Pressroom
VHHA Board of Directors Unanimously Elects Officers for 2024-2025 Term
April 17, 2024
Board Officers Serve 12-Month Terms, New Officer Slate Includes First African American Hospital Leader Elected as VHHA Board Chair
New Slate of VHHA Board of Directors Officers Includes VCU Health Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Michael Elliott, Valley Health System President and CEO Mark Nantz, and HCA Healthcare Capital Division President Dr. William Lunn
RICHMOND, VA – During its annual Spring Meeting today, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) elected the 2024-2025 slate of officers to its Board of Directors. The Board, comprised of hospital and health system leaders from across the Commonwealth, unanimously elected VCU Health Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Elliott as Chair, Valley Health System President and CEO Mark Nantz as Vice Chair, and HCA Healthcare Capital Division President Dr. William Lunn as Secretary-Treasurer. Elliott is the first African American Board Chair for the Association.
Other Board of Directors officers include Ballad Health Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Eric Deaton as the Immediate Past Chair, and VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. VHHA Board officers are elected to 12-month terms. In addition to the Board officers, VHHA’s Executive Committee includes Riverside Health System CEO Dr. Mike Dacey, Sentara Leigh Hospital President Joanne Inman, and Mary Washington Healthcare President and CEO Dr. Mike McDermott.
“Virginia hospitals are hubs of healing and wellness working on the leading edge of advancing clinical research and driving innovation to help people thrive in reaching their full potential,” said Elliott. “Across the Commonwealth, hospitals promote enhanced access to care, train future clinicians to offset workforce shortages, and stand ready to respond to public health crises. Knowing that challenges loom on the horizon, our shared focus remains on caring for patients and improving communities through collaboration. It is a humbling honor to be selected as VHHA Board Chair by my colleagues as we continue to work together to serve the health needs of Virginians.”
“The election of new Board officers is always an exciting occasion for the Association as we chart a course with our members to build on the progress that has been made,” added Connaughton. “The selection of Michael Elliott as Board Chair is particularly noteworthy because it represents an important and historic milestone for VHHA: He is the first African American hospital leader to hold that post. Michael has been a friend and colleague for many years, and I relish the opportunity to work alongside him and our entire Board of Directors in pursuit of making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation.”
Officers elected to the VHHA Board of Directors during the annual Spring Meeting are:
- Board Chair Michael Elliott, PharmD, MSHA, FACHE, is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for VCU Health. In his current role, Elliott has responsibility for integrating the academic health system’s organizational strategic plan with its operations. Prior to VCU Health, Elliott held several leadership roles with Lynchburg, Virginia-based Centra Health System including Interim President and CEO, Senior Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, and Chief Operating Officer. Elliott is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
- Board Vice Chair Mark Nantz, MHA, FACHE, is President and CEO for Valley Health System. Prior to joining the Winchester, Virginia-based health system, Nantz served in executive roles with Bon Secours Mercy Health, including chief administrative officer and Atlantic Group President; prior to that role, he was executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Bon Secours. He has also held executive positions at Carolinas Healthcare System (now Advocate Health) and leadership roles in the audit practice of KPMG Peat Marwick. He is a former Certified Public Accountant and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
- Dr. William Lunn, President of HCA Healthcare Capital Division, is the new Secretary-Treasurer. Dr. Lunn is a physician leader who previously served as CEO of Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals, President and CEO of Tulane Health System, Chief Operating Officer of Christus Health Northern Louisiana, and Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs and Vice President of Medical Affairs at the Baylor College of Medicine.
About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 111 hospitals and 26 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.
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