Steven H. Lipstein, BJC President and Chief Executive Officer

Lipstein oversees one of the nation’s largest health care organizations, with annual net revenues of
$3.8 billion and more than 28,000 employees in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. BJC HealthCare serves patients and their families in urban, suburban and rural communities through its 13 hospitals and other health-service organizations. Its teaching hospitals, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, are affiliated with internationally renowned Washington University School of Medicine, consistently ranked among the nation’s best medical schools and research institutions.

Lipstein serves on the St. Louis Regional Health Commission and sits on the Board of the Missouri Hospital Association. At Washington University in St. Louis, Lipstein serves on the Board of Trustees, on the School of Medicine National Council, and is chair of the Institute of Public Health National Advisory Council. 

Lipstein serves on the Board of Directors of Ameren, an electrical utility company with assets of $24 billion, on the Teach for America – St. Louis Regional Advisory Board and on the Board of Trustees at Emory University. In 2010, he was appointed by the United States Comptroller General as Vice Chair of the Board of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Lipstein is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank.

Spanning three decades, Lipstein’s education and professional career has taken him from Emory University to Duke University for college and graduate school respectively, to Massachusetts General Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospitals and Health System, the University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System, and now to BJC HealthCare, where he has served as president and chief executive officer since 1999.


Kevin Roberts, BJC Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

As BJC HealthCare’s chief financial officer, Roberts’ role is to ensure the organization’s current and long-term financial success. He has responsibility for finance, treasury, reimbursement and managed care contracting. Roberts is also the champion for the revenue cycle initiative, a multiyear BJC-wide effort to overhaul the entire administrative side of the patient’s experience from scheduling to final payment; and IMPPACT, a transformational initiative to enhance and standardize BJC business processes through the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology.

In 2008, Roberts came to BJC from University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland, where he was senior vice president and chief financial officer. In this role, Roberts had responsibility for finance, information technology, insurance and corporate risk management, managed care and treasury. During his tenure at University Hospitals, the system accomplished a multiyear financial turnaround that improved profitability by $250 million, the development of a new delivery and application model for information technology, and the restructuring and broad diversification of investment assets resulting in substantially improved investment returns.

Prior to joining the leadership team of University Hospitals in 2001, Roberts served for 9 years as treasurer of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an 11-hospital, integrated health system. A certified public accountant, Roberts began his career with the public accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company.

Roberts earned his MBA from Bradley University and his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. He currently serves as a member of the Investment Committee for Carle Foundation Hospital in Champaign/Urbana, Illinois.


Michael A. DeHaven, BJC Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Prior to joining BJC in 1996, DeHaven practiced law as a partner at Bryan Cave LLP, a national and international law practice with headquarters in St. Louis. DeHaven’s practice emphasized mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and general corporate matters.

DeHaven previously served as general counsel, senior vice president and secretary for a large insurance and financial services corporation in Philadelphia. Prior to this position he was chairman of the corporate department for the St. Louis-based law firm Thompson Coburn (formerly Thompson & Mitchell).

DeHaven holds a bachelor of arts degree from Purdue University and a Juris Doctorate from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

He is a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, American Health Lawyers Association, Missouri Bar Association and American Bar Association. He is active in the St. Louis community and is a member of Webster University Board of Trustees, the Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of Saint Louis ConnectCare, and the Board of Directors of Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club. He also serves on the Board of the Medical Liability Alliance and the Advisory Board of FM Global Insurance Company.


Rhonda Brandon, BJC Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Brandon has primary responsibility for all aspects of the human resources organization including strategy, planning, recruitment, employee relations, compensation and benefits. She leads the Human Resources Council, a cross-organizational team of human resources professionals from BJC’s hospitals and health-service organizations, focused on establishing and sharing best practices across the organization.

Brandon joined the organization in 2006 as vice president of human resources for BJC’s largest community hospital, Missouri Baptist Medical Center. There she was responsible for leading and implementing strategic human resources programs and practices. Her efforts focused on creating an engaged culture of employees and leaders passionate about delivering extraordinary patient care, which contributed to the hospital’s patient satisfaction scores reaching the top 10 percent nationwide in 2009 and 2010. Brandon also led the incorporation of LEAN/Six Sigma change management practices to significantly improve the patient, employee and physician experience. Additionally, Brandon spearheaded the creation of leadership development programs, which served to strengthen leadership effectiveness throughout the organization.

Prior to BJC HealthCare, Brandon held human resources management positions with the IBM Corporation, Hughes Electronics, Nike Incorporated and Colonial Pipeline Company.

Brandon earned a master’s degree in organizational development from American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia.


Carlos Perea, BJC Senior Vice President of Talent Management

Prior to joining BJC in 2006, Perea served in human resources leadership roles with several large corporations including BellSouth in Atlanta, Georgia; Alfa Laval in Warminster, Pennsylvania; and General Electric (GE) at various locations around the country. He has experience in executive recruiting, labor relations, organization and leadership development, and staffing.

Perea is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and has extensive experience positioning the human resources function as a strategic business partner. He also holds GE CAP (Change Acceleration Program) certification and is a recognized Work Out Facilitator. Perea earned his bachelor’s degree from Temple University and is a graduate of a number of HR management programs.


David A. Weiss, BJC Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

As senior vice president and chief information officer for BJC HealthCare, David Weiss is responsible for planning, developing and supporting information technology and telecommunications initiatives throughout BJC’s hospitals and service organizations. He also serves as chairman of the Telecommunication Facilities Corporation (TFC), a joint venture between BJC HealthCare and the Washington University School of Medicine that provides all voice communication services to the Washington University Medical Center campus.
 
Weiss joined BJC HealthCare in 1990. As chief information officer, he oversees a $150 million annual capital and operating budget and a staff of 700 professionals that specialize in clinical-based software solutions, integration of disparate systems and expert systems intended to support caregivers in clinical practices. He also leads BJC's Best-In-Class Clinical Quality Initiatives with Dr. Clay Dunagan.

Weiss earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science from Washington University in St. Louis in 1976. He is Vice Chair, Board of Directors of the Missouri Health Information Organization, and a member of numerous professional organizations including the Healthcare Information Systems Executives Association (past Chairman), the American Medical Informatics Association and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. He is a member of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and serves as a lecturer in the Health Administration Program of the Washington University School of Medicine.


Robert W. Cannon, BJC Group President

As group president for BJC HealthCare, Bob Cannon leads shared services organizations in the areas of strategic planning; capital budgeting; supply chain operations; clinical asset management; facilities planning, design and construction; real estate operations; and performance improvement. He also has executive responsibility for BJC Home Care Services, BJC Behavioral Health Services and BJC Corporate Health Services.

Before joining BJC in 2000, Cannon was assistant dean of the University of Chicago’s Division of the Biological Sciences and Pritzker School of Medicine. His prior experience includes positions with Argonne National Laboratory, Lockheed Corporation and the federal Office of Management and Budget.

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Cannon also holds an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Cannon serves on the boards of the American Hospital Association (Regional Policy Board), Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Gateway Area Chapter), the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation, CORTEX biosciences district, and the Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance.


Sandra A. Van Trease, BJC Group President

Sandra Van Trease, group president for BJC HealthCare, provides strategic leadership and direction to the BJC Collaborative LLC, an association of St. Luke’s Health System (Kansas City, Mo.), CoxHealth (Springfield, Mo.), BJC HealthCare (St. Louis, Mo.) and Memorial Health System (Springfield, Mo.). She also is responsible for overall business and growth strategies for a select group of BJC’s community hospitals, including Boone Hospital Center, Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital and Parkland Health Center in Missouri; and Clay County Hospital in Illinois, and the BJC Medical Group, to ensure outstanding clinical quality, operating efficiencies and financial stability. In 2012, Van Trease was appointed president of BJC HealthCare’s Accountable Care Organization. She also serves as a member of the senior management team at BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States.
Van Trease joined BJC in 2004, following a successful career as president and CEO of UNICARE, a managed health care company serving 1.7 million members as part of the WellPoint Health Networks Inc. family of companies. She also held a number of leadership positions with RightCHOICE Managed Care (former parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri and HealthLink, Inc.), including serving as president and COO. Prior to RightCHOICE, Van Trease spent 12 years with Price Waterhouse.
Van Trease earned her master’s degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis, and her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. She is a certified public accountant and a certified management accountant. In 2004, she received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis for achieving distinction in her field and for contributing to the betterment of the university and the St. Louis community.
Van Trease is an active member of the St. Louis community and serves on a number of civic and corporate boards, including Peabody Energy, Enterprise Financial Services Corporation, St. Louis Regional Business Council, University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor’s Council, Washington University School of Business National Council, United Way Campaign Cabinet, Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation and the St. Louis Police Foundation. Her leadership has been recognized by several organizations including the St. Louis Business Journal, Modern Healthcare and the YWCA of Metropolitan St. Louis. Recently, Van Trease was identified as one of the Becker’s Hospital Review “Most Influential Women to Know in Healthcare” and as one of the “Women to Watch” by the Missouri Society of CPAs.


Lee F. Fetter, BJC Group President

Lee Fetter serves as group president for BJC HealthCare, with responsibilities for the organization's clinical quality and patient safety initiatives coordinated by the Center for Clinical Excellence, and employee education and training programs offered through the BJC Learning Institute and Center for Lifelong Learning. Fetter also leads clinical workflow improvement and computerized physician order entry initiatives for the organization and oversees the success of several BJC hospitals -- St. Louis Children's Hospital, Alton Memorial Hospital, Christian Hospital and Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

From 2002 to 2012, Fetter served as president of St. Louis Children's Hospital, one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the United States. As pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.

Founded in 1879, Children’s Hospital provides a full range of pediatric services to the St. Louis metropolitan area and a primary service region covering six states. As the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.

Fetter joined Children’s in 2002 from Washington University School of Medicine, where he served as associate vice chancellor, administration and finance, and chief operating officer of the Faculty Practice Plan, the affiliated 970-physician group practice.  There he was responsible for all financial, facilities, planning and general business affairs of the school and related activities with the affiliated teaching hospitals, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Fetter also served as president of Health Partners of the Midwest commercial health maintenance organization in 2000 and as chief financial officer of the School of Medicine from 1983 to 1990.

Prior to joining Washington University School of Medicine, Fetter served as executive director of the Health and Educational Facilities Authority of the State of Missouri and as director of planning for St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Fetter earned his undergraduate degree at St. Louis University and a master’s degree in higher education administration and finance at Harvard University.

Fetter is active in the St. Louis community through involvement in numerous Boards of Directors and School Boards, and in several professional organizations, including the Children’s Health Corporation of America, and the National Association for Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, where he served as chairman of the Council for Child Advocacy. He also serves on the Board of the Children’s Discovery Institute, a research partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University. He has also served as a Board member of the Parents as Teachers National Center and the St. Louis Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and currently serves on the Boards of Mid-America Transplant Services and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.


Richard J. Liekweg, BJC Group President
President, Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Richard J. Liekweg is group president of BJC HealthCare and president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center is a 1,200-bed facility located in St. Louis, that is consistently ranked in the Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
 
Previous to his current position, Liekweg served as chief executive officer and associate vice chancellor for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center from 2003 to 2009. In this position, he was responsible for overall management of the university’s 550-bed academic medical center.
 
Prior to joining UCSD, Liekweg spent more than 16 years in positions of increasing responsibility at Duke University Health System, including serving as chief executive officer of Durham Regional Hospital from 1999 to 2003.
 
Liekweg is recognized as a talented administrator and leader who establishes strong relationships with faculty and staff, and understands the special missions of academic medical centers and community hospitals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in Health Services Administration and an MBA, both from the University of Michigan. He serves on a number of professional and community boards and was honored as a Modern Healthcare Up & Comer in 2001. 

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s leading hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and for 20 consecutive years has been named to the magazine’s Honor Roll of “America’s best Hospitals.” Barnes-Jewish Hospital is home to 15 specialties ranked among the best nationally including cancer; digestive disorders; ear, nose and throat; eyes; geriatrics; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; hormonal disorders; kidney disease; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; psychiatry; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology.


W. Claiborne Dunagan, MD, BJC Vice President, Center for Health Care Quality and Effectiveness

Dr. Clay Dunagan provides leadership for the organization on quality assessment and improvement initiatives. He also directs the BJC Center for Clinical Excellence, which is responsible for supporting the members of BJC HealthCare in measuring and enhancing the quality of care. The Center comprises a diverse group of health care professionals, including epidemiologists, analysts, computer programmers, industrial engineers and quality consultants.

Dr. Dunagan has been heading up health care quality efforts at BJC HealthCare since 1994.  He also is a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, where he holds appointments in the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and General Medical Sciences in the Department of Medicine.  Dr. Dunagan is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases and maintains clinical appointments in both at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Dr. Dunagan earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  He received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital and an infectious disease fellowship at Washington University. He served as chief resident of internal medicine for Barnes Hospital before joining the Washington University School of Medicine faculty.

Dr. Dunagan also completed post-graduate training in health care epidemiology, quality and outcomes assessment, and quality improvement.
In addition to his corporate and clinical care responsibilities, Dr. Dunagan actively participates in health services research with an emphasis on health care epidemiology, quality improvement, and the use of information technology to enhance patient care.  He also lectures to medical students, physicians and executives on infectious diseases, clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and quality improvement.

Dr. Dunagan has spoken at numerous national meetings on quality assessment and improvement and has co-authored many publications in infectious diseases, epidemiology and quality improvement.  He represents BJC at the National Quality Forum and is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society of Health Care Epidemiologists of America, and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.


June McAllister Fowler, BJC Vice President, Corporate and Public Communications

Fowler leads internal, external and public policy communications, and community relations efforts on behalf of BJC HealthCare. She has responsibility for multiple areas, including media relations, executive communications, community benefit, community affairs, health literacy, corporate marketing, creative services, web development, media services and the award-winning employee newspaper, BJC Today.

Prior to joining BJC, Fowler was senior director of communications and community affairs for Mallinckrodt. She began her career as an urban planner with St. Louis County government, ultimately serving as director of the Department of Planning.

Fowler earned her master’s degree in urban affairs from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Fowler has been an active volunteer throughout the region for many years. She currently serves as vice president of the St. Louis County Economic Council and is a Board member of the St. Louis Science Center, Associated Industries of Missouri and Citizens for Modern Transit. She also serves as a member of UMB Bank’s St. Louis Advisory Board. Fowler is a past chair of the Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis and the Metropolitan Association for Philanthropy. Fowler teaches Sunday school classes and directs the children’s services at her church.

Fowler has received a number of awards in recognition of her leadership and service. She received the 1999 St. Louis Suburban Journals and KMOX Radio’s Women of Achievement Award, the 2000 Corporate Citizen Award from the St. Louis Business Journal, the 2001 Coro Community Leadership Award and the 2002 National Eagle Leadership Institute Award. In 2004, Fowler was inducted into the YWCA of Metro St. Louis Academy of Leaders, in 2005 was named one of the Most Influential Minority Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal, and in 2010 was named Corporate Executive of the year by St. Louis American newspaper


JoAnn M. Shaw, BJC Vice President and Chief Learning Officer

Shaw oversees BJC's adult learning initiatives, including the BJC Center for Lifelong Learning and partnerships with local colleges and universities. Shaw joined BJC in 2001 as vice president and chief human resources officer and established the BJC Center for Lifelong Learning to open new career paths for employees through learning and development opportunities. Since then the BJC Center for Lifelong Learning has won national awards from the American Society for Training and Development, Brandon Hall Research, and the Corporate University Exchange/Wharton Business School and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. The Center was named a 2011 Learning Leader by Bersin & Associates, a national research and consulting firm.

Before joining BJC, Shaw held leadership roles at University of Chicago Hospitals and Health System, Michael Reese Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hospital, and FMC Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, and San Jose, California. She has extensive experience in human resources administration with an emphasis on change management, employee-labor relations, human resources re-engineering in health care and developing a corporate “university” for employee education.

Shaw earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Notre Dame, and a certificate in Employee Relations Law from the Institute for Applied Management and Law in California.

Four times, Shaw has received the American Hospital Association Best Practices Award. She received the FMLA Leadership Legislative Award from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) in 2000, was named one of Chicago’s “100 Women Making a Difference” by the city’s Today’s Chicago Woman in 2001, and received the YWCA Leader of Distinction award in 2005. She was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the region’s “Most Influential Business Women” in 2008, and was featured in Chief Learning Officer magazine in 2010.

Shaw has served on both the national and St. Louis chapter Boards of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Association, on the state Board of March of Dimes and on the local Boards of Junior Achievement and OASIS. She currently serves on the Development Committee for Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club, and is a Board member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of St. Louis, Barat Academy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and on the national Board for the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning.


Doug Black, President, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital

As president of Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Doug Black leads a hospital that has been brining high-quality health care to west St. Louis County since 1989.

Black initially served as director of oncology and digestive disease when he joined Missouri Baptist Medical Center in 2004. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles for more than 14 years with Covenant Health in Knoxville, Tennessee. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital provides comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services, a heart and Vascular Center, pulmonary function, radiology, Siteman Cancer Center, a Sleep Disorders Center, and physical therapy and rehabilitation, as well as a full range of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures including colorectal; urology; orthopedics; ear nose and throat and ophthalmology. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital #4 on a list of top St. Louis metro hospitals, and #8 in Missouri. Consumer Reports magazine also ranked Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital as one of the safest in the St. Louis metro area and in the state of Missouri based on its review of publicly available patient safety and quality data in 2012.


Joan Magruder, President, St. Louis Children's Hospital

As president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Joan Magruder leads one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the United States, serving not just the children of St. Louis, but children around the world.

Magruder joined BJC as vice president of business development, physician services and alternate care sites in 2000 from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, where she served as administrator of the department of surgery, outpatient services, transplantation and the physician group practice. Magruder holds a master’s degree in business administration from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

Founded in 1879, Children’s Hospital provides a full range of pediatric services to the St. Louis metropolitan area and a primary service region covering six states. As the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.

Dave Braasch, President, Alton Memorial Hospital

As president of Alton Memorial Hospital, Dave Braasch directs the operation of a 206-bed full-service acute-care hospital that serves patients in a five-county area. In addition to the Hospital, Braasch has responsibility for the affiliated 62-bed long-term care facility, Eunice Smith Home, on the Alton Memorial campus.

Founded in 1937, Alton Memorial Hospital is in the center of nearly 100 acres of beautifully landscaped and wooded hills in historic Alton, Illinois. The Hospital was a gift to the community from the Smith family of Alton. Today, Alton Memorial offers patients a variety of inpatient and outpatient services, including surgery services, medical imaging, interventional and diagnostic heart services, physical therapy, rehabilitation and 24-hour emergency care. In 2010, the hospital opened the Duncan Wing, a major bed tower expansion, which houses 76 state-of-the-art private rooms and six observation rooms as well as a spacious new lobby, patient registration, pharmacy, laboratory and
medical imaging reception area.

Braasch has played an instrumental role in Alton Memorial’s growth, and was named the Hospital’s president in 2007. He served as assistant administrator of support services from 1998 until he was promoted to vice president of professional services and business development in
2006. In these roles he led development of the Hospital’s Cancer Care Center, expansion and renovation of the Heart & Vascular Center, implementation of the Human Motion Institute and relocation of the Sleep Disorders Center to the Holiday Inn-Alton.

Braasch began his career at Alton Memorial as a staff pharmacist. He later was promoted to manage the Hospital’s pharmacy. In 1995, he was named regional director of pharmacy for Christian Hospital Northeast-Northwest and Alton Memorial Hospital.

Braasch holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He is active in community organizations, serving on the boards of directors for the United Way, the Riverbend Head Start and the Riverbend Growth Association. He also is the board president of the St. Paul Trinity Lutheran School, past president of the American Diabetes Association Leadership Council for Madison County and vice president of the Southwestern Illinois Employers Association.


Ronald B. McMullen, FACHE, President, Christian Hospital

As president of Christian Hospital, McMullen leads a 497-bed acute-care hospital in north St. Louis County. Christian Hospital is noted for its excellence in heart services, cardiothoracic surgery, emergency medicine, cancer treatment, behavioral health programs, radiology, urology, pulmonology and radiation oncology.

In addition, McMullen oversees Northwest HealthCare, a facility six miles west of Christian Hospital, which offers the community 24-hour emergency care, a variety of outpatient diagnostic and imaging services (such as MRI, CT, general radiology and ultrasound), and a breathing center and sleep lab. Northwest HealthCare offers care in a convenient setting to complement hospital services.

McMullen served as president of Alton Memorial Hospital from 1986 to 2007. He originally joined Alton Memorial as an assistant administrator in 1983. McMullen previously served as vice president of St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida; and as an administrative resident at Pontiac General Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan.

McMullen completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, then earned a master’s degree in hospital and health care administration from St. Louis University.

He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He serves on the board of North County Inc. and the Florissant Valley Chamber of Commerce.


Robert Sellers, President, Clay County Hospital

Sellers was regional administrator of Alegent Health’s Community Memorial Hospital in Missouri Valley, Iowa, for the past nine years. In this role, Sellers was responsible for all operations of Community Memorial Hospital and 14 Alegent Health clinic sites throughout Southwestern Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Under his leadership, Community Memorial Hospital achieved a 98.8 percent clinical quality rating on Medicare’s core measures and received a “5 star” rating on cardiac care from HealthGrades. Sellers also led the hospital to increased market share and improved financial performance.

Prior to his position at Community Memorial Hospital, Sellers served as chief executive officer of Charles Drew Health Center; administrator of the Department of Family Practice at Creighton University; and chief financial officer and director of managed care at Ehrling Berquist Hospital at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. A 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Sellers holds a master’s degree in health services administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University.


John Antes, President, Missouri Baptist Medical Center

As president of Missouri Baptist Medical Center, John Antes leads a 489-bed, acute-care hospital that offers a full continuum of medical and surgical services, and 24-hour emergency care.

Independently ranked for the past three years as a Top 100 hospital nationally and as one of the top heart hospitals in the region, Missouri Baptist also is designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of 63 Community Clinical Oncology programs in the nation. Recognized for its commitment to patient safety and quality, Missouri Baptist received the inaugural American Hospital Quest for Quality Prize from the American Hospital Association.

Antes joined BJC in 2005 to help with planning and community engagement during the construction of Progress West HealthCare Center, the region’s first new hospital building project in 20 years. He has served as president of PWHC since its opening in 2007, and added responsibility as president of Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital in 2009, with a goal of further integrating BJC hospital services in St. Charles County. Prior to BJC, Antes was president of MedCath’s Heart Hospital of Milwaukee. He holds a master’s degree in health administration from Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Memphis State University.


Tony L. Schwarm, President, Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital

Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital, a 56-bed acute-care hospital, provides health care services to residents from Crawford, Franklin and Washington counties. The Hospital originally was built by the city of Sullivan and opened in 1962 as Sullivan Community Hospital, chartered in direct response to the community’s desire for quality local health care services. In recent years the Hospital has been rebuilt to include a new Emergency Department, Radiology Department, Medical/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Surgical Department and Obstetrics Unit. The new Hospital will be completed by mid-2011.

Prior to becoming president at Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital in 2005, Schwarm served as president of Clay County Hospital in Flora, Illinois, for seven years. 

Schwarm graduated from Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois, with a bachelor's degree in biology. He later completed a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.


Tom Karl, President, Parkland Health Center

Tom Karl is responsible for the successful operation of several facilities in southeastern Missouri. Parkland Health Center includes a full-service 130-bed acute care hospital and a free-standing professional services building in Farmington, Missouri, as well as a 3-bed Critical Access Hospital in Bonne Terre, Missouri.

Parkland Health Center provides quality primary care, full inpatient and outpatient services, and 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency services to the people of St. Francois County and surrounding areas. Karl has served as its president since 2008. He first joined the Hospital in 1985 as chief financial officer and assistant administrator of operations. For more than 20 years, he was responsible for significant aspects of the Hospital’s administration, including medical staff operations and recruitment, ancillary services, financial services, patient accounts, medical records, housekeeping, food service and management engineering.

Karl earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and his master’s degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He also is a certified public accountant.

He currently serves on the board of directors of Surgery Center of Farmington, Community Foundation for Medical Care and the Conservation Federation of Missouri. He is involved in local prison, shut-in and hospital ministries.


Larry Tracy
President, Progress West HealthCare Center
President, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital

As president of Progress West HealthCare Center and Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Larry Tracy leads two hospitals that offer a full continuum of medical and surgical services, and 24-hour emergency care.

Opened in February 2007, Progress West HealthCare Center is in southern St. Charles County. The first phase of the hospital includes 72 beds, a 24-hour Emergency Department, medical/surgical inpatient care, outpatient surgery, diagnostic services, obstetrics and physician offices. The Hospital staff places a special emphasis on service excellence, convenience and family-centered care. 

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital is a 111-bed community hospital that offers comprehensive inpatient services, including a 24-hour physician-staffed adult and pediatric Emergency Department, obstetric unit and intensive care unit. Located in St. Charles County, the Hospital also features on its campus the Breast Health and Women’s Center, the Cardiology Center, the Outpatient Surgery and Endoscopy Center, and the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital. A recent Hospital expansion project provides more private patient rooms, a new inpatient pharmacy and additional medical office space.

Tracy joined BJC in 2008 from Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, where he served as vice president at Evanston Hospital, Evanston, Illinois, and assistant vice president at Glenbrook Hospital, Glenview, Illinois. Prior to that, he was an administrative fellow at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. In addition, he served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army from 1991-1999. Tracy holds a master’s degree in health administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.


Jon McDowell, Chief Executive Officer, The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis

As chief executive officer of The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, Jon McDowell heads the only free-standing rehabilitation hospital in the St. Louis metropolitan area. McDowell received his bachelor’s degree in health administration and finance from Langston University, Langston, Oklahoma, and his master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. Prior to joining The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis McDowell served as a senior leader for hospital systems in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 


David L. Knocke, President, BJC Medical Group

David Knocke serves as president of BJC Medical Group, which currently employs more than 260 physicians in a variety of medical specialties, including internal medicine, family medicine, cardiology, rheumatology and oncology. In addition, he serves as the chief administrative officer of the BJC Accountable Care Organization.

BJC Medical Group supports the growth of physician practices associated with BJC HealthCare hospitals. BJC Medical Group also partners with private physicians and BJC hospitals to recruit both primary and specialty care physicians to growing markets.

Knocke came to BJC in 2008 from Stormont-Vail Healthcare in Topeka, Kansas, where he served as senior vice president and chief operations officer. In this role, Knocke had oversight responsibility of the 586-bed regional health center, and he supported the operations of the Cotton-O’Neil Clinic, a 160-member employed physician medical group. Knocke has experience with clinical practice productivity and staff assessment, recruitment of physician candidates, clinic facilities oversight, and clinical information technology.

Prior to his joining the leadership team at Stormont-Vail, Knocke served in several leadership positions at Charlton Methodist Hospital in Dallas and at SSM Healthcare in St. Louis. He earned his master’s degree in health administration from Washington University in St. Louis andchief executive officer of The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, Jon McDowell heads the only free-standing rehabilitation hospital


Daniel J. Rothery, President, BJC Home Care and Community Services

As president of BJC Home Care and Community Services, Dan Rothery is responsible for BJC Behavioral Health, BJC Corporate Health Services and BJC Home Care Services.

Rothery served as president of Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Missouri for six years prior to assuming oversight of BJC’s home care and community services in 2013. Before joining Boone Hospital Center in 2006, Rothery led The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, a joint venture between BJC HealthCare and HealthSouth affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. Rothery also served as the interim chief executive officer of HealthSouth’s Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, Missouri.

For the past 25 years, Rothery has held executive positions in acute, sub-acute, rehabilitation and home care environments at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, BJC HealthCare and St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis.

Rothery earned his master’s degree in hospital administration from St. Louis University. He received his bachelor’s degree from Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois.


BJC Board of Directors Leadership

Donald L. Ross, Vice Chairman, Enterprise Holdings Inc.
Board Chair, BJC HealthCare

Steven H. Lipstein, President and CEO, BJC HealthCare

Arnold Donald, Former President and CEO, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Chair, BJC Community Benefit Committee

Keith S. Harbison, President and CEO, Harbison Corporation
Chair, BJC Audit Committee

Paul J. McKee Jr., Chairman, McEagle Properties, LLC
Chair, BJC Governance Committee

Craig D. Schnuck, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Schnuck Markets Inc.
Chair, BJC Finance and Planning Committee

J. Clifford Eason, President and CEO, retired, Southwestern Bell Telephone
Chair, Missouri Baptist Medical Center Board of Directors
Chair, BJC Patient Care Committee

Robert Plummer, President, R.P. Lumber
Chair, Christian Hospital Board of Directors

Patrick T. Stokes, Former Chairman of the Board, Anheuser-Busch  Companies Inc.
Chair, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Board of Directors

Kelvin R. Westbrook, President and CEO, KRW Advisors, LLC
Chair, St. Louis Children's Hospital Board of Directors
Chair, BJC Compensation Committee