Faculty

Gregory S. Butler

Author

<p>Gregory S. Butler is president of Caldwell Butler & Associates, McKinney, Texas, a firm dedicated to improving hospital performance through the implementation of advanced quality methods. With more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare field and a certified Green Belt in Lean-Six Sigma, he is an expert in leading transformational efforts, having worked with hundreds of healthcare organizations to create a culture of action and innovation. Mr. Butler has also held leadership positions in the healthcare provider, service providers and performance improvement firms, including Abbott Laboratories, Owen Healthcare, and VHA / Novation.</p> <p>Mr. Butler serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar:</p> <ul><li>Proven Strategies and Leadership Methods for Effective Change in Today's Environment</li></ul> Mr. Butler also authored the following Health Administration Press publication: <ul><li><em>What Top-Performing Healthcare Organizations Know: 7 Proven Steps for Accelerating and Achieving Change</em></li></ul>

Mark J. Dubow

Speaker

<div>Mark Dubow is the Pacific region director for Veralon, a national healthcare consulting firm with expertise in strategy, valuation, mergers and transactions, and clinical transformation. He is an expert in strategy development, with an emphasis on helping providers capitalize on emerging innovations. Mr. Dubow’s focus is on strategy, mergers and alliances, alignment and enhancing the effectiveness of clinical service lines. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, a MSPH from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colgate University.</div><div> </div><div>Mr. Dubow serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar: </div><div><ul><li> Hospitals and Health Systems of the Future: Transforming to Thrive  </li></ul></div>

Howard J. Gershon, LFACHE

Author

<div>Howard Gershon, founding principal, New Heights Group, Santa Fe, N.M., has spent more than 35 years working with boards and senior managers on strategic planning, market research and organization, facility and program/service development initiatives. He has lead efforts to implement service lines for behavioral healthcare and other clinical areas. Mr. Gershon’s national client base has included nonprofit healthcare providers, state, local and federal government agencies and publicly held corporations. He has spoken at many national conferences and has served as the ACHE Regent for New Mexico.</div><div> </div><div>Mr. Gershon serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminars:</div><div><ul><li>Behavioral Health Challenges, Strategies and Solutions: The Business Case for Meeting Community Needs</li></ul></div>

About Howard J. Gershon, LFACHE
Founding Principal
New Heights Group

John M. Harris

Author

<p><strong></strong></p> <p>John Harris is a managing director with VMG Health, a leading healthcare consulting firm for business performance. His work focuses on strategy, physician engagement, value-based care, governance as well as partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. He advises health systems and hospitals, physician groups, clinically integrated networks, accountable care organizations, health plans and others. </p> <p>Harris serves as faculty for ACHE seminars including Physician Strategy for Hospitals: How to Align Independents, Fix Employment, Beat Disruptors, Succeed in Value, Ensure Access and Grow; Hospitals and Health Systems of the Future: Transforming to Thrive; and Strategic Planning: From Formulation to Action. Mr. Harris has also co-authored <a href="https://www.ache.org/learning-center/publications/books/2337I" target="_blank"><em>Healthcare Strategic Planning, Fifth Edition</em></a>, a Health Administration Press publication. </p>

Amer Kaissi, PhD

Author

<div> <p>Amer Kaissi, PhD, is an award-winning professor of healthcare administration at Trinity University, a top-15 program. He is the author of the book “Intangibles: The Unexpected Traits of High-Performing Healthcare Leaders,” which won the 2019 American College of Healthcare Executives Book of the Year award. </p> <p>Dr. Kaissi joined the faculty of Trinity University in 2003 after earning a PhD in health services administration from the University of Minnesota. At Trinity, Dr. Kaissi teaches courses in leadership, professional development and public speaking and is the director of the Executive Program. His research interests include leadership and strategy. Dr. Kaissi is a national speaker with the Studer Group and a faculty member with ACHE. He is also a certified executive and physician coach. He works with MEDI—a division of Naavis—as an executive coach, and he consults with hospitals and healthcare organizations as part of their strategic planning efforts. Dr. Kaissi, an avid soccer fan, lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two children.</p> <div>Dr. Kaissi serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar:</div> </div> <div> <ul> <li>Agility & Resilience in Healthcare Leadership: Key Behaviors for Leading Change</li> </ul> </div> <div> </div> <div>Dr. Kaissi also authored the following Health Administration Press publication:</div> <div> <ul> <li> <p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><em><u><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;Times New Roman";color:blue"><a href="https://www.ache.org/learning-center/publications/books/2344I"><span style="color:blue">Intangibles: The Unexpected Traits of High-Performing Healthcare Leaders</span></a></span></u></em></p> <br /> </li> </ul> </div>

J. Alan Kent, DHA, LFACHE

Speaker

<p>J. Alan Kent, DHA, FACHE is president/CEO of Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Ga. In that role since 2000, he has overseen the building of a replacement hospital and a comprehensive cancer center, as well as staff growth from under 400 to over 1,000, and revenue growth from $46 million to over $500 million. Mr. Kent also serves as adjunct faculty of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (Georgia Southern University), and is on the boards of the Georgia Hospital Association, Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals and Southeastern Technical College. Previously, he was COO or CEO at various hospitals across six states, and consultant to physician practices and other organizations.</p><div> </div><div>Mr. Kent serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar:</div><div><ul><li>Proven Strategies and Leadership Methods for Effectively Leading Change in Today’s Environment </li></ul></div>

About J. Alan Kent, DHA, LFACHE

Christopher L. Laubach

Speaker

<div>Chris Laubach is president of the Center for Management Programs, a training and consulting firm based in Agoura Hills, Calif., which provides educational programs to healthcare industry organizations. An educator and consultant for more than 20 years, Mr. Laubach is a frequent lecturer and teacher on negotiation. He also has written numerous publications, including the book Mastering the Negotiation Process: A Practical Guide for the Healthcare Executive.</div><div> </div><div>Mr. Laubach serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar:</div><div><ul><li>Process and Technique of Negotiating</li></ul></div><div> </div>

Stephen M. Merz, FACHE

Speaker

<div></div><p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div id="pastingspan1"></div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen M. Merz, FACHE, is COO of Sheppard Pratt Solutions, a division of Sheppard Pratt, one of the largest behavioral healthcare organizations in the nation. Stephen’s career spans nearly 30 years and includes roles as interim president/CEO and executive vice president, operations, Diamond Healthcare; president/CEO, Maine Behavioral Healthcare; and vice president/ executive director of behavioral health at Yale New Haven Hospital.</div><div> </div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen’s work focuses on integrating behavioral healthcare into the overall healthcare system, including establishing alternatives to acute care settings, developing novel approaches for chronic conditions such as depression and ensuring behavioral healthcare services are financially strong.</div><div> </div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen has served on national and regional boards, including the National Association of Behavioral Healthcare. He served as chair of the Behavioral Healthcare Councils of the Maine and Connecticut Hospital Associations, and served as Regent for Connecticut of ACHE. Stephen has a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.</div><div> </div><div>Mr. Merz serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar: </div><div><ul><li>Behavioral Health Challenges, Strategies and Solutions: The Business Case for Meeting Community Needs </li></ul></div><div></div><p style="0in;.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;115%;"Times New Roman""></span></p>

Richard J. Priore, ScD, FACHE

Speaker

<div></div><p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Richard Priore</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">, ScD, FACHE,</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> is president/CEO, Excelsior HealthCare Group, St. Paul, Minn. Excelsior is an outcomes-driven healthcare management consulting firm specializing in the assessment, execution and speed of measurable results in improving organizational performance. Dr. Priore is also a Distinguished Service Professor at St. Paul's University of St. Thomas, also in St. Paul, teaching graduate economics and management courses. He has served as the CEO for several investor-owned hospitals and as a hospital turnaround expert and managing director for the Hunter Group.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Dr. Priore serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminars:</span></p> <ul style="0in" type="disc"> <li><span style="font-size: 18px;">Breakthrough Physician Alignment: Creating a Win-Win for Optimizing Organizational Performance</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Integrating Quality and Cost in a Pay-for-Value Era </span></li><li><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Direct Contracting with Employer Groups: What Healthcare Leaders Should Know</span></li><li><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Making the Business Case for Quality<br /></span></li></ul>

About Richard J. Priore, ScD, FACHE
Associate Professor
Tulane University - - New Orleans, LA

Charmaine S. Rochester, CPA, FACHE, DHA

Speaker

<p>Charmaine Spence Rochester joined the University of Cincinnati Health System as the chief financial officer in October 2024, bringing over 32 years of fiscal expertise including more than 20 years in financial healthcare leadership.</p> <p>Prior to her transition to UC Health, she served as the CFO of Cleveland Clinic's Florida region, overseeing the financial operations of five hospitals and multiple outpatient sites, as well as partnering with regional executive leadership to integrate, grow and drive sustainable performance. She actively engages in strategic planning and leads financial forecasting for key initiatives across the five-county service area. In addition, she develops and implements strategies for effective enterprise and regional partnership across core shared services, including revenue cycle and supply chain. </p> <p>Before joining the Cleveland Clinic in 2022, Dr. Rochester held key executive roles in the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine), serving as SVP/CFO for Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital & Health System in 2017 and later transitioning to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health as SVP/CFO in 2020. </p> <p>Prior to her time at Penn Medicine, she served as the regional finance executive VP/CFO for the Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System in Hampton Roads, Virginia. In this role, she led financial operations and provided strategic financial counsel for the multi-hospital Southeast Virginia region. She also served as the CFO for the enterprise-wide Home Health services. </p> <p>Dr. Rochester is board-certified in healthcare management and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE®) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (FHFMA). She holds a Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) from Central Michigan University, an MBA from Florida Atlantic University, an undergraduate degree in accounting from Howard University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).</p>

About Charmaine S. Rochester, CPA, FACHE, DHA
Chief Financial Officer
University of Cincinnati Health System

Brian D. Wong, MD

Speaker

<div>Brian Wong is a physician, healthcare author, consultant and CEO of The Bedside Trust in Seattle. As an authority on improving the patient experience, safety and culture, leaders rely on Dr. Wong to take the guesswork out of building and maintaining a patient centered organization. To build performance capacity and deliver high-value care, organizations require a true cultural strategy. Dr. Wong applies comprehensive patient-accountable culture assessments, physician, leader and staff tools to align clinical teams and systems around what matters most to patients.</div><div> </div><div>Dr. Wong serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminars:</div><div><ul><li>Culture: The Force Behind Strategy </li></ul></div>

Leslie S. Zun, MD

Speaker

<div>Leslie Zun is medical director, Lake County Health Department, Waukegan, Ill. He is also chairman/professor, department of emergency medicine, with a secondary appointment in the department of psychiatry, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science's Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, Ill. He is chief editor of the textbook Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers and course director for the past nine years for the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry's Annual National Update on Behavioral Emergencies conference. Prior to his current role, Dr. Zun was past president of the AAEP and a board member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. He has also presented his research and lectured on behavioral emergency topics both nationally and internationally.</div><div> </div><div>Dr. Zun serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminars:</div><div><ul><li>Behavioral Health Challenges, Strategies and Solutions: The Business Case for Meeting Community Needs </li></ul></div>

EVENT CANCELED: Seattle Cluster 2020

Cluster Faculty

Gregory S. Butler

Author

Mark J. Dubow

Speaker

Howard J. Gershon, LFACHE

Author

John M. Harris

Author

Amer Kaissi, PhD

Author

J. Alan Kent, DHA, LFACHE

Speaker

Christopher L. Laubach

Speaker

Stephen M. Merz, FACHE

Speaker

Richard J. Priore, ScD, FACHE

Speaker

Charmaine S. Rochester, CPA, FACHE, DHA

Speaker

Brian D. Wong, MD

Speaker

Leslie S. Zun, MD

Speaker