Greetings everyone! I am both excited and honored to serve as your new president for the American College of Healthcare Executives – Southeast Texas Chapter. I want to thank Michelle Riley-Brown, FACHE, for her exceptional leadership this past year – she certainly left some big shoes to fill!

Healthcare is changing rapidly. The pressure on leadership is tremendous with uncertainties in future reimbursement, the move toward value, population health, increased emphasis on quality, patient safety and patient satisfaction, reduction of expenses, and the increasing scrutiny from our patients, families, the public and the federal government. It is clear that we do not yet have the “solution” for each of the challenges outlined. As a result, it will stretch all of us to perform. There has never been a more important time in our industry for strong leadership – not just for senior leaders – but for all employees in order to navigate our future.

If you attended last year’s very successful “What’s Up Boss?” event, hosted by Texas Children’s Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Wallace, we were challenged to develop our own definition of “leadership.” Our chapter is well positioned to help prepare, educate and challenge each of us for what lies ahead and our leadership will be at the forefront; how we lead will determine the overall success of our organization, department or operating unit.

I am excited for this year as we prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead! The theme of 2015 for our chapter is: Leading Change in Uncertain Times. We will be bringing in nationally known speakers who will challenge how we think about leadership, teach us new ways to approach our roles and, more importantly, provide knowledge and skills that we can immediately take back to the workplace (and the home) to make us better leaders, bosses, colleagues, spouses and parents. My goal as chapter president is to facilitate quality, quarterly educational sessions and provide useful resources for each of you so we can all continue to be effective leaders of our respective organizations.

The ACHE-SETC is fortunate to boast some of the best healthcare institutions in the country. Between the Texas Medical Center and its surrounding communities throughout Southeast Texas, we are home to the greatest concentration of medical innovation, clinical expertise and high-quality healthcare in the world. We are a strong chapter, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with all of you this coming year to see what we can accomplish together.

I encourage you to get involved in our chapter. Join a committee. Bring a colleague to one of our breakfast sessions. Volunteer to assist at one of our quarterly breakfasts or other educational offerings. Mentor a young up-and-comer. Whatever you do, participate. This is YOUR chapter – OUR chapter – and it is up to us to make it great.

I am here to help. If there is anything that I can do throughout the year to help you personally, or your organization, never hesitate to reach out to me directly. I will work hard to lead this chapter throughout the year and will learn alongside you as we all discover new skills to improve our leadership. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as President for 2015! I look forward to great things ahead!

Talk soon,

Craig Cordola

Chief Executive Officer, Memorial Hermann Hospital, Texas Medical Center

(o) 713.704.3700

(e) craig.cordola@memorialhermann.org