Chicago Cluster 2025 Faculty

Laurie K. Baedke, FACMPE, FACHE

Author

<p>Laurie K. Baedke is the founder and CEO of Growth Edge Holdings. Baedke is a well-regarded keynote speaker at international conferences, an executive coach and the host of a weekly leadership podcast, <em>The Growth Edge</em>.</p> <p>Baedke holds a master's degree in healthcare administration and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American College of Medical Practice Executives. She has been certified by the Gallup organization as a Strengths Performance Coach since 2006. </p> <p>Baedke contributed a chapter titled "The Clinician Entrepreneur" in <em>The Handbook of Private Practice</em>, a book published by Oxford Press in 2017. She has written two editions of  <em>The Emerging Healthcare Leader: A Field Guide</em> published by Health Administration Press as well as her most recent book released in February 2023, <em>Mentor Coach Lead to Peak Professional Performance</em>. </p> <p>Baedke serves as lead faculty for the ACHE Executive Program and faculty for the following ACHE seminars: </p> <ul> <li>“Mentor Coach Lead to Peak Professional Performance”</li> <li>“The Emerging Healthcare Leader: A Field Guide”</li> <li>“Resilient Leadership: The Role of Well-Being in Individual and Organizational Performance”</li> </ul>

About Laurie K. Baedke, FACMPE, FACHE
Founder/CEO
Growth Edge Leadership

Jon Burroughs, MD, JD, FACHE

Author

<p>Jon Burroughs, MD, JD, FACHE is president/CEO of The Burroughs Healthcare Consulting Network, Inc., Glen, New Hampshire, which provides best-practice training and solutions to healthcare systems throughout the United States and beyond. His work focuses on how healthcare systems can adopt best practices and avoid systems failures which can result in loss of public confidence and market share. He works with executive teams, governing boards, medical staff and clinical leadership. He also works with legal counsel to ensure compliance and avoidance of unnecessary risk by demonstrating how leadership can be aligned to achieve exceptional results. Dr. Burroughs serves on the national faculties of both ACHE, where he has been consistently rated as a top speaker, author, educator and facilitator for the past twenty-five years. </p>

About Jon Burroughs, MD, JD, FACHE
President & CEO
The Burroughs Healthcare Consulting Network, Inc

John M. Harris

Author

<p><strong></strong></p> <p>John Harris is a managing director with VMG Health, a leading healthcare consulting firm for business performance. His work focuses on strategy, physician engagement, value-based care, governance as well as partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. He advises health systems and hospitals, physician groups, clinically integrated networks, accountable care organizations, health plans and others. </p> <p>Harris serves as faculty for ACHE seminars including Physician Strategy for Hospitals: How to Align Independents, Fix Employment, Beat Disruptors, Succeed in Value, Ensure Access and Grow; Hospitals and Health Systems of the Future: Transforming to Thrive; and Strategic Planning: From Formulation to Action. Mr. Harris has also co-authored <a href="https://www.ache.org/learning-center/publications/books/2337I" target="_blank"><em>Healthcare Strategic Planning, Fifth Edition</em></a>, a Health Administration Press publication. </p>

Rudd Kierstead

Speaker

<p>Rudd Kierstead brings 25 years of experience in a range of provider settings to his work on physician initiatives. He has focused on enterprise performance improvement, medical staff planning, financial analysis, physician alignment, compensation planning, acquisition and employment analysis and FMV projects. Kierstead has worked in academic medical centers and done extensive consulting with health system and community hospital clients. Kierstead’s experience includes compensation evaluation and design; valuation of entities and services; specification and valuation of unique arrangements with physicians; physician enterprise formation and evaluation; design and management of partnering ventures and balancing academic missions and cross-subsidy opportunities.</p> <p>He has worked extensively with physician leadership in medical centers, managing physician networks, practices and departments in several academic medical centers and in different specialties.</p> <p>Before joining Veralon, Kierstead was a director in the Weill Cornell Physician Network where he recruited and onboarded physicians, negotiated compensation and transition arrangements with prospective physicians and coordinated business planning, space arrangements and credentialing.</p> <p>Prior to working at Weill Cornell, Kierstead was a consultant in one of Veralon’s predecessor firms. Previously, he was vice chair for administration in the Department of Psychiatry with Weill Cornell Medical College, a department with 180 paid faculty, where his responsibilities included compliance, staffing, practice, research and teaching concerns.</p> <p>Beforehand, while at Continuum Health Partners Health System, Kierstead managed the centralized business planning and compensation evaluation functions in the Finance Department. Previously, at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Kierstead was the administrator at an off-site dialysis center, staffed the medical board on ambulatory care issues and served as special assistant to the senior vice president for clinical operations.</p> <p>He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan, an MPP from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and a BA from Wesleyan University. </p>

Stephen M. Merz, FACHE

Speaker

<div></div><p><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div id="pastingspan1"></div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen M. Merz, FACHE, is COO of Sheppard Pratt Solutions, a division of Sheppard Pratt, one of the largest behavioral healthcare organizations in the nation. Stephen’s career spans nearly 30 years and includes roles as interim president/CEO and executive vice president, operations, Diamond Healthcare; president/CEO, Maine Behavioral Healthcare; and vice president/ executive director of behavioral health at Yale New Haven Hospital.</div><div> </div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen’s work focuses on integrating behavioral healthcare into the overall healthcare system, including establishing alternatives to acute care settings, developing novel approaches for chronic conditions such as depression and ensuring behavioral healthcare services are financially strong.</div><div> </div><div id="pastingspan1">Stephen has served on national and regional boards, including the National Association of Behavioral Healthcare. He served as chair of the Behavioral Healthcare Councils of the Maine and Connecticut Hospital Associations, and served as Regent for Connecticut of ACHE. Stephen has a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.</div><div> </div><div>Mr. Merz serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminar: </div><div><ul><li>Behavioral Health Challenges, Strategies and Solutions: The Business Case for Meeting Community Needs </li></ul></div><div></div><p style="0in;.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;115%;"Times New Roman""></span></p>

Conrad Meyer, JD, FACHE

<p>Conrad Meyer is a nationally recognized healthcare attorney, trusted advisor and strategic partner for healthcare executives navigating today’s complex regulatory businesses. As a partner and chair of the healthcare practice group at Chehardy Sherman in Metairie, Louisiana, Meyer brings over 24 years of experience advising hospitals, physician groups and healthcare organizations on high-stakes transactions, regulatory compliance, medical staff issues and healthcare fraud and abuse matters. </p> <p>A Louisiana State Bar board-certified health law specialist and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE<sup>®</sup>), Meyer offers a unique blend of legal, operational and business acumen making him a highly sought-after resource for healthcare executives facing regulatory scrutiny, structuring complex deals or managing medical staff challenges. His expertise spans physician employment agreements, Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute compliance, Medicare Part B reimbursement, telemedicine and licensure matters. Additionally, he frequently serves as a hearing officer for peer review proceedings and medical malpractice cases. </p> <p>Meyer’s deep industry knowledge and practical insights have earned him Band 1 recognition for healthcare law in Louisiana by USA Chambers since 2020. He is an AV Preeminent-rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting the highest standards of legal excellence and ethical integrity. Beyond his practice, Meyer serves as an adjunct professor of Health Law at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and the University of New Orleans Health Administration Program, educating future healthcare leaders on regulatory compliance, transactions, fraud and abuse laws and medical board licensing issues. </p> <p>A respected thought leader, Meyer has authored and contributed to leading healthcare publications such as the <i>ABA Health Law E-Source, Louisiana Medical News and Healthcare Journal of New Orleans</i>. He also hosts the widely followed podcast "Health Law Talk," where he breaks down critical legal and regulatory issues affecting healthcare providers nationwide. </p> <p>Meyer is a frequent keynote speaker at national and regional healthcare conferences, including engagements with the Louisiana Hospital Association, LSU and Tulane medical residency programs as well as the Louisiana State Medical Society’s Annual Conference. His ability to translate complex legal frameworks into practical strategies makes him a go-to advisor for healthcare executives and leadership teams seeking to mitigate risk, optimize compliance and drive organizational success. </p>

Julie Robbins

Author

<p>Julie Robbins is a healthcare leader, educator and executive coach who combines practical expertise with evidence-based methods to empower leaders at all career stages. She is a clinical professor at The Ohio State University, where she teaches healthcare management and leadership and previously served as director of the Master of Health Administration program. Robbins specializes in creating impactful learning experiences, with a proven track record of developing programs focused on career and leadership development. With over 15 years of healthcare management experience in both public and private sectors, she brings real-world insights to her teaching and coaching. An active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Robbins is engaged in advancing leadership development in healthcare and has taught ACHE’s Career Accelerator Program. </p>

Leslie S. Zun, MD

Speaker

<div>Leslie Zun is medical director, Lake County Health Department, Waukegan, Ill. He is also chairman/professor, department of emergency medicine, with a secondary appointment in the department of psychiatry, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science's Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, Ill. He is chief editor of the textbook Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers and course director for the past nine years for the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry's Annual National Update on Behavioral Emergencies conference. Prior to his current role, Dr. Zun was past president of the AAEP and a board member of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. He has also presented his research and lectured on behavioral emergency topics both nationally and internationally.</div><div> </div><div>Dr. Zun serves as faculty for the following ACHE seminars:</div><div><ul><li>Behavioral Health Challenges, Strategies and Solutions: The Business Case for Meeting Community Needs </li></ul></div>

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2025 Chicago Cluster