Key Statistics About the Fund
- Contributions and pledges to the Fund to date total more than $4,600,000.
- More than 4,100 individuals and organizations have donated.
- There have been 45 leadership gifts ($25,000 or more).
- Underwritten 146 individuals through the Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program and The Career Accelerator Program and provided 269 Executive and Senior Executive Program scholarships.
- Twenty-three individuals have demonstrated commitment to the future of healthcare leadership as Legacy Circle members by including the Foundation of ACHE in their estate plans.
The Fund for Healthcare Leadership is supported solely by the generous contributions of fellow members and industry leaders. The Fund is designed to provide scholarships to ACHE members who have fewer resources available to acquire the skills and training needed to effectively lead today and into the future.
Contributing to the Fund gives you the opportunity to invest in the future of our profession and ensure the field is rich with healthcare leaders who have the tools and knowledge required to provide the best in healthcare delivery.
ACHE sincerely appreciates those who have made an investment in the future of healthcare leadership. More and more members are supporting the Fund year after year, and with your generosity and commitment to healthcare leadership, this year will be no exception.
Annual Contributor List
On behalf of the Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives and all scholarship recipients, we thank our generous supporters for their contributions to the Fund for Healthcare Leadership. To view annual giving reports per year, click on the links below.
Lifetime Donors
We would also like to recognize these outstanding individuals and organizations who have continued to support ACHE's mission to advance our members and healthcare
management excellence year after year. This list highlights lifetime giving amounts and recognition levels of this prestigious group.
Legacy Circle
These individuals have demonstrated commitment to the future of innovation and excellence in healthcare leadership by including the Foundation of ACHE in their estate plans:
- Anthony A. Armada, FACHE*
- Laurie K. Baedke, FACHE*
- Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, and R. Norris Orms, FACHE, CAE*
- James J. Burks, FACHE, and Valarie S. Burks*
- Joanne Carrocino, FACHE*
- Karen F. Clements, RN, FACHE*
- Thomas C. Dolan, PhD, FACHE, FASAE, and Georgia A. Dolan*
- John G. Faubion, FACHE*
- Dr. and Mrs. David J. Fine, LFACHE*
- Mark Alan Hudson, LFACHE*
- Diane Peterson Mathis, LFACHE*
- Mary T. Parra, FACHE*
- Heather J. Rohan, FACHE and Joseph P. Rohan*
- Vernon C. Stutzman, FACHE*
- Nancy A. Thompson, PhD, LFACHE, and James Thompson*
- David Veillette, PhD, LFACHE*
- Michael C. Waters, LFACHE*
- Peter J. Wright, FACHE*
*Donors who have contributed to the Fund in multiple years are marked with an asterisk.
Impact on Donors:
Joann L. Spaleta, FACHE
Assistant Vice President
Atrium Health
Joann L. Spaleta, FACHE, assistant vice president, Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, N.C., first began contributing to the Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executive's Fund for Healthcare Leadership on an individual basis two years ago after attending a dinner recognizing Thomas C. Dolan, PhD, FACHE, FASAE, president and CEO of ACHE from 1991–2013.
During this dinner, Spaleta learned about the Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program, which was established in 2014 to honor Dolan and his long-standing service to the profession of healthcare leadership and his commitment to achieving greater diversity among senior healthcare leaders.
As president of her chapter, the Greater Charlotte Healthcare Executive Group, Spaleta said she sometimes reflects on how she can make a difference. The Executive Diversity Program, which is supported by the Fund, resonated with her as one such opportunity to give back.
The year-long program further prepares mid- and senior-level careerists to advance to higher leadership roles. Scholars benefit from specialized curriculum opportunities addressing barriers in career attainment and developing executive presence, one-on-one interaction with a specially selected mentor and participation in formal leadership and education and career assessments.
Spaleta sees the Executive Diversity Program as one of the Fund’s greatest achievements by providing “underrepresented people [in the healthcare field] an opportunity to address the barriers that exist.”
“I always say the Fund is like a gift that keeps on giving because of the opportunities for innovation in healthcare, the scholarships that are provided to individuals and organizations, and the programming. I think that’s what’s going to be needed for the future in the healthcare industry and healthcare leadership moving forward,” she continued.
Spaleta believes ACHE Chapters could play a larger role in educating future donors about the programs the Fund supports.
For example, this year the Greater Charlotte Healthcare Executive Group has been trying to raise awareness among its members about the Fund by donating to the Fund in the name of moderators and panelists who speak at its educational events.
In addition, Spaleta acknowledged her chapter’s board of directors in 2015 by making a donation in the name of the board members.
“That was a great way to recognize the board members,” she said. “Any amount that you give is going to make a difference in the future of healthcare leadership.”
Additionally, Spaleta recommends that chapters mention the Fund in their newsletters and on their websites.
“I think it’s important that we inspire and develop our future leaders,” she said.
Mark R. Neaman, LFACHE
President and CEO (Retired)
NorthShore University HealthSystem
Our field continues to become more complex. Today, through the Affordable Care Act, the reformulation of healthcare financing is resulting in many changes and presenting us with greater challenges than we have ever faced in the past. If we fail to develop leaders who can respond to this transformation, we put ourselves at risk as every organization is but one generation of leadership away from extinction.
Throughout my career, I was fortunate to have both personal mentors and organizational supporters who took a keen interest in my development. With their guidance, I attempted to cultivate a sense of professionalism that extends beyond my position and organization. I learned that the most successful leaders have a sense of responsibility not only for their own development but for the betterment of the industry as a whole.
In addition to professional mentoring, I have found that becoming active in the Fund for Healthcare Leadership is another way to help shape a successful future for the healthcare management field. A philanthropic initiative of the Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Fund was created to bring to the forefront of healthcare leadership. The etymology of the word is "renewal"—making things new and making them better. As healthcare professionals and leaders, our calling is not to be the protectorate of the status quo. Instead, we should be agents of renewal and continuous improvement.
The naming of the Fund is well stated and even purposeful in this idea of renewal. As the Fund grows with the support of healthcare leaders like you, it creates opportunities to elevate the performance of individuals— who are potential future leaders—as stewards within their organizations, communities and across our field. Being a successful leader is not just about forging a great career. It also entails heeding a professional calling and supporting initiatives like the Fund that raise the bar of expectations in a profession in which we are all so privileged to serve.
Please contact Timothy R. Tlusty, vice president, Development, at (312) 424-9305 or ttlusty@ache.org, for more information.