Kris Allen is the Vice President of Patient Services at Eaton Rapids Medical Center in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, just south of Lansing, Michigan. Kris has been in healthcare for over 15 years as a registered nurse. She quickly moved through the ranks and built the respect and trust from all the individuals of the healthcare team and was the driver of nursing excellence as the Chief Nursing Officer at a large hospital system in Michigan.
In 2013 Kris made the move to Rural Health with a drive to deliver the unexpected in health care through a multidisciplinary team focused and dedicated on striving for the best. To that end, Eaton Rapids Medical Center ranks number 1 in the state of Michigan for patient satisfaction.
Kris has 2 Master's degrees. A Master's degree in nursing and a Master's degree in health administration that she received from the University of Phoenix.
Brock Slabach is leading the national discussion on quality improvement and alternative payment models in rural health. Earlier this year Brock was awarded the Calico Leadership award by the National Rural Health Resource Center.
Brock currently serves as the Senior Vice-President of Member Services at the National Rural Health Association, a membership organization with over 21,000 members nationwide. With over 28 years of experience in the administration of rural hospitals, Brock is definitely an expert and experienced rural health leader. From 1987 through 2007, he was the administrator of the Field Memorial Community Hospital in Centreville, MS. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and his Master of Public Health in Health Administration from the University of Oklahoma.
RD Williams is the CEO at Hendry Regional Medical Center, a critical access hospital located in Clewiston, FL. Prior to that he was the CEO at Ashe Memorial Hospital in Jefferson, NC. He received his undergraduate degree from the Medical College of Virginia with a B.S. in Healthcare Management in 1981, and earned his MBA from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 1986. Mr. Williams has worked in a variety of hospitals in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and now Florida.
He enjoys playing golf, reading, home restoration, and working on his 1973 MGB automobile. He is married to LuAnn with 3 adult sons and 2 granddaughters, ages 9 and 2.
Mr. Williams helped provide the inspiration for Rural Health Leadership Radio. During a conversation last year, a question was asked about the challenges of being the CEO of a rural hospital. Mr. Williams replied that it is difficult to find out what other hospitals are attempting to do, what’s working, and what’s not working. The primary means to discover this information is by spending time and money attending meetings, but time and money can often be scarce resources. Mr. Williams expressed his desire for a easy cost effective means of sharing this information. Following that conversation, Dr. Auxier was listening to a podcasts when a light bulb went off. And that is how Rural Health Leadership Radio was born. Thank you Mr. RD Williams!
Recognized as among the top 100 most influential people in healthcare by Modern Healthcare Magazine, Alan Morgan serves as Chief Executive Officer for the National Rural Health Association. He has more than 26 years’ experience in health policy development at the state and federal level, and is one of the nation’s leading experts on rural health policy.
As the CEO of the NRHA, Alan has observed the changes taking place in rural health from a front row seat. The National Rural Health Association is a national nonprofit membership organization with more than 20,000 members whose mission is to provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education and research. NRHA membership consists of a diverse collection of individuals and organizations, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.