BOARD of Directors

Ron Peterson, FACHE Chairman President/CEO Baxter Health

Larry Shackelford, CPA, FACMPE Chairman-Elect CEO Washington Regional Medical System

Peggy Abbott Treasurer President/CEO

Ouachita County Medical Center

Chris Barber, FACHE Past-Chairman Delegate, American Hospital Association President/CEO St. Bernards Healthcare

Ryan Gehrig, FACHE Director, At-Large President Mercy Hospitals Arkansas

Robert Rupp Arkansas Valley District CEO Mena Regional Health System

Greg Crain, FACHE Metropolitan District President, Central Region Baptist Health

Barry Davis, FACHE Northeast District CEO

Arkansas Methodist Medical Center

Eric Pianalto Northwest District Chief Strategic Growth Officer

Mercy Hospitals Arkansas

David Deaton, FACHE North Central District CEO

Ozark Health Medical Center

Brian Thomas Southeast District CEO Jefferson Regional

Debra Wright, MSBA, RN Southwest District CEO Howard Memorial Hospital

Phillip Gilmore, PhD, FACHE

Trustee, Arkansas State Board of Health CEO Ashley County Medical Center

Gary Paxson, RN, BSN, MS Representative, QIO Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care President/CEO White River Health System

James Magee Ex-Officio Executive Director Piggott Community Hospital

Judy Shaffer President Arkansas Hospital Auxiliary Association Baxter Health

Guy Patteson President

Arkansas Association of Hospital Trustees St. Bernards Healthcare

With supply costs, workforce shortages, and violence against health care workers all on the rise, hospitals throughout the state are facing a complex set of longstanding challenges that have only been intensified by the immediate pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet hospitals' commitment to providing highquality care to all Arkansans has not wavered. More than ever, we are joining forces to face down the root causes of the crisis.

Using data and expertise, the Arkansas Hospital Association amplifies the voice of Arkansas’s hospitals in shaping health policy, driving quality improvement initiatives, providing opportunities for education and networking, and advocating for economic sustainability to support our diverse membership.