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HCAA Alumni Updates - June 2018
Class Notes for HCAD alumni

Stuart Poston ’70 retired in 2001 as president and CEO of Murray-Calloway County Hospital in Murray, Ky. In 1999, he helped found The Murray Bank. The bank is very successful, and he is chairman of the holding company and past chairman of the bank board. He fondly recalls his years at Trinity and “appreciates the great education he received in the HCAD program!”

Bob Shaw ’69, ’72 accepted an interim leadership opportunity in November 2017 as administrative leader at the Stony Brook Cancer Center in Long Island, N.Y. Stony Brook University is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, which has a large health science center, hospital, and cancer center. The Center is recruiting a permanent leader but wanted someone to help develop the cancer center’s clinical services and operations, elevate integration of clinical/translational research, and move into a new Cancer Center building, the Medical and Research Translation Building, in August 2018.

Robert Walker ’72, president/CEO of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, was named ex-officio of the Dallas–Fort Worth Hospital Council this year.

Dennis Millirons ’76 unexpectedly passed away in early April 2018 near Austin, Texas. As stated in his obituary, “he developed a wealth of knowledge serving as a health system executive and chief executive officer. He worked in academic medical centers, complex community hospitals, and large teaching hospitals. Millirons led organizations in the Southwest, Midwest and Upper Midwest regions of the U.S. He served on many governing boards and had maintained faculty appointments at the University of Oklahoma, RUSH University in Chicago, and Trinity University in San Antonio. Millirons also served the American College of Healthcare Executives as a member of the Council of Regents in North Dakota. He served as president of the Trinity University Health Care Administration Alumni Association, and in 2006 he received the Dean Duce Award as an outstanding HCAD alumnus.” He will be greatly missed by the HCAD community.   

Phil Young ’76 was recently named CEO of the Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio by Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Prior, he served as CEO of The Hospitals of Providence-East Campus in El Paso, Texas.

Jose Quintanilla ’77 is now semi-retired. He has more than 25 years in acute health care administration. In 2014, Jose received an MBA at UTPA. He recently became a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) earlier this year.

Greg Terrell ’80 has recently retired from active employment. He lives in Norman, Okla.

Picture of Fred GoldsteinFred Goldstein ’84, president and founder of Accountable Health, LLC, was recently honored to give the Distinguished Population Health Lectureship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Population Health.

Dean Holland ’84 recently engineered the growth and development as chairman and CEO of one of the nation's largest privately-held home care and hospice companies based in Dallas, Jordan Health Services. Holland co-owned Jordan, which was recently sold to a private equity consortium and combined with two other companies to form a home care and hospice company with more than $1 billion in annual revenues. He continues to own and operate Morrland Holdings, Inc., as one of the single largest community-based behavioral health providers in the state of Kentucky. Holland’s 34-year career since graduating from Trinity's HCAD program has taken him from serving in hospital CEO positions, to senior-level for-profit hospital corporate positions, to owning and operating some of the largest community-based health care organizations in the country. He has made a home in Louisville, Ky., where he lives with his wife of 32 years, Teri, a fellow undergraduate Trinity alumna. They have three grown children.

John Marmish ’85 is retired from health care in the U.S. Air Force and civilian life. He lives in Hernando, Fla. Marmish’s retirement goal is to see the world. He is making  progress in achieving this goal with normally three or more international trips a year.

Betty Rider ’69, ’85 is now senior consultant for Health Management Associates in Raleigh, N.C.

Joe Davis-Fleming ’86 has been appointed as the new executive director of the Juneau Symphony Orchestra in Alaska. He previously has served as a hospital system CEO in Afghanistan, American Samoa, and Africa while also involved in the arts and music scene in Alaska, Texas, and globally.

Mike McBride ’90 was named president and CEO in February 2018 for the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System in Baton Rouge, La. Prior, McBride served CHI St. Luke’s Health in Houston where he was senior vice president and president of Suburban Hospitals with responsibilities for its six hospitals in the Houston region as a member of the CHI Texas senior leadership team. His accomplishments in the areas of strategy and operational performance across multiple locations bring an ideal perspective to the opportunities of Louisiana’s system. He is also an accomplished executive for population health management and clinical network development, having served as president/CEO for St. Mary’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction, Colo., a pioneer organization in transformational models of care. Catholic health care has shaped McBride’s career and leadership style in his most recent roles as well as the 15 years he served the CHRISTUS Health ministry in Texas. In every leadership role, he has consistently accomplished year-over-year improvements in patient safety, employee safety, clinical quality, and patient satisfaction. Both physicians and administrative colleagues praise his attention to detail and perseverance to reach performance goals.

Diane Duin, PhD ’92 was selected to be vice president of Academics at Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D. Duin is the current dean of the College of Allied Health Professions at Montana State University Billings and interim dean of the school's College of Business. She begins at Presentation on July 1. Duin has a doctorate in rural sociology from South Dakota State University.

John Haupert ’83, ’92 has served as president & CEO of Grady Health System in Atlanta, Ga. since 2011.

Blake Kretz ’92, president of Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, was named Trustee of the Dallas–Fort Worth Hospital Council this year.

Doug Lawson ’93 was selected to be senior vice president of the Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI)—the parent of Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health—and CEO of the health system's southeastern Texas market. In his new role, Lawson oversees CHI’s Texas division, which is composed of 16 hospitals across southeastern Texas. In addition to Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health, the Texas division also includes CHI St. Luke's Health Memorial in the Lufkin-East Texas area and CHI St. Joseph Health in Bryan-College Station and the Brazos Valley region. Prior, Lawson served as president of Dallas’ Baylor University Medical Center and the North Texas Central Region of Baylor Scott & White Health.

Lee Revere, Ph.D. ’97 is now director of interprofessional education at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In addition, Revere serves as associate professor and program director of healthcare management and director of the George McMillian Fleming Center for Healthcare Management at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Xavier Villarreal ’97, CEO of Medical City North Hills, was selected to be Trustee of the Dallas–Fort Worth Hospital Council this year.

In August 2017, Monica Vargas-Mahar ’98 was named the market chief operating officer for The Hospitals of Providence in El Paso, Texas. In January 2018, she was chosen to be part of Texas Lyceum’s Board of Directors. In March 2018, Vargas-Mahar was also appointed CEO of The Hospitals of Providence East Campus, where she previously had served as COO from the hospital opening until 2011.

Dale Flowers ’99 was promoted to senior vice president of Operations for the North Texas Region of US Anesthesia Partners in Dallas.

As of January 1, Vanessa Saenz Smith ’94, ’99 accepted a new position with USPI as market president–West. Vanessa relocated to Phoenix, Ariz. from Houston.

Greg Haralson ’00 has been appointed to become the new CEO at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Spencer Marks '00 will oversee Axxess' efforts to grow revenue cycle management services for clients. Axxess is the fastest-growing home health care technology company. Marks spent the last 10 years managing the Dallas-area offices of a large-scale payment integrity firm. Prior to that, he worked as a revenue cycle management consultant to global financial powerhouses like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. Marks also has experience working in the financial operations of hospitals in North Texas.

In February 2018, Crispin Hocate ’99, ’01 started a new role with Medical City Healthcare (formerly HCA North Texas Division) as division vice president of Regional Business Development in Dallas.

Caleb O’Rear ’01 was promoted from interim CEO to permanent CEO in five months at Alta Vista Regional Hospital in Las Vegas, N.M. Most recently, he served as interim president for Metrocrest Hospital Authority in Carrollton, Texas. He has prior experience serving as CEO of Denton (Texas) Regional Medical Center.

Jerry Ashworth ’02 is now CEO and senior vice president of TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. Jerry has been serving as interim CEO since November 2017. In his new role, Ashworth leads the Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital-Katy and the extended Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Network. He joined TIRR Memorial Hermann in 2014 and has held a variety of positions including COO and vice president and associate vice president of Hospital Operations. He has more than 20 years of experience in health care administration. Before joining Memorial Hermann, Ashworth worked at Trinity Mother Frances Health System, now part of the Christus Health System, in Tyler, Texas.  

Blake Allison ’03 was recently named CEO of Southeastern Health Partners in Greenville, S.C.

Sally Hurt-Deitch ’03 was recently promoted chief nursing officer and vice president of Patient Care Services for Tenet Healthcare Corporation based out of Dallas. Previously, Sally was the El Paso/Rio Grande Valley Group CEO for Tenet Healthcare Corporation. She also served as market CEO of The Hospitals of Providence in El Paso, Texas. She led the development efforts for the Transmountain Campus, the nation’s newest teaching hospital, a collaboration with Texas Tech University Health Science Center.  In addition, she was recently appointed to the Banks El Paso Branch Board of Directors for a three-year term ending in December 2020 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. As a board member, Hurt-Deitch will provide input on regional economic conditions as part of the Federal Reserve monetary policy functions. In addition, she is president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives, chair-elect of the Texas Hospital Association, board member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, regent at large of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and serves on the Boards of Directors for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and BorderPlex Alliance.

Malisha Patel ’04 was recently named the new senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Southwest and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospitals, in Houston. In her current role, Patel has operational and business development oversight for both clinical and non-clinical departments, ranging from perioperative services to engineering. She has successfully led strategic planning and key operational improvements and has advanced the campus on its Level II trauma verification journey. Patel joined Memorial Hermann in 2007 and has previously served as vice president of operations for both Memorial Hermann Sugar Land and Memorial Hermann Southwest.

Jeff Patterson ’04 was appointed CEO of Abrazo Arrowhead Campus and Abrazo Arizona Heart Hospital on Jan. 2. Patterson has more than 10 years of experience with Tenet. He comes to the Abrazo Community Health Network from Tenet’s Nacogdoches Medical Center in Nacogdoches, Texas, where he served as CEO. Prior to his role at Nacogdoches, Patterson served as COO of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif., senior director of business development for Tenet’s former Southern States Region, and COO of Lake Pointe Health Network in Rowlett, Texas.

Ryan Tobin ’02, ’04 was promoted to president and CEO of Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colo. Tobin has been an integral part of the Rose team as COO for the past four years. He successfully oversaw major projects including Rose’s Orthopedic & Spine Center renovation and comprehensive program development, extensive emergency department construction, launch of Rose’s first freestanding emergency room, and development of the Rocky Mountain Heart Rhythm Institute and cardiology program. Prior to his time at Rose, Tobin served as COO at HealthONE’s North Suburban Medical Center and administrator of Operations at St. Anthony’s.

Trey Abshier ’05 was selected as CEO of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center in Florida. He is responsible for overseeing all strategic, operational, and clinical activities at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. Prior to his appointment to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Abshier was CEO at Florida Medical Center (FMC). Under his leadership, FMC saw numerous achievements including American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Plus. The hospital was also recognized as the first in Florida to achieve full Chest Pain Center (CPC) with Primary PCI with Resuscitation Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) and achieved five stars for its performance in the treatment of heart failure based on new findings and data released by Healthgrades. Additionally, the hospital opened the Atrial Fibrillation Institute at Florida Medical Center and unveiled Specialty Surgical Suites designed for post-surgery patients to return to good health. Florida Medical Center also became the first and only hospital in Broward County to achieve Center of Excellence for the Robotic and Bariatric programs designated by the Surgical Review Corporation. Prior to his time at Florida Medical Center, Abshier was COO at Delray Medical Center. During his 2.5-year tenure at Delray Medical Center, Trey served as the lead administrator for the development, design, and construction of a new four-story patient tower and five-level parking garage, totaling $79.4 million. He also headed the development of a Free Standing Emergency Department. In addition, Abshier oversaw various departments including imaging, interventional radiology, respiratory therapy, EKG, EEG, laboratory, pharmacy, inpatient rehabilitative services, therapy services, plant operations, security, Wound Care Center, Sleep Disorders Program, nutritional services, and environmental services. Abshier was selected as one of the South Florida Business Journal 2016 Power Leaders in Health Care and named one of Becker's Hospital Review 50 Healthcare Leaders under 40 for 2016.

Jeff Lawrence '05 has been appointed as COO of StratiFi Health in Plano, Texas.  He spent the last 28 years serving the Dallas Fort Worth health care community. After earning his bachelor's degree, Lawrence moved to Dallas and began building out hospital-sponsored physician networks for national recruiting firms. Connecting physicians to the local community, he created a foundation of trust and understanding with doctors that led to powerful market change. Lawrence joined Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in 1997 at the Medical Center of Plano in the Physician Relations Department, and he quickly rose in HCA and entered its COO Development Program. His time at HCA culminated with his leadership as the COO at HCA Denton Regional Medical Center. While at Denton Regional, Lawrence was responsible for driving operational excellence for major departments--the operating room, cardiac catheterization lab, emergency room, and the trauma program. His time at HCA developed his fierce dedication to operational excellence and connected him with a deep understanding of the patient’s care journey and the opportunities to improve it not only in the hospital, but in the community as well. Leaving HCA in 2015, Lawrence joined StratiFi Health and Catalyst Health Network, where he is  driving operational excellence and building a team of passionate health care professionals.

Finny Mathew ’06 was named president of INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center in Enid, Okla. as of Dec. 31, 2017.

Fraser Hay ’07 was appointed president at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford and was also selected as ex-officio of the Dallas–Fort Worth Hospital Council this year.

Karim Kaissi ’07 transitioned from his role at Texas Health to vice president/general manager for CareMore, an Anthem Inc. company. He is now in charge of operations for the Texas market.

John Phillips ’07, president of Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, was appointed Trustee of the Dallas–Fort Worth Hospital Council this year.

Derrick Cuenca ’08 has accepted the position of CEO of MountainView Regional Medical Center and MountainView Medical Group in Las Cruces, N.M. Cuenca comes to the hospital network from Lake Granbury Medical Center in Granbury, Texas, where he has served as CEO since 2013.

Amanda Thrash ’09 accepted the position of vice president of Professional and Support Services at Texas Health Plano. Amanda previously served as senior director of Professional and Support Services. In 2016, she was named administrator of Texas Health Neighborhood Care & Wellness Prosper, which opened in February 2017. Thrash oversaw all of the services that the 65,000-square-foot facility offers including: emergency care, laboratory, imaging, therapy, community education, and a fitness center. Before joining Texas Health Plano in 2010, she served as director of Neurosciences. Thrash and her husband, Bucky, reside in Prosper and enjoy spending time with their two dogs, Luna and Duke. The Thrashes are expecting their first child, a boy, in September. She also serves on the board of the Celina Chamber of Commerce, the American College of Healthcare Executives–North Texas Chapter, and as vice chair of the board of CASA of Collin County.

Warren Yehl ’07, ’09 was named the permanent CEO of Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell, N.M. Yehl has been interim CEO since last fall and previously served as the hospital's COO from 2013 to 2015. Yehl most recently served as COO at Mountain View Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces, N.M. During his tenure, he led capital projects such as the integration of an urgent care, installation of two new cath labs, and development of New Mexico's first free standing emergency room. He previously served in administrative leadership roles at hospitals in Brownwood and Victoria, Texas.

Lisa Kelly ’10 is now surgery department administrator of the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.,

Katie Lattanzi ’10, ’12 was selected as associate COO of St. David’s South Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas.

Andrew Staffier ’12 has been appointed executive vice president of Clinical Services. Prior, Staffier served as clinical supervisor and principal therapist for Pace Counseling Group since 2013. In his new role, he oversees the strategic growth of the clinic as Pace Counseling Group expands into a multisite mental health practice that will serve geographic locations beyond San Antonio.

Aimee Arzoumanian ’13 was selected as COO at Sparks Health System in Arkansas. Prior, Arzoumanian served as the assistant CEO at Sparks Medical Center-Van Buren since 2016. She joined Sparks in 2009 as a hospitalist physician assistant and later became an assistant administrator in 2013.

Ryan Henry ’10, ’13 was appointed COO at Tomball Regional Medical Center (TRMC) as of May 1. Henry formerly worked as associate administrator at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, which is part of HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division’s network of hospitals. TRMC was acquired by HCA last summer and is also part of the Gulf Coast Division’s hospital network.

Rendell Gazzingan ’14 has recently been named interim administrator of Texas Health Prosper.

Alison Gizinski ’09, ’14 joined Kempton Asset Management as a financial consultant in Mexico City, Mexico.

Ashley Nelson ’14 was named director of Population Health Advisors for Baylor Scott & White Health.

Andres Duran ’17 was selected as vice president of Business Development at HCA in April 2018 for Rio Grande Regional Hospital (McAllen,Texas) and Valley Regional Medical Center (Brownsville, Texas).

AVISO is written and produced by members of the Health Care Administration Alumni Association in partnership with the Office of Alumni Relations. 

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