Below is a sampling of HCCA’s executive talent listed by section of responsibility. The HCCA hospital management
team represents a combination of talent with proven management experience around the world and in the United States
as well.
Clinical Section
Wanona (“Winnie”) Fritz - Chief Nursing Officer
Winnie is HCCA’s corporate CNO and Director, International Operations. Fritz’s academic credentials and experience
in both the national and international markets give her a unique and well-rounded perspective of hospital management
and patient care delivery.
In the U.S., Fritz has served as Chief Nursing Officer/Chief Clinical Officer of hospitals in Arizona, Nevada and
Wisconsin. In addition to clinical operations expertise, Fritz has a passion for professional education and has
served as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, University of Maryland, University of Nevada and University
of Missouri.
Fritz has worked internationally for nearly seventeen years in the Middle East as Dean of a School of Nursing and
health systems planner, employed by the government of His Majesty, King Hussein of Jordan. While in Jordan, Fritz
conducted comprehensive health facilities assessments within Jordan’s then twenty-eight hospitals leading to strategic
and financial planning, facilities design and renovations.
HCCA Chief Nursing Officer - MSN (name withheld through current assignment)
This CNO has over twenty-five years of experience in a variety of settings. Professionally trained with a master of
science in nursing with an emphasis in emergency nursing and nursing administration, she is presently vice president
a 612-bed medical center in the United States and has held similar positions in of hospitals from 125 beds to 312 beds.
As CNO and vice president, she has served as role model for patient care services, helped to develop and implement
best practices and programs, and monitored and championed patient, employee, and physician satisfaction. She also
has experience and responsibility for capital equipment purchases, staffing, ensuring the maintenance and sterilization
of equipment and supplies, and for providing hands on patient care. Her duties include management of medical surgical,
telemetry, surgical services, emergency services, staffing office, ICU, women’s Services, psychiatry, dialysis, and
clinical education departments. She has also worked around the world through her service to the United States Naval
Reserves where she received an honorable discharge with the rank of Lieutenant.
Debbie
Knapheide - RN, BSN
Debbie Knapheide is HCCA’s associate chief nursing officer and brings more than twenty-five years of acute health care
clinical and leadership experience to HCCA. Knapheide has served in middle and upper management positions in hospitals
in the Midwest and Southwest areas and has gained a reputation for her turn-around operations on medical-surgical, psychiatric,
and pediatric units. Knapheide is known for her collaborative style; for eliminating staffing vacancies by means of her effective
recruitment and retention initiatives; and for dramatically improving satisfaction scores and clinical quality indicators on
her patient care units.
HCCA Nursing Executive - MSN (name withheld through current assignment)
Since the early 1970s this nurse executive has worked throughout England, Asia, and the Middle East with duties ranging
from department director to director of nursing. Her work has included assignments in hospitals from 60 beds to 700 beds
ranging from England to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Qatar, Yemen, and Bangladesh, among others.
In addition to line nursing management expertise, this executive has experience with start-up enterprises and with training
and education to national and international standards. For various hospitals she has developed operational strategies and
policies and procedures, implemented and established international safety goals, modified working practices, and identified
patient care improvement opportunities.
Karla Calderon, RN, BSN
Karla Calderon is HCCA’s Director of Business Development and an HCCA clinical consultant. Calderon comes to HCCA with
over nine years of clinical experience in various direct patient care settings, most recently with Vanderbilt University
Medical Center (Nashville, TN).
Calderon began her nursing career at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the hematology/oncology unit and later worked as a
travel nurse in locations across America. Calderon then returned to Nashville where she worked in both the adult and
pediatric hospitals of Vanderbilt. Calderon was recognized as a knowledgeable clinician and was quite popular for her
willingness to provide medical interpretation for Spanish speaking patients and families.
At HCCA Calderon is heavily involved in the bilingual (Spanish-English) nurse recruitment program. Among her duties,
Calderon is leading HCCA’s hospital collaborative efforts in Mexico where HCCA provides patient care and nursing practice
consulting services.
Naseem Kasam, RN, BS
Naseem Kasam is HCCA’s manager of recruitment and quality, employee health nurse, and clinical consultant. She brings fifteen
years of clinical health care and quality experience to the HCCA team. Kasam began her nursing career in Memphis, TN and
continued in trauma step down at the University of KY, Lexington. Upon earning a degree in health administration, she began
managing the physician peer review program at a local hospital. She then became manager of clinical quality for a radiology
benefits managed care organization. Among Kasam’s duties at HCCA are nurse recruitment and sponsorship, education, and
acculturation.
Administrative Section
Ron
Marston - Ph.D.
Ron Marston is HCCA’s president and chief executive officer. Marston’s leadership of HCCA began in 1973 when he
joined the then-named Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) and was responsible for establishing and managing the
company’s international management and staffing contracts initially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Marston later moved to London where he continued HCA’s Middle East operations and became chairman of HCA United Kingdom
and president of HCA’s Europe and Middle Eastern Region.
In 1986, Marston became President of HCA International and was responsible for the operation of over twenty five hospitals
and for new business development and management efforts in more than eighteen countries. In 1990 Marston led the privatization
of HCCA and, along with his management team, purchased the firm from HCA beginning its history as a private company which
continues today.
Robert S. Crowder, MPH
Bob Crowder’s hospital administration career has spanned from multiple locations in the United States and continues
to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where his duties have included the administration of single and of multi-hospital organizations.
Crowder’s experience in the Middle East includes administrative assignments for an ophthalmology specialty hospital, general
tertiary hospitals, and for military hospitals. Among these hospitals were well established, leading facilities with established
reputations as well as newly commissioned hospitals and medical centers that were in true start-up development.Crowder’s
experience in the Middle East includes administrative assignments for an ophthalmology specialty hospital, general tertiary
hospitals, and for military hospitals. Among these hospitals were well established, leading facilities with established
reputations as well as newly commissioned hospitals and medical centers that were in true start-up development.
Crowder is known among physicians as a patient-advocate administrator where quality patient care, financial performance,
and ethical management are equally weighted goals.
Bernard Costello - FACHE, MPA, BS
Bud" Costello has over twenty five years of hospital management experience, progressing from department manager to
Assistant Administrator to Chief Executive Officer. His experience includes leadership positions in both investor
owned "for profit" facilities as well as government operated "not for profit" institutions.
Costello's international assignments includes a position as Administrator of a new hospital in Saudi Arabia that grew
from 30 beds to well over 300 beds, adding new medical services, including an Organ Transplant Program along the way.
He was also a vital part of a small administrative team that converted a 1,600 bed government hospital in Singapore to
a private facility with an American management structure. Other assignments included, CEO at the opening of 100 bed
private hospital in Dubai that focused on JCAHO standards of healthcare delivery.
Costello's experiences of more than 10 years as a CEO of U.S. Hospitals and his 12 years in leadership positions in
International Health care facilities, makes him a vital member of our international management team.
Gordon Utgard - , FACHE, MHA, BA
Gordon Utgard has over thirty years of health care executive experience in both the United States of America and in the
Middle East. Utgard has served as the CEO of hospitals and of an HMO health plan. Utgard’s expertise includes hospital
operations, managed care, global hospital network development, due diligence reviews, accreditation, and health industry
consulting. Utgard has also managed new hospital commissioning endeavors, information system implementation, long range
strategic planning projects, and physician/hospital joint venture initiatives. Utgard is faculty member of the School
of Graduate and Professional Studies of LeTourneau University, an author, and a Rotarian.
Ted
L. Merhoff - , MHA, BA
Ted Merhoff is HCCA’s vice president, development, which he approaches from a background of hospital operations
in America. Merhoff has been a part of HCCA since 1999 and joined after serving ten years in various hospital
management positions. Among these duties were serving as associate administrator of a community hospital and
ultimately executive manager of several departments of a teaching hospital. Merhoff possesses accreditation
expertise as well as the ability to understand critical issues in the day-to-day operation of a health care
facility and an ability to analyze health care markets for new development opportunities.
Karen
M. Fleming
Karen Fleming is HCCA’s vice president of immigration and processing and her expertise extends to project and process
management for feasibility studies, new hospital start-ups of staffing and equipmentation, and compliance with work visa
and immigration requirements of many countries. Karen joined HCCA International in 1983 having recently lived in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition to project management services, Fleming is an expert at leading and preparing
organizations for the assimilation of multiple cultures.
Finance Section
Chief Financial Officer - CPA, BS (name withheld through current assignment)
This executive has experience as the chief financial officer of for profit hospitals and for surgical centers
owned by private corporations as well as publically traded (United States) national health care companies.
He has also provided chief accountant work within the corporate office of a national privately held for profit
hospital operator. This executive also has mergers and acquisition, managed care/insurance company negotiation,
facility and department start-up, staff recruitment, physician negotiation, and revenue cycle expertise.
Controller - CPA, BA (name
withheld through current assignment)
This executive has experience as a controller and chief financial officer positions
with hospitals in excess
of 250 beds and operating budgets of USD$100 million in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
His interests and passions include feasibility studies and hospital start-up operations. For new hospital projects,
he has led teams that have established hospital finance departments which include departments of finance, purchasing,
materials management, property control, and business office. His responsibilities included implementing all
department policies, procedures, financial and information systems, staff recruitment, fixed asset and disposable
materials acquisition.
He has also held line management responsibility for finance departments including general accounting, cost and budget,
payroll, accounts, payable, inventory accounting, patient billing, cashier’s office, and property control. He has
managed all aspects of financial reporting including the generation of financial statements and preparation for external
audit and reporting to hospital boards and government sponsors.
Human Resources Section
Joe
Gilinsky
Joe Gilinsky is HCCA’s vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific and Middle East regions. Gilinsky joined HCCA in
1975 and has served as director of international human resources, director of Middle East international human resources,
and director, Far East international human resources until 1987. Gilinsky was responsible for opening HCCA’s offices in
Lebanon, Egypt and in the Philippines. Over the years, Gilinsky has been directly involved with international health care
recruitment, sourcing and deploying nurses to and/or from such diverse countries as Korea, Thailand, Egypt, Lebanon,
Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, India, Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines.
Joy
Roark
Joy Roark is HCCA’s Director, Recruitment and she has over twenty years of experience in health care recruitment and
human resource management, both at the local hospital and corporate level. Roark’s international experience includes
selecting, training, and coaching employees for projects in the United States, Europe, Asia, Colombia (South America)
and the Middle East. She is known for her ability to establish credibility and build partnerships in overseas markets.
Roger Albert Knight ,RPN. Grad. Dip HRM
Roger Knight brings a nursing and human resources background to his present day health care human resources administration
abilities.
Knight has served as the recruitment manager for five tertiary level hospitals and a state wide ambulance service with over
15,000 employees in Qatar. Knight has also managed a staff of nearly twenty people with total responsibility for the planning
and execution of recruitment efforts and customer service. Knight has served as recruitment manager and as head of clinical
recruitment for government hospitals in the United Arab Emirates as well as for an academic institution in the region and has
worked for multiple specialty hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Outside of the Middle East, Knight has experience in
Australia that included overseeing an array of operational HR issues including the development and implementation of a
reappointment package for medical specialists and working as the director of recruitment for a health resources company.
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