
| Robert Frieden | Chief Information Officer | Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System |
| Chris Frost | Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer | Lifepoint Health |
| Matt Gitzinger | Executive Director, Population Management | UNC Health |
| Sarah Greichen | Chief Information and Innovation Officer | Sedgwick County Health Center |
| Laura Guido | Chief Strategy Officer | Adena Health |
| Victoria Hanson | Regional President and Chief Executive Officer | Avera Sacred Heart |
| Cynthia Hardy | Chief Nursing Officer | Haak'u Health Center |
| Justin D. Harris | Chief Executive Officer | Daviess Community Hospital, Deaconess Health System |
| Chris Harrison | Chief Executive Officer | Quorum Health |
| Brady Haynes | Chief Executive Officer | Seneca Healthcare District |
| David Hess | Regional President, WVU Medicine; President and Chief Executive Officer | WVU Medicine United Hospital Center |
| Matthew Heywood | President and Chief Executive Officer | Aspirus Health |
| Raymond Hino | Chief Executive Officer | Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center |
| JJ Hodshire | President and Chief Executive Officer | Hillsdale Hospital |
| Janelle Hoover | Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer | Carson Tahoe Health |
| Krista D. Horne | Vice President, Quality | ECU Health Community Hospitals |
| Mira Iliescu-Levine | Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ACO Network | ThedaCare |
| Megan Isley | Chief Nursing and Quality Executive | Adena Health System |
| Joseph Izzo | Chief Medical Information Officer | San Joaquin General Hospital |
| Michael Janis | Chief Operating Officer, Southern Illinois Market | Hospital Sisters Health System |
| Cole Johnson | Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center |
| Dallas Killian | Chief Operations Officer | East Adams Rural Healthcare |
| Lona King | Chief Financial Officer | Little Colorado Medical Center |
| Tracy Koster | Chief Operating Officer | Carlinville Area Hospital |
| Nirmit D. Kothari | Associate Chief Medical Officer | BMH - Memphis |
| Lauren LaPine-Ray | Vice President, Policy & Rural Health | Michigan Health & Hospital Association |
| Wendy Ledesma | Chief Medical Patient Safety & Quality Officer | Sauk Prairie Healthcare |
| Amy E. Lee | President and Chief Operating Officer | Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Mass General Brigham |
April 21–22, 2027 · Hyatt Regency Chicago
See the Speakers Live And Continue the Conversation After
Every session is open to every attendee. After the session, speakers are in the hallway, at receptions, and at roundtables. That's where the real conversations happen.