ACHE Member Update
Interim Regent Appointed
Anne Tyrol, RN, FACHE, CNO/senior vice president, Patient Care Services, Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene (N.H.), has been appointed Interim Regent for New Hampshire.
Interim Regent-at-Large Appointed
Jim Zheng, FACHE, director, Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Needham, Medfield, Mass., has been appointed Interim Regent-at-Large for District 1.
Dent, McGaw Student Scholarships Awarded for 2024
ACHE recently presented its Albert W. Dent and Foster G. McGaw student scholarships to 15 outstanding graduate students preparing for careers in healthcare management.
The following students each received a scholarship in tribute to the late Albert W. Dent, the first Black healthcare executive to achieve ACHE Fellow status:
Kenya Benitez, San Diego State University.
Christopher Gallardo, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.
Boluwatife Gbadebo, Minnesota State University, Minneapolis.
Elizabeth Mompoint, University of Miami.
Victoria Ortiz, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland.
Kara Powell, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.
Trey Wineglass, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, S.C.
Hubert Zhou, Binghamton (N.Y.) University
The Dent scholarship is bestowed annually to students in need who are enrolled in graduate programs in health services administration.
In addition, ACHE awarded the Foster G. McGaw Student Scholarship to the following individuals:
Claire Glenn, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
Andrew C. Hennings, Pacific University, Hillsboro, Ore.
Emily Marisa Luera, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Cortney I. Martin, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Makenzie Postma, University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Erik Robinson, University of California—Davis.
Andrew B. Thomas, Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
The late Foster G. McGaw, founder of the American Hospital Supply Corporation, contributed funds for this award, which is given annually to outstanding students enrolled in graduate programs in health services administration.
Applications for the 2025 Dent and McGaw graduate student scholarships will be accepted between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2025. The number of awards varies from year to year. For more information, visit ache.org/Students and click the “Scholarships and Awards” link in the “Become a Student Associate” section.
People
ACHE Members Elected to AHA Board
The following ACHE members have been elected to a three-year term on the American Hospital Association’s board of trustees beginning Jan. 1, 2025:
Joan M. Coffman, FACHE, president/CEO, St. Tammany Health System, Covington, La.
Leslie D. “Les” Hirsch, FACHE, president/CEO, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick, N.J.
Brian Peters, CEO, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Okemos.
Lisa Shannon, president/CEO, Alina Health, Minneapolis.
Leaders in Action
To promote the many benefits of membership, the following ACHE leaders spoke recently at these in-person events:
William P. Santulli, FACHE
Chair
47th Annual IHF World Hospital Congress
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(September 2024)
Healthcare Leaders of New York
HLNY’s 8th Annual Mini-Congress
(September 2024)
ACHE of North Texas
The State of ACHE
(October 2024)
The Missouri Chapter of ACHE
Missouri Hospital Association Annual Convention
(November 2024)
Michele K. Sutton, FACHE
Chair-Elect
California Association of Healthcare Leaders–Northern California Chapter
California Association of Healthcare Leaders Annual Awards Ceremony
(August 2024)
Delvecchio S. Finley, FACHE
Immediate Past Chair
Utah Healthcare Executives
Utah Healthcare Executives/Utah Hospital Association’s Fall Conference
(September 2024)
National Association of Health Services Executives
Annual Educational Conference
(October 2024)
In Memoriam
ACHE regretfully reports the deaths of the following ACHE members as reported by the Department of Executive Engagement:
Robert R. Fanning Jr., LFACHE
Boxford, Mass. (ACHE Chair 1992–1993; District 1 Governor 1985–1989; Regent, Massachusetts 1981–1984)
David J. Handel, LFACHE
Fishers, Ind.
Nancy G. Levitt-Rosenthal, LFACHE
Easton, Conn. (ACHE Regent, Connecticut 2007–2010)
Frank V. Sacco, LFACHE
Ormond Beach, Fla. (ACHE Regent, Florida—Northern & Western 1995–1997; 1992–1995)
Remembering David Wagner, a Passionate Healthcare Executive
David Scott Wagner, FACHE, CEO, HCA/Houston Healthcare Pearland (Texas), passed away Aug. 23 at the age of 64. He was a hospital administrator for more than 37 years, working for Presbyterian Health System, Dallas; Good Shepherd Medical Center, Longview, Texas; CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital, Beeville, Texas; and Saint Francis Health System, Tulsa, Okla.
He was a member with ACHE for 39 years and served as a board member for the American College of Healthcare Executives—Southeast Texas Chapter. He also served ACHE on the Regents Advisory Council and Group Practices Executive Committee.
During his tenure at Saint Francis, Wagner’s leadership contributed to the construction of a $206 million building/tower addition representing 150 inpatient beds as well as a new ED, hospital lobby, chapel and convent.
Throughout his career, Wagner adhered to his mission of caring for those in need of healthcare, and he was passionate about helping others—both patients and his team members. He was known for lending a hand in any situation and made it a point to round in the hospital, thanking employees for their work. HCA Pearland won first place in 2022 for Modern Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work,” a nationwide award that made him so proud of everyone in his work family, according to his obituary.
Outside the hospital, Wagner actively participated in numerous community committees. He was on the boards of the Pearland Chamber of Commerce and Northern Brazoria County Education Alliance, as well as the advisory board for the Healthcare Administration Program at the School of Public Health at Texas A&M University. He was also a frequent guest speaker at Texas Woman’s University and UTHealth School of Public Health.
Wagner received a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University and a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Karen, and his two children, Jackson and McKenna, and his father, Donald B. Wagner, LFACHE.
A scholarship has been set up in Wagner’s memory via his chapter at https://bit.ly/3NhG4XC.