President

Chad Collins, MHA, FACHE, CHFP, is a healthcare executive with over 10 years of healthcare experience. He serves as Administrative Director of Operations at the University of South Alabama Health where he oversees the hospital operations for gastroenterology, neurology, emergency medicine, as well as inpatient physical therapy, and laboratory operations. Additionally, he has held leadership roles in for-profit and not-for-profit sectors of healthcare, having stopped at Tenet Health, United Surgical Partners International, and Texas Health Resources along the way. Chad received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Faulkner University and his MHA from LSU Shreveport. Recently Mr. Collins was featured in the 2022 Becker’s Hospital Review’s 75 Black Healthcare Leaders to Know and 2022 Mobile Bay Magazine 40 Under 40. He was also the 2021 recipient of the ACHE of Alabama State Regent Early Careerist Award.

Mr. Collin’s community activities include NAHSE Birmingham Regional Chapter, ACHE of Alabama, Leadership Mobile, Mobile Chamber of Commerce, VP of the DREAM Foundation, VP of the board Child Day Care Association, Treasurer for Salty Kidz, Treasurer for Whale of Hope, Inc, and Fairhope Youth Sports Programs.

Vice President/President-Elect

Mike Bartell received his undergraduate degree in Health Science at Fresno Pacific before serving four years in the USCG. He attended Loma Linda University for his MPH in Health Administration. His health administration career began in medical practice administration, which opened a door to the acute care setting. He started in the acute care setting as Director of Quality, which evolved into 7 years in business development and service line administration. Mike joined Encompass Health in 2014, which led to CEO positions in freestanding acute inpatient settings in Phoenix City and Birmingham. He currently serves as the CEO of Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital in Birmingham.

Treasurer

Linda Coogan is a Registered Nurse with over 35 years experience in Healthcare Leadership. She is Certified in Healthcare Quality,an ACHE Fellow, Certified Integrative Nurse Coach, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, Inspirational Speaker, former Baldrige examiner and TJC nurse surveyor. Ms Coogan is co-founder of AlaQuest Collaborative for Education as well as founder and CEO of AlaQuest Center for Performance Excellence. She is focusing her career on meeting the mission of AlaQuest by inspiring Whole Life Wellness through coaching, inspirational writing and speaking.

Secretary

Caitlyn currently serves as a Supply Chain Business Analyst within Supply Chain Services at East Alabama Health in Opelika, AL. She provides cost analysis for the system including Value Analysis submissions and standardization opportunities. Caitlyn also works to develop analysis strategies and tracking tools for supply chain and organizational KPI’s as well as provides support and analysis for CIN opportunities across the system. Caitlyn is also currently working on her Master of Health Administration (MHA) at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) and is planning to graduate Fall 2023. Caitlyn’s previous experience has included project management, recruiting, and property management within and outside of the health care industry. Outside of work, Caitlyn has had the opportunity to conduct research on the Holocaust, specifically the Swedish White Buses Rescue Mission that saved over 15,000 lives through the Swedish Red Cross, including traveling to Sweden to meet an ancestor involved in the Rescue. Caitlyn is passionate about serving others, building relationships and making a difference in someone’s life, whether big or small.

Chapter Committee Chair – Communications

Chapter Committee Chair – Programs

Lavon Beard has over 16 years of healthcare experience. He is a licensed Physical Therapist who has practiced in several settings throughout his career. He earned a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of South Alabama. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Jackson State University. Throughout his career as a Physical Therapist, he has held several leadership roles. Those roles included Lead Physical Therapist and Manager of Physical Therapy at UAB, an 1,100 bed hospital.

To further his leadership skills, Mr. Beard earned a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is currently the Director of Patient Experience at Princeton Baptist Medical Center where he is focused on improving Customer Satisfaction and Employee Engagement. Mr. Beard is very excited about serving with ACHE and looking forward to an amazing year.

He and his wife, Latoya, have a son, Loren, and a daughter, Lexie.

Chapter Board Member – Director, Sponsorship

Mike Bartell received his undergraduate degree in Health Science at Fresno Pacific before serving four years in the USCG. He attended Loma Linda University for his MPH in Health Administration. His health administration career began in medical practice administration, which opened a door to the acute care setting. He started in the acute care setting as Director of Quality, which evolved into 7 years in business development and service line administration. Mike joined Encompass Health in 2014, which led to CEO positions in freestanding acute inpatient settings in Phoenix City and Birmingham. He currently serves as the CEO of Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital in Birmingham.

Chapter Board Member – Director of Mentoring and Student Affiliations

DeWayne Bailey received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Master of Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He currently serves as the Manager of the Alabama Rural Health Collaborative at UAB Health System.

Mr. Bailey’s community activities include: Past Vice President of UAB Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center (MHERC) Young Professionals Board; President- Elect of the National Association of Health Services Executives Birmingham Regional Chapter (NAHSE BRC); Benevolent Fund Council Member and the Kidney Advocacy Committee for the National Kidney Foundation.

Chapter Board Member – Director, Region 1

Chandra Bondugula, MD, is a healthcare executive with more than 23 years of combined experience in patient care, hospital operations, graduate medication, informatics and healthcare innovation. As a founding Designated Institutional Official (DIO), he is instrumental in developing Graduate Medical Education Program at North Alabama Medical Center, Florence, AL. He served as the director of healthcare operations and managed multiple co-management value-based programs and engaged many physicians and healthcare leaders in improving the outcomes.

He is active in healthcare IT and advanced technologies like analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.  He has been a strong advocate of price transparency in healthcare. He focuses on value-based healthcare and workforce development in under resourced and rural healthcare communities.

Apart from medical education, he did Master of Health Informatics with healthcare administration focus from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is on the board of Shoals Community Clinic (SCC), a non profit clinic that provides medical and dental to people without health benefits in Shoals Community.

Chapter Board Member – Co-Director, Region 1

Robert is a University of Kentucky Alum holding a master’s degree in healthcare administration and a bachelor’s in business administration. With more than a decade of experience in healthcare, Robert currently serves as the Executive Director of Network Strategy at Viva Health with responsibility for alternative payment arrangements, strategy and health policy. His passion in healthcare is focused in the areas of Population Health, Value-Based Care and Healthcare transformation. He has spent his entire career in this space providing leadership to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs) and Independent Physician Associations (IPAs).

Chapter Board Member – Director, Region 2

Lavon Beard has over 16 years of healthcare experience. He is a licensed Physical Therapist who has practiced in several settings throughout his career. He earned a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of South Alabama. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Jackson State University. Throughout his career as a Physical Therapist, he has held several leadership roles. Those roles included Lead Physical Therapist and Manager of Physical Therapy at UAB, an 1,100 bed hospital.

To further his leadership skills, Mr. Beard earned a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is currently the Director of Patient Experience at Princeton Baptist Medical Center where he is focused on improving Customer Satisfaction and Employee Engagement. Mr. Beard is very excited about serving with ACHE and looking forward to an amazing year.

He and his wife, Latoya, have a son, Loren, and a daughter, Lexie.

Chapter Board Member – Director, Region 3

Chapter Board Member – Co-Director, Region 3

Chapter Board Member – Director, Region 4

Donna is a Senior Managing Consultant in BRG’s Healthcare Performance Improvement Portfolio Optimization Practice. Donna has more than 20 years in the hospital and physician clinic setting. Donna’s skill set in the acute & non-acute clinical settings have focused on operations, supply chain management, implementation, strategic planning, new program start-ups, quality, performance improvement, and physician-hospital collaboration/integration.

Donna received her Bachelor of Science (Nursing) from the University of South Alabama.  She is currently completing her Doctorate of Healthcare Administration and projected to be finished December 2020.

Regent

Robert Leech is the Alabama Regent for the American College of Healthcare Executives. Robert presently holds the position of Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer for Enhabit Home Health & Hospice. He has a Bachelors Degree from Christian Brothers University, a MPA degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Memphis, is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is certified by the Health Care Compliance Association in both healthcare compliance and healthcare privacy. He is a past president of the Tennessee Association for Home Care and a past board member of the National Association for Home Care, representing eight (8) states in the Southeastern US. Prior to joining Enhabit Home Health & Hospice, he was Vice President for Home Health & Compliance for Encompass Health beginning in 2006.