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ACHE Board Appoints Bly Interim District 6 Governor

ACHE’s Board of Governors recently appointed a new member per the ACHE Bylaws. CDR Richard J. Bly, FACHE, U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit, Sasebo, Japan, will serve as interim Governor from July 1, 2025, until the Council of Regents meeting Feb. 28, 2026. The ACHE Bylaws state that the Council of Regents will elect a Governor to fulfill the remainder of the Governor term from Feb. 28, 2026, to March 20, 2027.

Bly most recently served as Regent for the U.S. Navy since 2023. An interim Navy Regent will be appointed to fulfill the remainder of his three-year term.
Bly fills the District 6 Governor vacancy due to the recent retirement of Alfred A. Montoya Jr., FACHE, from Veterans Affairs. The Board of Governors is tremendously grateful for Montoya’s service.

Prior to his current role, CDR Bly served the Department of Defense at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Office of the Joint Staff Surgeon at The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., from 2021 to 2025. He also served as deputy fleet surgeon and fleet medical planner for the U.S. Seventh Fleet from 2017 to 2020, surgical company commander, 1st Medical Battalion, from 2015 to 2017, and officer in charge of medical logistics in Southern Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013. CDR Bly also serves as an adjunct professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

CDR Bly has held several leadership positions, including serving as chair of the speaker committee for the Lewis E. Angelo Professional Symposium in 2022 and co-founding the ACHE Navy Fellow Accelerator Program in 2020. He also served as the ACHE Regent for Navy from 2023 to 2025 and on various ACHE committees.

CDR Bly received the Service Award through ACHE’s Recognition Program in 2025. He was the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Action Officer of the Year in 2023.

CDR Bly earned Master of Health Administration and Master of Business Administration degrees from Baylor University. He also earned a Master of Arts degree from the U.S. Naval War College, a graduate diploma from Expeditionary Warfare School at the U.S. Marine Corps University and a Bachelor of Science degree from The George Washington University.

AHA Recognizes One Fellow and One Member-Led Organization During Leadership Summit 

Two organizations led by members of ACHE were among those recognized during the American Hospital Association’s July 2025 Leadership Summit in Nashville, Tenn. Recipients were recognized with the following prize and award: 

AHA Quest for Quality Prize 
AHA honored an exemplary health system led by an ACHE member for its dedication and commitment to quality. Hartford HealthCare in Hartford, Conn., led by president/CEO Jeffrey A. Flaks, is the 2025 recipient of the AHA Quest for Quality Prize. The award is presented annually to recognize exceptional healthcare leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health in America’s communities.

AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award 
AHA also honored a health system led by an ACHE member for its hospital-led collaborative efforts to improve community health. MedStar Health, in Columbia, Md., led by president/CEO Kenneth A. Samet, FACHE, is one of the winners of the 2025 AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award. The award recognizes hospitals and health systems for their collaborative efforts toward improving community health status, whether through healthcare, economic or social initiatives. Honorees participate in joint efforts among healthcare systems or hospitals, or among hospitals and other community leaders and organizations.

Leaders in Action

To promote the many benefits of membership, the following ACHE leader spoke recently at these in-person events: 

Michele K. Sutton, FACHE
Chair
California Association of Healthcare Leaders
CAHL Annual Meeting & Awards
Aug. 21 
American College of Healthcare Executives of Kansas
ACHE of Kansas Fall Learning Session: The Patient Experience
Sept. 3

ACHE of Nebraska and Western Iowa
Inside ACHE: A Strategic Update from National Leadership
Sept. 10

ACHE Staff News

Following are new hire announcements:

Candice Holden welcomed as director, Business Development and Organizational Sales, Learning.

Annika Rae welcomed as publications production specialist, Learning.