“I believe I’m the fourth CNO to get promoted within OhioHealth to the president’s role, and then we just had another CNO get promoted to chief operating officer within OhioHealth,” Ms. Stabler said. “To see nursing leadership develop, I love it, because we do a lot. I think it’s finally getting seen how much nursing is involved in operations and how they touch a little bit of everything.”
For example, as project lead for Van Wert Hospital’s Ambulatory Walk-In Center, she coordinated with other departments, construction crews, and local fire and police departments on the building’s orientation.
On another level, a nurse manager of an inpatient unit must understand and navigate the operations of the emergency department, radiology, labs and other areas affecting patient care. This depth and breadth of knowledge is beginning to be recognized more widely in the hospital industry, she said.
Leaving to learn, returning to lead
Ms. Stabler first joined Van Wert in 2007 as a PRN emergency department nurse and house supervisor. A few years later, she became the interim, then permanent, ED director. During her tenure, she was heavily involved in disaster preparedness and served on the 911 board.
As she advanced in leadership, she set her sights on a long-term goal.
“I knew that I wanted to do senior leadership and eventually be the president of Van Wert Hospital,” she said, “because it is my community hospital, and I just have a big passion for our community and our patients.”
She left Van Wert for two years to work as ED director for Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind., a for-profit hospital. There, she learned to operate within a health system, from corporate to regional to local levels, which prepared her when Van Wert Hospital joined OhioHealth.
“I always said when I left Van Wert, I would be back,” she said, laughing. “[If] there’s an opportunity for me, I will be back. But I felt like I needed to go to grow and learn more.”
That opportunity came when she returned as Van Wert Hospital’s COO and CNO. The hospital joined OhioHealth as the health system’s 14th hospital in 2023, and Ms. Stabler served as CNO for two years. In early 2025, then-hospital president Joy Bischoff transitioned to OhioHealth’s vice president of enterprise shared services, opening the door for Ms. Stabler’s promotion.
Leadership and family support
Ms. Stabler credits her success to support from OhioHealth’s hospital presidents — including her mentor, Wendy Elliott, president of OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center in Cambridge — and the unwavering support of her family.
“I don’t know how I did what I did,” she said, referring to never having missed a dance competition or a football game. But when late nights or weekend work called, her children — now 22, 25 and 29 years old — understood the sacrifices required.
“One thing that I always go by is — and I’ll get called out if I don’t stick to what I preach to my leaders — it’s God first, it’s family second and then it’s work,” she said. “My leadership style is very much firm … but kind.”
Just as she has leaned on her family and professional network, Ms. Stabler is passionate about mentoring and coaching others.
“At the end of the day, the heart of healthcare is our associates,” she said. “They do everything. I don’t care what role you work in this hospital, that is the heart of healthcare: our associates. Allowing to empower and make people feel valued goes miles.”
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
