References

Gwen Walsh – Chief Executive Officer

Published: 24 January 2016
Written by Brian E. Thomas
Categories: References

Gwen WalshI have had the pleasure of working with Brian in several leadership-related capacities. He is a critical thinking, quick-learning, determined, impeccably organized and, above all else, people-centric CIO.

While Brian is certainly innovative, strategic, technology fluent, business savvy and customer care focused, watching him authentically connect with his team is simply inspiring. Albeit many leaders claim that their people are their #1 asset, spend just 5 minutes with Brian’s organization and you’ll soon discover that he is “the real deal” — in the eyes of his people. He has mastered the art of bringing out the very best in each person, appreciating their diversity and uniqueness, to where the sum of the whole is exponentially more powerful than its individual members.

What I also admire about Brian is his “can do”, break-through-all-obstacles attitude that is fueled by his energy, positivity, professional passion and capacity to take on herculean efforts because he is truly driven by a future of possibilities. I’m not in the least surprised that Brian continues to advance in his career via earned promotions and role expansions.  ~Gwen Walsh

Gwen Walsh Bio

Gwen Walsh approach is targeted — She helps C-Levels/Executives Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebrand to stay ahead of their competition, stay in touch with their customers and stay in high demand in a rapidly changing world.

As a former CIO/SVP/Partner of a global services firm with Fortune 500 experience, a current business owner of a thriving 13+ year consulting firm and a lifetime High Performing Achiever, Gwen has personally lived the pressures that C-Levels/Executives face. My mission is to position C-Levels/Executives for enduring professional and personal success and fulfillment. In doing so, Gwen assists her clients with conquering their most complex workplace needs and challenges plus leverage her innate branding and marketing capabilities to help them:

♦ Stay ahead of their competition
♦ Stay in touch with their customers
♦ Stay in high demand in a rapidly changing world

Gwen thanks all her Recommenders, Endorsers, and Clients for allowing her the opportunity to earn your trust, deliver as she has promised and revel in your many successes!

Teresa Collins – Chief Nursing Officer

Published: 17 March 2015
Written by Brian E. Thomas
Categories: References

Teresa CollinsI have had the pleasure and opportunity to work with Brian as a peer on our Executive Team.  As a leader, he is superb at pulling resources together on a moment’s notice to address crucial customer or patient related matters.  His ability to come up with both short-term solutions and long-term strategies for the organization is extraordinary.  Not only does he possess a high level of technical knowledge, but is very clear when he communicates to the business on business matters.  His compassion, customer service, responsiveness, and commitment are truly second-to-none.  Brian is one of the easiest people to work with and is very accountable. He would complement any team or organization. I would enjoy the opportunity to work with him again, and have tried a few times to recruit him to some of my new teams. ~ Teresa Collins

Teresa Collins has a illustrious career in Healthcare in and around the Kansas City area. Most notably as a Chief Nursing Officer for 20 years.  Most recently, she joined Cabe Consulting, who took over Rock Regional Hospital as the new management team for the hospital and the group then installed Teresa Collins as interim CEO at Rock Regional effective April 6, 2020.

Since those changes went into effect in early April, a major focus for both Collins and the new management group has been working out the Derby hospital’s current financial situation – relating both to COVID-19 and overall operations.

Cabe Consulting CEO Kevin Hicks reached out to Collins given their previous work history, as Collins noted she spent four years as a Chief Nursing Officer reporting to Hicks and has known him for 20 years. Most recently, Collins – who has 39 years in the health care industry and 33 as a registered nurse – served as President of the St. Luke’s Community hospitals in Kansas City.

Scott Kashman, FACHE – Healthcare Executive

Published: 9 March 2015
Written by Brian E. Thomas
Categories: References

Scott Kashman, FACHEBrian and I worked together at Ascension Health’s subsidiary, Carondelet Health in Kansas City. Brian’s strong leadership played a key role on our Information Systems department. Brian was responsible for implementing and integrating new technology. One major conversion stands out where Brian led the effort every step of the way including serving as our Incident Commander through the process. His communication skills are superb and he has a great strength in physician and staff relations.

Brian and I continue to stay in touch and he is invaluable guiding me with technology and social media communication integration.

Brian’s strong leadership skills, physician relationships, understanding of organizational processes and technology served our organization well.  ~Scott Kashman

Currently, Scott Kashman, MHA, FACHE, is the market president for St. Dominic Health Services and CEO of St. Dominic Hospital.

Scott brings a tremendous depth of experience in healthcare operations, notably in building high performing teams within integrated health systems. He is a proven leader in Catholic healthcare recognizing its unique opportunities as a ministry of the Church and community contributor. His sensitivities to the needs of Mississippi families inform his leadership for prioritizing sustainability and community impact, while his authenticity in physician relationships is instrumental to achieving quality and experience goals.

Scott Kashman served as the chief officer of hospital operations and system ancillary services for Lee Health in Florida, overseeing the four acute care hospitals. His nearly three-decade career reflects increasing responsibilities in ambulatory and acute operational roles including senior executive positions with Cape Coral Hospital and St. Joseph Medical Center. As an executive leader in both Ascension and Mercy Health, he helped strengthen overall performance while growing market presence for the integrated operations of acute care and multi-specialty physician enterprise activities.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Scott began his career in healthcare as a psychiatric counselor. His interest in helping others joined with his business acumen and strategy led him to complete his Master of Health Administration from Tulane University. He is an Ethics Fellow, Center for Disability Ethics: Northwestern University School of Medicine and co-author of the book, Mindful Healthcare: Healthy Team, Healthy Business.

Michael Aldridge – Chief Information Officer

Published: 8 March 2015
Written by Brian E. Thomas
Categories: References

Michael AldridgeAs the leader of the PMO in KC, Brian led the organization through significant change. The outcome of his work has created an environment where the business can make better, more well informed decisions about its strategic projects. Brian’s robust knowledge about IT and healthcare, along with his dedication make him a huge asset to any team. I would love the opportunity to work with him again.

~Michael Aldridge

Michael Aldridge Bio

Former CIO with City of Lawrence. Former CIO with Johnson County KS Government. Former ACO Executive Director with Aledade.

With over twenty-five years’ experience working with Information Technology, Michael has knowledge in all aspects, including system engineering, operations, programming, data center design, LAN/WAN, help-desk, cybersecurity and business continuity.

The majority of Michael’s experience has been in healthcare, where he had the privilege to help improve care locally and nationally. Michael has worked in a variety of settings, including: small community hospitals, critical access and rural hospitals, FQHCs, RHCs, large health systems, ACOs, mental health centers and public health departments.

As the CIO with Johnson County Government, Michael Aldridge worked with a team of nearly 100 staff and a budget of ~$18M. Together JoCo served a diverse and expanding population through five agencies and 34 county departments. More than 3,800 public servants are dedicated to helping Johnson County remain a safe, vibrant community. We served approximately 575,000 residents (the most populous of all Kansas Counties).

With tw-Security Michael worked as part of a strong team of nationally recognized cybersecurity professionals experienced in privacy, security and risk management. They served as virtual information security officers, conduct risk analysis, provide cybersecurity program support, disaster recovery planning, OCR audit preparation, and generally worked to make our teams stronger.

Now with Gartner, Michael serves on the Research and Advisory Team focusing on Business Continuity and Risk Management.