Council Nurtures Nashville’s Next Health Leaders
Published Apr 07, 2002
It took three or four years for the idea of a Young Health Care Leaders group in Nashville to take root, but in March 2002 the notion blossomed. That’s when the group, under the auspices of the Nashville Health Care Council, held its first meeting and 65 professionals showed up. Already there are more than 100 members on the roster.
Charlotte G. Graeber, the Health Care Council’s director of programs and communications, says young industry leaders approached the council for help and “to give it some backbone, credibility and more structure. Given that one of the missions of the Health Care Council is to foster the growth and development of the industry, this is a natural fit for us to work with this group.”
The members themselves, however, are running with the ball. At their first meeting, they elected David Killean, regional director of operations for AmSurg Corp., and Kimberly Goessele, assistant vice president of information systems for CHD Meridian Healthcare, as co-chairs. A steering committee of about 15 members was established to provide direction. Killean says the organization was founded “to provide educational networking opportunities for this next generation of health-care leaders.” Mentoring of young executives by seasoned health-care professionals will be another facet of the group’s work.
Graeber says one thing was clear after the brainstorming session at the first meeting: Education will be the top priority. “The focus of the first year of meetings will be how to keep Nashville relevant as a health-care industry capital as the overall health-care system changes nationally,” she explains.
Young Health Care Leaders didn’t set an age limit on membership. Similar groups in other cities have set the maximum age at 40, but Graeber says Nashville’s group won’t exclude members based on age.
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
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