National Association of Health Services Executives Announces New Board Chair and Chair-Elect

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Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) – the premier non-profit association serving and advocating for Black executives in the health care industry – recently announced Deborah Lee-Eddie, LFACHE, CPC as its new Board Chair and Herbert C. Buchanan, Jr., MBA, MS, as Chair-Elect. Deborah and Herbert will assume their positions in October 2021.

In 2019 NAHSE adopted a set of strategies to assure its long-term sustainability and reaffirm its mission of empowering the next generation of Black healthcare leaders and advocating for access to healthcare services for minority and underserved populations. The National Board of Directors selection of these leaders is a significant milestone in achieving NAHSE’s two-year plan to transition its governance structure and operating model. The selection of the Board Chair Lee-Eddie and Chair-Elect Buchanan builds on the association’s robust leadership in the recent hiring of Lisa Maria Mallory, Ph.D., as the organization’s permanent Executive Director.

Chair Lee-Eddie, head of the independent consultancy DLE Group LLC, is a senior executive and professional coach specializing in coaching business executives to accelerate their personal and leadership effectiveness. Before forming the DLE Group, she enjoyed a successful 35-plus year career of progressively responsible leadership roles at the facility, market, and health system levels.  When living in Chattanooga, Chair Lee-Eddie was former Vice President, Patient Services at Erlanger Health Systems.

“I am honored to serve as NAHSE’s inaugural elected Board Chair and look forward to convening the National Board of Directors,” said Lee-Eddie. “The Board consists of multi­talented NAHSE member executives that well mirrors the professional diversity, gender, and age bands of the organization’s membership. In concert with Chair-Elect Buchanan and Immediate Past President Fabian Stone, we will oversee the next phase of NAHSE’s structural evolution. Transitioning daily operations and the implementation of strategy into the capable hands of Executive Director Lisa Mallory, the Board is well-positioned to focus its attention on the long­term sustainability and vitality of the organization.”

Chair-Elect Buchanan, a dynamic and effective leader, is currently Senior Vice President, Chief Regional Officer for the South Region of AMITA Health. Among his many career experiences, he has a wealth of senior-level executive experience in academic medical centers and systems, community hospitals, the American Hospital Association, and various health care organizations.

“I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Lisa Mallory, our new Executive Director, and Deborah Lee-Eddie, our Board Chair, to forge new directions and more meaningful accomplishments that build on the NAHSE tradition, vision, and values, and significantly impact health equity and the contributions of NAHSE members and supporters in an industry that is in desperate need. A significant amount of thought and follow through was committed to the evolution of a structure that will serve NAHSE well into the future, and we are grateful to all who were involved,” said Buchanan.

“Since its beginning in 1968, NAHSE has been committed to supporting and building a pipeline of Black healthcare leaders through conferences and educational offerings, mentoring, local chapter programming, and more,” said President Stone. “Our work starts with reaching out to students and continues throughout the length of the executive’s career. With the selection of Deborah and Herb as Chair and Chair-Elect, NAHSE will continue to significantly expand its scope and reach within the health care community. Moreover, these positions are the foundation for ensuring our governance structure is strong and effective.”