ACHE Member Update
Interim Regent Appointed
Amandeep K. Chawla, FACHE, chief supply chain officer, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto, Calif., has been appointed Interim Regent-at-Large for District 5.
ACHE Announces Nominating Committee 2024 Slate
The ACHE Nominating Committee has selected a slate of leaders to be presented for approval at the Council of Regents meeting on March 23, 2024. All nominees have been notified and have agreed to serve if elected. All terms begin at the close of the Council meeting in March. The nominees for the 2024 slate are as follows:
Nominating Committee Member, District 1 (two-year term ending in 2026)
Stephanie M. Meier, FACHE
Associate Vice President, Operations
Northwell Health
New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Nominating Committee Member, District 4 (two-year term ending in 2026)
Lori L. Wightman, RN, FACHE
CEO
Bothwell Regional Health Center
Sedalia, Mo.
Nominating Committee Member, District 5 (two-year term ending in 2026)
Harry C. Sax, MD, FACHE
Executive Vice Chair, Surgery/Associate Dean for International Academic Programs
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles
Governor (three-year term ending in 2027)
Ajani (AJ) Dunn, FACHE
Chief Administrative Officer
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Jacksonville, Fla.
Governor (three-year term ending in 2027)
Wendy M. Horton, PharmD, FACHE
CEO
UVA Health University Medical Center
Charlottesville, Va.
Governor (three-year term ending in 2027)
Alfred A. Montoya Jr., FACHE
Acting Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Support Services
Deputy Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Operations
Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C.
Governor (three-year term ending in 2027)
Monica C. Vargas-Mahar, FACHE
Market CEO
Carondelet Health Network
Tucson, Ariz.
Chair-Elect
Michele K. Sutton, FACHE
President/CEO
North Oaks Health System
Hammond, La.
Additional nominations for members of the Nominating Committee may be made from the floor at the annual Council of Regents meeting.
Additional nominations for the offices of Chair-Elect and Governor may be made in the following manner: Any Fellow may be nominated by written petition of at least 15 members of the Council of Regents. Petitions must be received in the ACHE headquarters office (American College of Healthcare Executives, 300 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1900, Chicago, IL 60606-6698) at least 60 days prior to the annual meeting of the Council of Regents. Regents shall be notified in writing of nominations at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting of the Council of Regents.
Thanks to the members of the Nominating Committee for their
contributions to this important assignment:
Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE
Anthony A. Armada, FACHE
Jennifer D. Alderfer, FACHE
Todd A. Caliva, FACHE
CAPT Robert T. McMahon III, FACHE
Mark Schulte, FACHE
Ashley R. Vertuno, FACHE
Christine C. Winn, PhD, FACHE
ACHE Call for Nominations for the 2025 Slate
ACHE’s 2024–2025 Nominating Committee is calling for applications for service beginning in 2025. ACHE Fellows are eligible for the Chair-Elect and Governor vacancies and are eligible for the Nominating Committee vacancies within their districts. Those interested in pursuing applications should review the candidate guidelines for the competencies and qualifications required for these important roles. Open positions on the slate include:
- Nominating Committee Member, District 2 (two-year term ending in 2027).
- Nominating Committee Member, District 3 (two-year term ending in 2027).
- Nominating Committee Member, District 6 (two-year term ending in 2027).
- Four Governors (three-year terms ending in 2028).
- Chair-Elect.
Please refer to the following district designations for the open positions:
- District 2: District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
- District 3: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
- District 6: Uniformed Services/Veterans Affairs
Candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor should submit an application to serve, a copy of their resume and up to 10 letters of support.
For details, please review the Candidate Guidelines, including guidance from the Board of Governors to the Nominating Committee regarding the personal competencies of Chair-Elect and Governor candidates and the composition of the Board of Governors.
Candidates for the Nominating Committee should only submit a letter of self-nomination and a copy of their resume.
Applications to serve and self-nominations must be submitted electronically to krock@ache.org and must be received by July 26. All correspondence should be addressed to Anthony A. Armada, FACHE, chair, Nominating Committee, c/o Kim Rock, American College of Healthcare Executives, 300 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1900, Chicago, IL 60606-6698.
The first meeting of ACHE’s 2024–2025 Nominating Committee will be held March 26 during the 2024 Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Chicago. The committee will be in open session at 2:45 p.m. Central time.
During the meeting, an orientation session will be conducted for potential candidates, giving them the opportunity to ask questions regarding the nominating process. Immediately following the orientation, an open forum will be provided for ACHE members to present and discuss their views of ACHE leadership needs.
Following the July 26 submission deadline, the committee may meet to determine which candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor will be interviewed. All candidates will be notified of the committee’s decision no later than Sept. 27, and candidates for Chair-Elect and Governor will be interviewed in person Oct. 17 in Chicago.
Need more information, you can review the Candidate Guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Rock at (312) 424-9375 or krock@ache.org.
Call for Proposals: Management Innovations Poster Session
Authors are invited to submit narratives of their posters for consideration for the Annual Management Innovations Poster Session to be held at the 2024 Congress on Healthcare Leadership.
This is a unique opportunity for authors to share the innovative work being done at their organizations with other healthcare leaders.
ACHE is interested in innovations addressing issues affecting your organization that might be helpful to others, including improving quality or efficiency, improving patient or physician satisfaction, implementation of EHRs or uses of new technology.
Go to ache.org/CongressPosterSession for the full selection criteria. Narratives should be submitted as an email attachment to PosterSessions@ache.org by Jan. 16, 2024.
Registration Open for Diversity Internships
ACHE and the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity are pleased to announce that registration is open for the institute’s 2024 Summer Enrichment Program.
The Summer Enrichment Program grows and strengthens the pipeline of healthcare leaders from underrepresented groups and places diverse graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in healthcare administration or a related field in 10-week, paid internships across the country.
Starting in November 2023, registration opened for host sites and students interested in participating in these experiences.
ACHE and the institute are co-promoting the SEP to increase the number of students who participate in the program each year and, accordingly, increase the number of host sites.
Just as students benefit from experiential learning, host sites gain the experience of mentoring, educating and collaborating with new and upcoming leaders.
For more information about the SEP or on becoming a host site, visit ifdhe.aha.org/summer-enrichment-program-overview or contact either the institute at ifd-sep@aha.org or (312) 422-2690 or Jackie P. Hunter, DC, ND, vice president, Diversity & Inclusion, Executive Office, ACHE, at jhunter@ache.org or (312) 424-9367.
Leaders in Action
To promote the many benefits of ACHE membership, the following ACHE leaders spoke recently at the following in-person events:
Delvecchio S. Finley, FACHE
Chair
National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives
6th Annual Leadership Summit
Seattle
(September 2023)
WA-ACHE Fall Conference
Snoqualmie, Wash.
(October 2023)
National Association of Health Services Executives
38th Annual Education Conference
Atlanta
(October 2023)
International Hospital Federation
World Hospital Congress
Lisbon, Portugal
(November 2023)
Noel J. Cardenas, FACHE
Governor
Sooner Healthcare Executives Annual Business Meeting
Virtual
(December 2023)
Anthony A. Armada, FACHE
Immediate Past Chair
iHEN Annual Awards: Better Together
Whitestown, Ind.
(December 2023)
People
ACHE Chapters Recognized for Their Commitment to Diversity
Five chapters received the 2023 Regent-at-Large Award for their accomplishments in diversity. To be eligible to receive an award, a chapter must actively demonstrate commitment to and successful execution of significant diversity and inclusion initiatives within the chapter, community and healthcare management field. The following chapters received the award during the annual Chapter Leaders Conference, which took place in September in Chicago. For more on the winners, check out “Chapter News”.
- District 1: CT Association of Healthcare Executives.
- District 2: ACHE of Georgia.
- District 3: Indiana Healthcare Executives Network.
- District 4: ACHE of North Texas.
- District 5: Arizona Healthcare Executives.
2023 Executive Program: Helping Leaders Advance
In October, nearly 60 healthcare leaders completed ACHE’s 2023 Executive Program, composed of Executive, Senior Executive and Clinical Executive cohorts. This in-person, three-module series was held over four months, with the first module beginning in June 2023 and the two subsequent modules held in August and October.
ACHE’s 2023 Executive Program featured sessions led and facilitated by leading healthcare experts, individualized career coaching, professional leadership assessments and health system site visits that delivered unique insights on topics relevant to the specific challenges that healthcare leaders are facing.
The Executive Program supports professional growth and enhances organizational advancement. The participants also benefit from the lasting relationships and shared knowledge that this unique learning experience offers.
The Executive Program will be held in-person in 2024. More information will be available soon.
International News
IHF Announces 2023 Award Winners
ACHE congratulates the recipients of the 2023 International Hospital Federation Awards. These awards, which include the American College of Healthcare Executives Excellence Award for Leadership and Management, are recognized around the world as the premier awards program to honor hospitals and healthcare organizations. IHF announced the 2023 recipients Oct. 26 and presented the awards during a ceremony at the 46th World Hospital Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, Oct. 25–27.
The ACHE Excellence Award for Leadership and Management recognizes hospitals or health service providers that demonstrate excellence or outstanding achievements in leadership and management in leading a hospital or healthcare organization. The 2023 winners of this award are:
Gold:
Matosinhos Local Health Unit (ULSM) (Portugal), Chronic Complex Patients Support Team.
Silver:
Royal Hospital (Oman), Introducing and implementing patient experience in Royal Hospital.
Bronze:
Dubai Health Authority (United Arab Emirates), Process maturity framework.
Honorable mentions:
- Al-Kharj Maternity and Children Hospital (Saudi Arabia), Advancing emergency care accessibility and efficiency: A collaborative approach with the primary health sector to establish an urgent care clinic.
- Emirates Health Services (United Arab Emirates), Electronic autism screening module.
- SEHA Kidney Care (United Arab Emirates), Enhancing organ procurement and transplantation in the UAE.
- Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden), Sterile service transformation at Karolinska.
- Henry Ford Health (United States), Women-inspired neighborhood network: Detroit.
This year, IHF received over 500 entries from more than 40 countries and territories—the highest number of submissions since the awards were established in 2015.
IHF World Hospital Congress Wrap-Up
Healthcare and hospital leaders from around the world flocked to Lisbon, Portugal, in October to attend the 46th World Hospital Congress of the International Hospital Federation, which featured the theme “Global learning, local action.”
“I can think of no better way to describe the purpose and impact this community can provide. To learn from each other, global experts, and bring new ideas back home. Wherever home may be for each of us. The IHF is a global community, comprised of the many relationships we have forged with one another,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, IHF immediate past president, in her welcoming address. Bowen is also president and CEO of ACHE.
In a keynote video address, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, spoke of the vital role of hospital management in achieving progress toward universal health coverage.
Save the date for the 47th IHF World Hospital Congress, which will be held Sept. 10–12, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro.
ACHE Staff News
ACHE Staff Members Receive Service Awards
20-Year Service Award
Christine M. Sawyer, director, Finance & Accounting, Dept. of Business Excellence.
15-Year Service Award
Carla M. Nessa, art director, Dept. of Communications & Marketing.
Emma O’Riley, vice president, Communications and Marketing Operations, Dept. of Communications & Marketing.
10-Year Service Award
Elizabeth M. Villagomez, data analyst, Dept. of Executive Office.
Five-Year Service Award
Christopher Cherry, lead customer service representative, Dept. of Executive Engagement.
Summer A. O’Neill, director, Professional Development, Dept. of Professional Development.
Deneen Y. Wakefield, senior customer service representative, Dept. of Executive Engagement.