Keynote Speakers

Pattullo Lecturer: 
Carrie Owen Plietz, MHA
CEO, Sutter Medical Center            

Raising patient satisfaction is just one of many goals for Carrie Owen Plietz. She joined Sutter Medical Center Sacramento as chief operating officer in early 2011, and was named CEO in July later that year. Prior to joining Sutter, Owen Plietz held a similar position at Mills-Peninsula Health Services in Burlingame, serving as one of the driving forces behind major health care initiatives.

In just two years, she helped implement Sutter Health’s first acute care electronic health record system, developed a non-campus, stand-alone skilled nursing facility and reached the highest employee satisfaction results in five years. Her work to satisfy the needs of those around her was highly recognized when she took home the ACHE 2010 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year, the award presented to an exceptional healthcare executive under 40.

After graduating from James Madison University in Virginia, Owen Plietz completed a master’s degree in health administration and a fellowship in health law at Virginia Commonwealth University.

 

 

Studer Group Forum Keynote: 
Rhonda Scott, PhD, RN
Chief Nursing Officer & Executive Vice President
Grady Health System

Dr. Rhonda A. Scott is the Chief Nursing Officer and Executive Vice President of Patient Care Services at Grady Health System. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Master of Science in Nursing from Rush University, and a PhD in Nursing Science with a focus on Advanced Practice Nursing and Healthcare Administration from Georgia State University. Dr. Scott is also a graduate of the Johnson & Johnson – Wharton Fellows Program in Management for Nurse Executives from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Scott began her nursing career in the Critical Care Units at the University of Alabama Hospitals in Birmingham. During her 28-year nursing career, Dr. Scott has acquired experience as a critical care nurse educator, clinical nurse specialist, entrepreneur, author, researcher, consultant and administrator. She has been widely recognized for creating a positive work environment for nurses, eliminating the use of contract agency nursing, leading teams in the successful implementation of the EHR, improving the visibility of nursing in the workplace with the return of the traditional white uniform, implementing shared governance, establishing top-rated nursing recognition programs, and partnering with colleges and universities to increase the number of BSN and graduate level nurses.

Dr. Scott has been widely recognized for her achievements in nursing. She received the coveted Tenet Healthcare Corporation Outstanding Chief Nursing Officer of the Year Award – the highest recognition for Nursing Leadership & Administration and numerous other awards.