Accessing quality healthcare has long been a challenge for rural communities, where patients often face long travel distances, high costs and other barriers to care. Rural hospitals work tirelessly to close these gaps, and their CFOs are key to making that possible.
Rural hospital CFOs are the stewards of financial stability, ensuring that their institutions remain viable while keeping care affordable for the patients who depend on them. Through careful strategy, resource allocation and securing essential funding, these leaders play a pivotal role in supporting underserved populations and sustaining the future of rural healthcare.
Note: Becker’s Healthcare developed this list based on nominations and editorial research. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement of included leaders or associated healthcare providers. Leaders cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Leaders are presented in alphabetical order.
Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.
Christine Asato. Regional CFO of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation-Kauai (Hawaii) Region. Ms. Asato, a financial healthcare management executive with over 26 years of experience, is responsible for revenue cycle, financial reporting, treasury management, financial analyses, and IT for the Kauai region of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation. She also formulates and implements the financial strategies for the region. Before joining the Kauai region, Ms. Asato acted as the State of Hawaii’s lead practice facilitator for the comprehensive primary care program and served as the director of internal audit and then the director of business intelligence at Hawaii Health Systems. As CFO, she upholds high performance and ethical standards.
Jim Bands. CFO at Ivinson Memorial Hospital (Laramie, Wyo.). Mr. Bands oversees all financial operations for the 99-bed rural community hospital, including accounting, patient financial services, third-party reimbursement, and financial and statistical reporting. He leads revenue cycle, materials management, IT and compliance, partnering with the hospital foundation on long-term sustainability. Since 2016, he has helped maintain strong performance, including an operating margin exceeding 10% that has funded capital projects from cash while building reserves. He led the system’s 2019 conversion to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and secured $3.1 million in state grant funding to expand and renovate the emergency department. Major projects under his direction include a two-story medical office building and parking garage, as well as a new labor and delivery, gynecology, special nursery and pediatric unit. Most recently, he spearheaded a master facility plan and instituted a conservative, liquid investment strategy, supporting award-winning performance recognized by Chartis, Global Healthcare Exchange, Leapfrog and CMS.
Paul Beaudoin. CFO for Day Kimball Health (Putnam, Conn.). Mr. Beaudoin oversees the financial operations of Day Kimball Healthcare, a critical resource in rural Northeast Connecticut that provides essential medical services to 70,000 residents across 13 towns. Amid economic pressures, Mr. Beaudoin navigated the sudden withdrawal of a proposed healthcare affiliation, securing $15 million in legislative financial support to stabilize and improve Day Kimball’s services. His strategic financial maneuvers included a $28.6 million debt reduction through a pension settlement, renegotiation of service agreements and the optimization of property use. He also improved staff retention, engaged consultants for improved efficiency, outsourced revenue cycle management, and secured Medicaid rate enhancements. His extensive career experience, including previous roles at Warwick, R.I.-based Kent Hospital and Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, R.I., has enabled him to help Day Kimball to maintain high-quality care and expand services.
John Bujak. Vice President of Finance and CFO at Heywood Healthcare (Gardner, Mass.). Mr. Bujak assumed the CFO role at Heywood Healthcare in 2024 after joining the system as senior director of finance in 2023, during a period of financial instability. As CFO of the rural system, he led Athol Hospital, a 21-bed rural critical access facility, through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process beginning in October 2023, achieving $14 million in annual savings through cost reduction and $2 million in additional savings from service line optimization. Under his leadership, Heywood Healthcare successfully exited bankruptcy in less than a year as an independent community health system, an outcome achieved by fewer than 3% of health systems in 2023. Mr. Bujak has paired financial recovery with service expansion, sustaining critical inpatient and outpatient offerings in a federally designated provider shortage area. He previously served as CFO of TaraVista Behavioral Health Center in Devens, Mass. and MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke, Mass., as well as director of finance at Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge, Mass.
Rebecca Busch. CFO of Spooner (Wis.) Health. Ms. Busch leads financial operations for Spooner Health, a 25-bed critical access hospital. She also handles revenue cycle management, materials management, IT, HIPAA, compliance and dietary departments. Along with her own keen understanding of financial principles, she is also skilled at distilling complicated financial information into layman’s terms that anyone can grasp.
David Butler. CFO of Ochsner Rush Health (Meridian, Miss.). Mr. Butler became CFO of the seven-hospital, 30-plus clinic Rush Health System in 2018. His responsibilities include providing leadership, direction and management for financial operations such as accounting, insurance and financial systems throughout the organization. Before joining Rush, Mr. Butler served as a partner with the HORNE LLP healthcare practice group for 17 years.
Carol Crews. Executive Vice President and CFO at Tanner Health (Carrollton, Ga.). Ms. Crews oversees Tanner Health’s financial operations, including budgets, audits, accounting, payroll, patient financial services, registration, scheduling, health information management and revenue integrity. She has advanced initiatives to streamline billing and payment processes, improve access to financial services, and align financial resources with both operational and strategic system priorities. Her leadership has strengthened financial performance while supporting Tanner Health’s mission to deliver patient-centered care. Ms. Crews is active in professional associations including the Georgia Society of CPAs, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Georgia Hospital Association.
Jodie Criswell. CFO of Hammond Henry Hospital (Geneseo, Ill.). Ms. Criswell navigates complex tasks such as cost reports, managed care negotiations, EHRselection and more as CFO of Hammond Henry Hospital. Under her leadership, the hospital has achieved a four-star CMS patient experience, having transformed financial services, registration, scheduling and billing for patients and families. Prior to joining Hammond Henry in 2011, Ms. Criswell was CFO of Mercy County Hospital.
Angela Davis. CFO for Bartlett Regional Hospital (Juneau, Alaska). Ms. Davis took on the CFO role at Bartlett Regional Hospital in June 2025. She is an expert in finance, accounting, payroll, human resources, IT and procurement services. She brings more than 28 years in financial leadership roles to her position. Prior roles include serving as CFO for Medicine for Business and Industry in Phoenix, overseeing 31 clinics across four states. Ms. Davis has also served as CFO for Pinehurst (N.C.) Surgical Clinic, where she specialized in revenue cycle management, medical coding, accounting and finance.
Ann Duffy. CFO of Cottage Hospital (Woodsville, N.H.). Ms. Duffy serves as CFO for Cottage Hospital, a 35-bed critical access hospital. She handles the financial health of both the hospital and its rural health clinic. She is adept at navigating the complexities involved with the financial oversight of a critical access hospital.
Emily Emery-Shea. CFO of Mee Memorial Healthcare System (King City, Calif.). Ms. Emery-Shea was appointed CFO of Mee Memorial Healthcare System in July 2025. She brings more than 10 years of leadership experience in healthcare finance, cultivating fiscal stewardship, strategic planning and operations. Her new role entails the oversight of financial strategy and advancing the system’s mission of bringing exceptional healthcare to the rural region it serves. She previously held leadership positions at community hospitals and has served as a senior healthcare consultant.
Scott Endsley. CFO of Fisher-Titus Medical Center (Norwalk, Ohio). Mr. Endsley serves as the CFO of Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where he ensures alignment with the organization’s mission and vision while overseeing operational and capital planning, payer reimbursement strategies and fiscal operating reports. On a divisional level, Mr. Endsley sets the strategic plan, organizational structure, and operations for finance departments. Under his leadership, Fisher-Titus received the Syntellis MVP award for innovative use of financial analytic tools.
Sham Firdausi. CFO at ScionHealth–Watertown Regional Medical Center (Louisville, Ky.). Mr. Firdausi leads finance and operations strategy for a high-performing network that includes the hospital, a provider group and a joint-venture cancer center with Madison, Wis.-based UW Health and Fort Atkinson, Wis.-based Fort HealthCare. He directs enterprise planning, revenue cycle transformation, capital deployment, strategic sourcing and plant operations to enable exceptional care. He introduced a “Revenue Cycle 101” playbook to standardize front-, middle- and back-end processes and equip service line leaders with real-time insights and accountability. Under his leadership, the rural hospital has sustained strong results and earned recognitions such as Healthgrades “Outstanding Patient Experience” awards, Leapfrog “A” safety grades, and inclusion on Chartis’ “Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals” list in both 2023 and 2024. Mr. Firdausi’s payer-provider background includes leading finance for a multibillion-dollar Centene health plan serving over 1.5 million members, with prior roles at UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health and Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine.
Mark Gross. Vice President and CFO at Hillsdale (Mich.) Hospital. Mr. Gross leads budgeting, fiscal services, supply chain, revenue cycle and patient accounts, health information management, admissions, inpatient pharmacy finance, and payer and vendor contracting, including regulatory reporting and financial statements. Since April 2018, he has reduced net days in accounts receivable, automated key revenue cycle processes and instituted a monthly stoplight report that guides performance decisions. He renegotiated multiple commercial contracts, including one that yielded millions in additional revenue, and replaced a manual Excel budget with modern software to streamline variance tracking and manager accountability. Mr. Gross secured and compliantly managed Covid-19 relief funds and executed a group purchasing organization change that delivered substantial supply chain savings. During his tenure, Hillsdale Hospital earned numerous accolades, including USA Today and Detroit Free Press “Top Workplace” honors and multiple Chartis awards for performance leadership.
Shane Hilton. CFO of Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn). In April 2024, Ballad Health appointed Mr. Hilton as its new CFO. He brings over 20 years of experience within the system. He began his healthcare career in 1991 as a pharmacy technician at Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn. He gained further experience as a hospital accountant and finance director outside Ballad Health before rejoining Ballad Health in 2000. Since, he has held various financial leadership roles, including senior accountant, controller of regional financial operations, CFO of Washington County operations and CFO of corporate, retail and non-acute services. Mr. Hilton aims to make Ballad a model for rural healthcare.
Greg Jones. CFO of Wayne Memorial Hospital (Jesup, Ga.). Mr. Jones has served as CFO of Wayne Memorial Hospital since 2007. During his tenure, the hospital has experienced a significant increase in net income, with patient revenue also rising. Additionally, Mr. Jones oversaw the successful opening of a new home healthcare division, Community Home Care, in six Georgia counties.
Catherine Keck. CFO at Decatur County Memorial (Greensburg, Ind.). Ms. Keck is responsible for finance leadership, accounting, revenue cycle, IT and supply chain management for Decatur. She engages in professional organizations, pays attention to trends and implements best practices for the system. She has over 30 years of experience in health finance, and specializes in the reporting and auditing process.
Travis Lakey. CFO at Mayers Memorial Healthcare District (Fall River Mills, Calif.). Mr. Lakey is responsible for all financial operations at Mayers Memorial, managing financial risks, records and finance planning. He supervises the billing, finance and admissions departments, and is the chief financial spokesperson for the organization. In his 13 years with the system, he has worked with management to reduce spending, increase charge capture, renegotiate contracts and handle outstanding debts. He led the organization from the brink of bankruptcy to financially stable in five years. He also increased the system’s assets and cash-on-hand.
Deborah Mann. Vice President of Finance and CFO of Schneck Medical Center (Seymour, Ind.). Ms. Mann serves as vice president of finance and CFO at Schneck Medical Center, a healthcare center that offers services including maternity, orthopedics, rehabilitation, neurology, women’s health, surgery and more. She jump-started her career at Schneck as a staff accountant in 1994 and has worked her way through the ranks. She served as director of accounting and controller before her promotion to vice president of fiscal services at the hospital. She is also a certified public accountant.
Chad Miller. CFO for West Jefferson Medical Center (Marrero, La.). In July 2023, Mr. Miller became CFO for West Jefferson Medical Center, part of New Orleans-based LCMC Health. A certified public accountant, he brings extensive experience in healthcare financial management to the role. Notably, he served as CFO at Health Management Associates, where he adeptly managed financial oversight and strategy. Now at West Jefferson Medical Center, he expertly navigates regulatory changes, optimizes financial performance and ensures its financial stability.
Jeff Mock. CFO of the North Coast Service Area and Operations Executive for Mendocino County at Adventist Health (Roseville, Calif.). Mr. Mock serves as CFO for Adventist Health’s North Coast Service Area and as operations executive for Adventist Health in Mendocino County, where he oversees four hospitals and more than 90 clinics across five rural northern California counties. He has driven financial turnaround efforts, including achieving positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization in quarter one of 2025 and improving its margin by 21% through standardization of efficiency practices. His leadership in financial operations and strategic assessment of service lines has strengthened network integrity and preserved access to care for underserved regions. Mr. Mock previously held roles as a financial operations executive for Adventist Health and CFO for the system’s post-acute care services and hospital-at-home program.
Anthony Morales. CFO of Western Arizona Regional Medical Center (Bullhead City). Mr. Morales became the CFO of Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in April 2025. He brings prior experience in finance from hospital leadership roles in El Paso, Texas. He is known for building strategic relationships with hospital leaders and partners to support business initiatives.
Kaley Neal. CFO of Shenandoah (Iowa) Medical Center. Since 2017, Ms. Neal has directed the financial activities for Shenandoah Medical Center, a critical access hospital that includes three rural health clinics, a co-owned ambulance service with the city of Shenandoah, and a philanthropic foundation. Each year, the medical center generates almost $50 million in net operating revenue. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Neal has orchestrated the growth and expansion of the medical center, shaping it into one of Iowa’s strongest operating facilities. She helped complete a $25 million facility expansion that added a medical office building, surgery center and emergency department, and also oversaw the financing of a $13 million cancer center. Her leadership has helped to overhaul the medical center’s revenue cycle and has transformed it from pain point to strong suit. Ms. Neal is also a member of Clarinda City Council in Clarinda, Iowa, and serves as a board member of Iowa’s Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Jay Noyes. CFO of Castleview Hospital (Price, Utah). After 15 years with Castleview Hospital, Mr. Noyes stepped into his role as CFO of the organization at the end of October 2022. Previously, he acted as financial controller and ethics and compliance officer. In these roles, he oversaw the 39-bed facility’s daily financials and managed the financials for the 2015 emergency room and intensive care unit expansion, as well as the 2017 urgent care and retail pharmacy build. Castleview Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient services ranging from emergency care to surgery to labor and delivery, among others. Mr. Noyes aims to build on the hospital’s strong existing foundation and ultimately improve the well-being of the community.
Judy Peek-Lee. CFO at University of Vermont Medical Center (Burlington). Ms. Peek-Lee joined UVM Medical Center in 2021 with more than 20 years of healthcare finance and operations experience, including roles with Optum, HCA-Physician Services and multiple hospitals in Kentucky and Tennessee. She oversees budgeting, financial planning, accounting and reporting while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. At UVM Medical Center, she has been instrumental in guiding annual budget submissions with state regulators and driving strategic financial planning, including the proposed development of an outpatient surgical center to meet rising community demand. Ms. Peek-Lee has designed and executed cost-reduction and efficiency strategies that strengthen long-term sustainability.
Cheryl Perry. CFO at McAlester (Okla.) Regional Health Center. Ms. Perry oversees everything finance related for McAlester, including accounting, patient financial services, patient access, revenue cycle and medical records. She is a strong advocate for financial education, ensuring that leaders understand finances and how they impact organizational decisions.
Marco Priolo. Senior Vice President of Finance for University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health (Bel Air). Mr. Priolo is responsible for overseeing financial operations for University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, leveraging his expertise in business development, accounting and strategic financial planning to make impactful investments for the community. He collaborates closely with clinicians and operators to tackle healthcare’s toughest challenges, aiming to provide optimal patient care. His previous roles at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine included director of financial innovation and director of business development. Outside of his administrative role, he is an adjunct faculty member in finance at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University. He is actively involved in the community, serving on numerous boards, coaching youth and volunteering as an assistant coach for the Johns Hopkins University wrestling team.
Megan Rath. CFO at South Central Health (Wishek, N.D.). Ms. Rath oversees budgeting, policy, capital allocation and margin management while steering asset and resource decisions for the hospital. Her financial leadership helped move the organization from the brink of closure to a position of stability, pairing cost control with performance improvement. She leads strategy development and execution to strengthen operating results and balance sheet resilience. Ms. Rath drove an EHR upgrade that modernized clinical and financial data flows and supported better revenue integrity. She embeds accountability through clear financial policies and decision frameworks aligned with mission and access. Her work positions South Central Health to sustain rural services while investing prudently in priority needs.
Colleen Reid. CFO at Carson Valley Health (Gardnerville, Nev.). Ms. Reid oversees finance, accounting, revenue cycle, materials management, payroll, third-party reimbursement and managed care contracting, drawing on more than 25 years of experience. She structured tax-exempt bond financing at a low rate to fund a 54,000-square-foot expansion completed in 2024, increasing rural access to affordable, quality care. In 2021, she helped implement success sharing and targeted pay increases across the organization, aligning compensation decisions with organizational health during inflationary pressure. Ms. Reid optimized reimbursement by switching emergency department time-tracking vendors to improve the capture of physician standby time and by tightening compliance while refining payer contracts to reflect market conditions. She maintains a hands-on budget process, meeting with every department leader to align resources with operational needs and outcomes. She also serves as a director and corporate representative for the Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley and has guided the system to repeated “Best Places to Work” honors and a 2022 Douglas County “Business Spotlight Partnership Award”.
LuCinda Rider. Vice President and CFO of UHS Delaware Valley Hospital (Walton, N.Y.). Ms. Rider is responsible for the financial operations for UHS Delaware Valley Hospital, a progressive critical access hospital in upstate New York. For over a decade, she has led the hospital to a positive bottom line. She has also implemented a strategic investment and cost containment plan that increased cash on hand. Prior to becoming CFO, she was controller for the hospital. Outside of her current role, Ms. Rider acts as a board chair for UHS Employee Federal Credit Union.
Derek Schaff. CFO and COO at Linton (N.D.) Regional Medical Center. Mr. Schaff directs finance while overseeing IT, health information management and the business office in a dual CFO and COO role. Under his leadership, claim denials dropped from more than 20% to under 5%, and billing speed and accuracy improved, strengthening cash flow and cash on hand. He implemented stronger internal controls that eliminated deficiencies and conducted contract reviews to maximize compensation. Mr. Schaff was also a key executive sponsor for a successful systemwide EHR implementation that standardized workflows and improved data integrity. His emphasis on measurable outcomes and accountability has improved operational discipline across departments. He also serves on the North Dakota Hospital Association Health Trust board of advisors.
Ashley Shamblin. CFO at Sweetwater (Tenn.) Hospital Association. Ms. Shamblin is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations and the financial growth of Sweetwater. She oversees $50 million in gross revenues, helping the system to grow and prosper. She also oversees the hospital’s billing and IT departments. She is a continuing presence in the documentation system, upgrading computer program tools for easier nurse documentation and supply charges.
Brad Sinclair. CFO for East Jefferson General Hospital (Metairie, La.). Mr. Sinclair, formerly senior vice president of finance at New Orleans-based LCMC Health corporate, joined East Jefferson General Hospital as CFO. He first joined LCMC Health in 2022 after previously serving as CFO at Touro in New Orleans, where he enhanced financial strategies and promoted fiscal responsibility. With nearly two decades of experience in hospital and health system management, Mr. Sinclair’s career background also includes roles as health system CFO at The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and CFO at Lima Memorial Health System in Ohio.
Matthew Streeter. CFO at North Country Healthcare (Whitefield, N.H.). Mr. Streeter directs overall financial strategy, planning and management for North Country Healthcare to ensure fiscal strength in support of its rural care mission. He oversees budgeting, forecasting, reporting and cash management, bringing a strong emphasis on compliance, transparency and performance. He advances cost containment and revenue enhancement through service-line profitability analysis and disciplined capital investments. He navigates value-based reimbursement and payer contracts to optimize revenue while sustaining access to care. His leadership has supported stability and growth, melding savings initiatives with investments in service expansion, technology and workforce development. He also serves as interim CEO of Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, N.H. and as culture change sponsor, aligning finance with enterprise strategy and culture.
Stacy Taylor. CFO at Nemaha County Hospital (Auburn, Neb.). Ms. Taylor stepped into the CFO role almost two decades ago, assuming all financial and business office responsibilities. She provides monthly financial statistics to the board of directors and focuses on adaptability to handle immediate system needs. Ms. Taylor helped the system to go paperless, shifting records to a new EHR. She is also focused on creating a positive workplace culture, leading “core action values” trainings and implementing a “your ideas matter” system for hospital employees to submit feedback.
Nick Townsend. CFO of Union General Health System (Blairsville, Ga.). Mr. Townsend is responsible for the overall financial strategy and management of Union General Health System. The system consists of two rural hospitals and several specialty clinics. Mr. Townsend has implemented growth strategies to increase net assets and recruit more physicians. Under his leadership, the health system has seen year over year growth for many consecutive years.
Danielle S. Willis. CFO at Lakeview Hospital (Covington, La.). Ms. Willis brings more than a decade of experience spanning healthcare, nonprofit, governmental and real estate sectors. At Lakeview Hospital, part of New Orleans-based LCMC Health, she joined the executive team to assume responsibility for budgeting, financial reporting, revenue cycle and capital planning aligned with system priorities. She emphasizes disciplined controls, transparency and performance metrics to support sustainable growth. She most recently served as CFO and chief administrative officer at New Orleans East Hospital, which is also part of LCMC Health, where she led financial management, strategic planning and operations. Her background equips her to optimize resource allocation while aligning finance with clinical and operational strategies.
Andy Zukowski. CFO for ECU Health (Greenville, N.C.). Mr. Zukowski has served as CFO at ECU Health since 2022, overseeing financial operations for both ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine. Part of the shared leadership team, he aims to create efficiencies that benefit patients and care teams. With over 20 years of experience in value-based care and strategic financial planning, Mr. Zukowski’s previous roles include CFO for Raleigh, N.C.-based UNC Rex Healthcare and associate CFO for the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System. He has played a critical role in stabilizing ECU Health’s operations post-pandemic and rebuilding the revenue cycle to enhance patients’ financial experience. He supports initiatives to attract and retain qualified team members, including a wage increase and funding for expanded medical education. His leadership focuses on financial stewardship, smart investments and innovations that improve access to high-quality care for rural communities in eastern North Carolina.
