Kevin Spiegel
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Spiegel joins Erlanger after serving five years as CEO at Methodist University Hospital (MUH) in Memphis, Tenn. MUH is the major academic campus for the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Medicine, where he was also an assistant professor. In previous years he has been President and CEO for Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, Ohio, and COO at Southampton Hospital in Southampton, NY.
Currently, Mr. Spiegel is a board member with Mid-South Healthcare Executives and is Acting Regent for Tennessee with the American College of Healthcare Executives. He holds an MBA in Health Care Administration from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. He received a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at New Paltz, New York.
Elizabeth Appling
Diversity Officer
Elizabeth D. Appling is the Diversity Officer at Erlanger Health System. In this role, the Diversity Officer provides leadership and oversight in efforts to create and sustain a respectful and inclusive culture. Elizabeth has been employed with Erlanger Health System (EHS) for over 20 years. She previously held the position of Employee Relations Representative for the health system.
She serves on numerous community and national organizations. Among her various memberships she is a member of Institute For Diversity in Health Management, Tennessee Hospital Association serving as a Board Member on the Diversity Committee, previously served as a member of La Paz Promotora Committee, Global Leadership Diversity Council, Chair of the Global Leadership Advanced Study Group, past Board Member of the Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, and Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Diversity Council.
Mrs. Appling holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Development, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee. Mrs. Appling is a recent graduate of the 2012-2013 Disparities Leadership Program, The Disparities Solutions Center, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Donna L. Bourdon
President, ContinuCare HealthServices, Inc. – A wholly Owned Subsidiary of Erlanger Health System
As President of ContinuCare HealthServices, Inc., Donna Bourdon is responsible for Erlanger Pharmacies, Inc., ContinuCare HealthServices, Inc., e-Kids Childcare Learning Center, Childcare at Volkswagen Drive, Healthy You Fitness Center, Workforce Corporate Health, Erlanger at Volkswagen Drive, Erlanger Sports Medicine, and Erlanger Employee Health. She joined Erlanger in 2007 and served as Vice President of Children’s Hospital at Erlanger and then Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services at Erlanger Health System.
Prior to joining Erlanger, Donna served as CEO of HealthSouth Chattanooga Rehabilitation Hospital. Donna holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Tennessee.
She currently serves on the board of directors for Signal Centers as well as the board of directors for Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga. She has previously served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House, the Arthritis Foundation, and the American Heart Association.
Robert M. Brooks, FACHE
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Robert M. Brooks, FACHE, is board-certified in healthcare management and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He obtained an MBA and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Care Management from Youngstown State University in Ohio. He is also a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Kent State University, as well as an EMT-Paramedic. Robert has 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and in healthcare management.
Brooks has served as CEO at St. Cloud Regional Medical Center near Orlando, Fla.; the COO at Central Mississippi Medical Center, one of Health Management Associates, Inc, largest hospitals and as Vice President of Operations and Centers of Excellence for Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, the major teaching campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Throughout his career Brooks has been tireless in his efforts to provide quality healthcare in the communities he has served. He was an adjunct faculty member for the University of Memphis, and taught both Healthcare Administration as well as the Capstone Course for the MHA program. He has served on numerous boards throughout his healthcare career, and was awarded the honor of being one of the “Top 40 Under 40” community and business leaders in Memphis by the Memphis Business Journal.
Steven H. Burkett
Senior Vice-President of Physician Services
Prior to his position at Erlanger, Burkett served as founder and CEO of The Burkett Group in Memphis, Tenn. Burkett’s consulting firm served numerous clients in the health care industry, advising them in such areas as strategy development and planning, contract negotiation, ambulatory care and clinic assessment and facilities development.
From 1984 to 2012, Burkett worked with UT Medical Group, Inc. in Memphis, an adult multi-specialty group practice at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Medicine in Memphis. As President and Chief Executive Officer, he was responsible for the development of the UT Medical Group’s overall strategic plan, alliances and business opportunities with hospitals, managed care organizations and other entities in the healthcare marketplace. Under his leadership, the UT Medical Group grew to more than 440 MD and non-MD providers, representing specialists and sub-specialists in all major disciplines.
Burkett has served as President and Executive Director of University of Tennessee Bowld Hospital in Memphis, President of University Physicians Foundation in Memphis, and Administrator of University Physicians Group with the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
He received his Master of Public Administration, with a Major in Health Services Administration from the University of Memphis in Tennessee.
Board memberships include Shelby County’s Mayor’s Healthy Community Commission, the Governor’s Safety Net Task Force, and Board Chairman of Memphis Managed Care Corporation.
Burkett has also been active in community involvement, serving on the Board of Directors of Theater Memphis, graduating from Leadership Memphis in 2004, Executive Committee member of the Memphis Area Transit Authority and Chairman of the American Heart Walk in Memphis and Shelby County. In 2002 he was named Memphis Executive of the Year by the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
James Creel, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. James Creel is the Chief Medical Officer for Erlanger Health System. Most recently he has served as Chief of Emergency Medicine at Erlanger, and has served as Vice Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff, and Immediate Past Chief of Staff.
In addition to practicing emergency medicine, Dr. Creel has been a pioneer in the implementation of advanced skills for emergency medicine. He developed the first Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga (UTCOMC) – the first program of its kind in the UT system – and currently serves as Interim Chair of the program. He has also served as Assistant Professor in both the Departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine for UTCOMC.
Dr. Creel’s service to the community includes the roles of Medical Director for Medical Director Hamilton County EMS and Walker County EMS, First Responders and Chattanooga Fire; Team Physician for Hamilton County SWAT; Medical Director of Hamilton County Jail and Silverdale; Director of Med Comm, and Director of Hyperbarics.
Dr. Creel received his medical degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara and completed his internship at St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal, Quebec. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Undersea & Hyberbaric Medicine. He has been an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine for approximately 25 years.
Gregg T. Gentry
Chief Administrative Officer
Gregg Gentry serves as Chief Administrator Officer for Erlanger Health System. In this capacity, he is responsible for support areas of the health system’s five hospitals, including Human Resources, Marketing and Public Relations, Dietary, Facilities Management, and Safety and Security. Mr. Gentry has been with Erlanger since 1989 and previously served as Director of Human Resources at Erlanger and its 4,500 employees.
Mr. Gentry also serves on the Pension Committee and Grievance Committee of the Board of Trustees of Erlanger Health System and on Erlanger’s Executive Compliance Committee.
Mr. Gentry received his undergraduate and Master of Business Administration degrees at The University of Alabama. He is a member of several professional organizations including the Society for Human Resource Management, American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, Chattanooga Area Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, Tennessee Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Mr. Gentry is also active in the community, currently serving on the Board of Contin-U-Care Health Services and Chairperson of the Finance Committee at his church. He has also served on the Board of Goodwill and Plaza Surgery.
Stephen E. Johnson
Vice President, Government and Payer Relations
Steve Johnson serves as Vice President of Government and Payer Relations for Erlanger Health System. In this position, Mr. Johnson is responsible for Erlanger’s overall relationship with government officials and third party payers.
He works closely with elected and appointed officials on legislative matters affecting healthcare and directly impacting the Erlanger Health System. In the area of payer relations, his responsibilities include negotiating major hospital managed care contracts, dispute resolution, and all cost and reimbursement activities.
Mr. Johnson has been with Erlanger since 1998, entering the health system as Director of Cost and Reimbursement. Since receiving an accounting degree from Berry College in 1988, he has worked in various capacities in the field of healthcare, including positions at a major healthcare insurance company and the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
Mr. Johnson is a certified public accountant. He has served as Treasurer of the Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee and holds professional memberships in the Tennessee Society of CPAs, HFMA, American Health Lawyers Association, and the Tennessee Hospital Association Insurance Reform Task Force.
Jan Keys
Interim Chief Nursing Executive
Jan Keys is the Interim Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at the Erlanger Health System. She previously served as Administrative Director of Operations for the health system.
Before her arrival at Erlanger in 2011, Ms. Keys served as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Ga. During her tenure at the Georgia hospital, she received the Robert Woods Johnson Award, earning her national recognition for her research and implementation of transforming care at the bedside for nurses.
Ms. Keys received her B.S. and Master of Science Degrees in Nursing from State University of West Georgia. In 2007, she was named a Wharton Fellow from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School for Nurse Executives. She received her doctorate degree in nursing practice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2012.
Alan Kohrt
Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger and Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga
Dr. Alan Kohrt is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Chattanooga and Chief Executive Officer at TC Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. Dr. Kohrt is a general pediatrician with special interest in children with chronic conditions and quality improvement/patient safety.
Dr. Kohrt graduated from Harvard University and attended medical school at New York Medical College. He completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University. After 21 years of private practice, he joined The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics. Prior to his current position, Dr. Kohrt was the Chief Quality Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Dr. Kohrt served as president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has held multiple roles on state and national AAP committees. From 2000-2005 he was elected to the AAP Board of Directors.
While in Pennsylvania, Dr. Kohrt developed several education and quality improvement programs for physicians and their practice staff, Educating Physicians In their Communities (EPIC) and served as co-chair for the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) National Medical Home Learning Collaboratives.
He was PA Pediatrician of the Year in 1991 and in 2012 he was named TN Pediatrician of the Year. He was a co-author of the original AAP Medical Home Statement. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the CHAT (Children’s Hospital Alliance of Tennessee) and the Executive leader of the Tennessee Children’s Hospitals Solutions for Patient Safety. He also served on the Governor’s Tennessee Task Force on Health and Wellness.
David C. Seaberg, M.D., C.P.E., F.A.C.E.P.
Dean and Professor, University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga
Dr. David C. Seaberg is a Professor and Dean of the University of Tennessee, College of Medicine, Chattanooga and a practicing Emergency Physician. He is also Senior Vice President, for the Erlanger Health System in Chattanooga. In 2011, Dr. Seaberg became the President of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the preeminent Emergency Medicine specialty society that represents over 31,000 emergency physicians. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board and Immediate Past-President.
Dr. Seaberg attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and did his Emergency Medicine residency training at the University of Pittsburgh. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the Certifying Commission in Medical Management. He has over 135 publications, book chapters and abstracts and has received numerous teaching and research awards.
Dr. Seaberg previously served as Residency Director and Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida, where he was on faculty for 13 years. In addition to his role at the University of Florida, Dr. Seaberg has served as President of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center. He has been a leader in the State of Florida with regard to medical and hospital aspects of domestic security. He also serves on the State of Tennessee Health Planning Commission as an expert on workforce issues.
Alana B. Sullivan
Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer
Alana Sullivan has been the Chief Compliance Officer of Erlanger Health System since January 2006. In this role, she has developed and implemented a corporate-wide compliance program.
Immediately prior to joining Erlanger, Ms. Sullivan served as Chief Compliance Officer for PolyMedica Corporation. As a healthcare professional with over 25 years of financial, regulatory, reimbursement and executive management experience, Ms. Sullivan has experience in a broad range of healthcare financial, compliance, and reimbursement issues.
Ms. Sullivan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Tulane University and currently has her certification in healthcare compliance by the healthcare compliance certification board (HCCB).
J. Britton Tabor
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
J. Britton Tabor is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Erlanger Health System. He has been with Erlanger for twenty-six years.
Mr. Tabor is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Prior to Erlanger, Mr. Tabor was an auditor for Hazlett, Lewis, and Bieter.
He has served on the TSCPA’s Healthcare and Scholarship Committees, as well as other community volunteer boards. He has also taught at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga State Community College, and the College of Saint Francis as an adjunct instructor at the undergraduate and master levels.
Mr. Tabor holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Tennessee Technological University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Laurene Vamprine
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
As Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Erlanger Health System, Laurene Vamprine is responsible for all IT functions and Clinical Engineering, which includes an in-house Imaging Equipment Management program.
Current system-wide projects include CPOE, electronic medical records (EMR) for physician practices, smart phone compatible EMR access, Physiological Monitor replacement, and a data center migration.
Ms. Vamprine is actively involved with the TN-HIMSS state chapter board, planning regional events and supporting eHealth advocacy programs. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Chattanooga Technology Council.
Laurene has a Bachelor of Science degree and is actively pursuing a Master’s degree in Health Administration.
Joe Winick
Senior Vice President, Planning and Business Development
Joe Winick serves as Senior Vice President, Planning and Business Development for Erlanger Health System. He joined Erlanger in 2005.
Mr. Winick leads the strategic planning process at Erlanger in collaboration with the executive team, medical staff and Board of Trustees. He is involved in developing the master plan and major capital initiatives, conducting feasibility studies, and preparing Erlanger’s annual statistical forecast. He is also the liaison between Erlanger and the Southside/Dodson Avenue Community Health Centers.
Before his tenure with Erlanger, Mr. Winick worked with Albert Einstein, Humana and American Healthcare in similar roles. He has more than thirty years of healthcare experience.
Mr. Winick holds a Master’s degree in Hospital Administration from The George Washington University and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida (BSBA). Mr. Winick is a board member of Cyberknife of Chattanooga, LLC, Ronald McDonald House, and Choose Chattanooga.
Jeff Woodard
Chief Legal Officer
Prior to becoming chief legal officer, Jeff Woodard served as Director of Risk Management and Staff Attorney for three years at Erlanger Health System
Woodard also worked as General Counsel and Director of Risk Management at Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. and was in private practice with two Georgia law firms, Minor, Bell and Neal in Dalton, and Womack, Gottlieb and Rodham in LaFayette.
He is admitted to practice in both Tennessee and Georgia and is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys, the Georgia Hospital Association for In-House Counsel, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the Georgia Public Health Association. Woodard is also a Director on the Floyd County Board of Health, having previously served as Chairman and Vice-Chairman from 2010–13.
Woodard graduated with honors from Berry College and the University of Georgia School of Law. While in law school, he was the Articles Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property Law.
