Mentorship program will pair 15 diverse individuals
with eight senior executive mentors.
Cary, NC – January 22, 2021 – The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation (NCHF) today announced the second class of participants in a mentorship program designed to help cultivate a diverse pipeline of leaders for the healthcare field. The seven-month program has grown this year to pair 15 high-achieving women and men from underrepresented communities who are already employed in healthcare with eight executive leaders from health systems, hospitals and the North Carolina Healthcare Association who will serve as mentors.
As both national and North Carolina demographics continue to shift, hospital and health system executives increasingly want to develop and promote diverse future leaders who can contribute different perspectives to issues and help to accelerate industry innovation and transformation.
Starting in February and running through August, participants will meet monthly with their mentors where they will gain confidence in areas such as financial management, leadership development, staff coaching and negotiating skills. They will separately meet for up to two hours per month with their fellow mentees. The program also provides access to educational programs and networking opportunities that include the healthcare association’s annual Winter and Summer Membership Meetings where they can interact with senior healthcare executives from across the state.
Reflecting on the impact of participating in the first year of the program, mentor Greg Wood, President & CEO of Scotland Health Care System said, “I enjoyed the program immensely and clearly gained more from my mentees than I provided them, especially related to my role to better understand and promote diversity in our industry. As a long-tenured CEO at a traditional hospital system, I enjoyed the discussions about how care and leadership will be different in the future. With their thoughtfulness and talent, all three of my mentees left me very encouraged about the future of our industry.”
Another mentor, NCHF Board Chair Phyllis Wingate, a retired, former President SVP Northern Division for Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord said, “All young leaders need guidance early in their careers, especially those who have limited access to senior leaders or mentors because they are part of a minority group. I was eager to be a mentor for the new mentorship program because it provided me the opportunity to give back to a profession that has given so much to me and to support young minority leaders the way I was supported.“
2021 Program Mentees:
- Christopher Bridgeman of Laurinburg, Director of Nutrition at Scotland Memorial Hospital
- Turkeisha Brown of Chapel Hill, Patient Service Manager III/Nurse Manager at UNC Medical Center
- Alexandra Collins of Chapel Hill, Strategy Consultant at UNC Health
- Alvin D’Angelo of Durham, Administrative Director of Ambulatory Surgery at Duke University Hospital
- William English of Durham, Administrative Manager at Duke Health
- Marcus Finnie of Raleigh, Revenue Manager, Hospital Billing and Claims at Duke University Health System
- KaSheta Jackson, DNP of Greenville, Nursing Executive Fellow at Vidant Health
- Sonia Kaul of Durham, Manager of Patient Revenue at Duke University Health System
- Stephen Logan of Greensboro, Administrative Fellow at Cone Health
- Jennifer Mack of Durham, Clinical Nurse IV at UNC Health
- Diane Mitchell of Raleigh, Director of Operations Administration at Duke Raleigh Hospital
- Nadia Pasha, MD of Raleigh, Associate Medical Director at Duke Raleigh Hospital Medicine
- Ram Rimal of Chapel Hill, Manager of Data Science Engineering at UNC Health
- Michael Smith of Charlotte, Senior Manager, Ambulatory Services at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Pineville
- Deborah Wang of Chapel Hill, System Manager, Strategic Planning at UNC Health
2021 Program Mentors:
- Allison Davenport, CEO, Brynn Marr Hospital
- Greg Gombar, Board Member, North Carolina Healthcare Foundation and Retired Executive Vice President, CFO Atrium Health
- Marlon Julius, Administrator of Operations, Vidant Health
- Christine Khandelwal, DO, Vice President of Education and Strategic Outreach, Transitions Life Care and Director of Palliative Care Inpatient Service, WakeMed Health & Hospitals
- Steve Lawler, President & CEO, North Carolina Healthcare Association
- Alvin C. Powell, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Annie Penn Hospital and Chief Health Equity Officer, Cone Health
- Phyllis A. Wingate, Board Chair, North Carolina Healthcare Foundation and Retired Senior Vice President/President Carolinas Health System Northeast
- Greg Wood, President & CEO, Scotland Health Care System
In addition, the North Carolina Healthcare Association and the North Carolina Healthcare Foundation congratulate the following individuals who were the inaugural class of participants and have completed the program:
- Alicia Barfield, Manager, Duke Health Strategic Planning at Duke University Health System in Durham
- Geard Fossett, Corporate Financial Analyst at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem
- Candace Gaillard, Diabetes Program Manager at Novant Health in Charlotte
- Cinthya Garcia White, Quality Improvement Facilitator at Cone Health in Greensboro
- Garland F. Goins, Jr., Director of Revenue and Documentation Integrity at Duke University Health System in Durham
- Katherine Jordan, Assistant Director Human Resources at Duke Health – Private Diagnostic Clinic PLLC
- LeVelton Thomas, Program Director, Operations & Management Services at Duke University Hospital: Private Diagnostic Clinic in Durham
A video, available here, features members of the first class of the NCHF Diverse Leaders Mentorship Program sharing their appreciation for being part of this initiative.
About NCHA
Founded in 1918, North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) is the united voice of the North Carolina healthcare community. Representing more than 130 hospitals, health systems, physician groups and other healthcare organizations, NCHA works with our members to improve the health of North Carolina communities by advocating for sound public policies and collaborative partnerships and by providing insights, services, support and education to expand access to high quality, efficient, affordable and integrated health care for all North Carolinians.
About NCHF
The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. Established in 1961, the Foundation supports the Association’s work in quality improvement, rural healthcare and education, including supporting data-driven initiatives to improve healthcare.
Media contact:
Cynthia Charles, North Carolina Healthcare Association
Office: 919-677-4223; Cell: 336-816-4939
Email: CCharles@ncha.org
