Campaign Phone
9414081984
I'm currently the Treasurer at SMH. But my involvement started years ago when I was a student at Pine View. I spend a year as an intern at each department at the hospital under former CEO Jack Floyd. I continued after college to serve on the hospital computer services board. SMH is the largest employer from St. Petersburg to Ft Myers with almost 12,000 employees. It's one of region's treasures; healthcare is so important in Sarasota and I am glad to be a part of it. I'm fiscally conservative and as an independent director, I serve as a governance watchdog. This is an important election as the board is shifting from an independent board to a board composed of former employees of the hospital who worked for management.
Sarasota Memorial provided almost $350 million in community services to Sarasota. We receive tax money from your property taxes; as a board, we need to be good stewards of this funding.
I pushed for using Federal drug purchase programs that were not used by SMH in the past. As a fiscal conservative, I use laser vision to review each financial statement and audit to ask questions and find cost savings. There is much more work to be done and the SMH team is leading this effort.
I took the first company public in Sarasota many years ago. As a serial entrepreneur, I have taken three companies public. One was a healthcare company that provided early detection of breast cancer using angiogenesis. I was very proud of being able to both build a great company as well as save so many woman's lives.
I've been appointed to jobs by two US Presidents and three governors. I've grown and led major public companies, including Federal and State government programs.
I am strongly against privatizing Sarasota Memorial Hospital. I grew up in Venice and saw the results of the sale of Venice Hospital to a private institution. That hospital is now bankrupt. That cannot be our future.
I might add that my opponent worked on a sale/joint management agreement with a Tampa hospital for Sarasota Memorial. I would strongly vote against that.
I provide continuity for the major projects on the near horizon. This includes 1) Completion of the North Port Hospital ($450 million); 2) Conversion of our 90 unrelated software systems into a single Epic Software system (an almost $200 million project); 3) Governance issues regarding CEO compensation, capital purchases, and 4) Long term planning for expansion of our facilities to meet the needs of our community.
I have a wealth of experience in healthcare leadership which I will use as a board member to ensure the continued success of Sarasota Memorial Hospital. I served as SMH’s Chief Financial Officer for 12 years from 2010 to 2022, and prior to coming to SMH I was CFO of a non-profit 4-hospital system in the Tampa/St Pete market. My positions required me to make presentations at hospital board meetings. Additionally, I have served on the boards of several non-profit companies that provide services to non-profit and govern hospitals.
As a board member I will work with management and the Florida Hospital Association to voice my concerns at the Federal and State level. Legislators need to be more informed of the impacts of their actions on patients.
I hold bachelor's degrees in Economics and Accounting, and an MBA degree. I also have a CPA license now on inactive status.
My career was focused on financial management of non-profit hospitals and healthcare systems, and I held Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer positions from 1995 to 2022.
I strongly believe Sarasota Memorial Hospital best serves the community as a public institution.
I will strongly oppose any privatization effort.
- SMH must continue to grow its service locations in order to meet the needs of population growth throughout Sarasota County. I will work at the Board level to ensure a great strategy for increasing services in areas that need more convenient healthcare services locations.
- The national nursing shortage impacts all hospitals. As a Board member I will work to support all efforts to recruit high-quality nurses and other clinical workers so that SMH retains its reputation as the premier high-quality provider for patients.
- Continued growth of physician specialist services will enable SMH and First Physicians Group to offer patients all the services that they may need while staying local. As a board member I will support this growth.
