BS, Univ. Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1978
MHA, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX, 1987
Ph.D., Univ. Alabama, Birmingham, AL, 1995
Regent Army, Western Region, ACHE, 1999-2000
Director, Dept. Public Health, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green, KY, 2002 to present
Program Director, U.S. Army-Baylor Univ., Academy of Health Sciences, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, 1999-2001
Dep. Director, U.S. Army-Baylor Univ., Academy of Health Sciences, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, 1998-99
Chief, Ind. Trng. & Pol., Dept. Hlth. Educ. & Trng., Ft. Sam Houston, TX, 1995-97
Ops. Off., Health Care Admin., Academy BN, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, 1990-95
Admin., 7th Med. Command, Heidelberg, Germany, 1987-90
Resident, Health Care Studies Div., Ft. Sam Houston, TX, 1986-87
I was elated to discover I was selected for the Program to attend in 1985. This was a great honor and I give credit for my selection to several individuals including BG Leffler, COL Gerry Allgood, COL Paul Krier, and the Officer Advanced Course faculty at the Academy of Health Sciences. I was currently attending the six-month OAC when I received my acceptance letter. However, I really never completely understood the significance of this event until much later in my military career.
As with so many other Army-Baylor graduates, I had a great class and have remained very close to my classmates over the years. These individuals also significantly contributed to my career development and healthcare experiences throughout my military career. They all have provided not only professional and collegial discussions, but have been close advisors throughout the years. I am extremely indebted to all my fellow classmates as well as other Baylor graduates who were excellent role models for many AMEDD officers. The experiences I gained in working with and for these officers were invaluable.
Throughout my Army career, my Army-Baylor Degree brought afforded me tremendous opportunities for increasing levels of responsibility as well as notoriety. The degree opened doors that presented unique opportunities to succeed and the information and knowledge gained from my work on the MHA certainly contributed to that success. My accomplishments in Europe as the healthcare administration consultant for Ambulatory Care and Emergency Medicine at MEDCOM Headquarters are a direct result of my Baylor degree. Both the knowledge and experience from the didactic and residency phases of Baylor gave me the necessary tools to contribute to healthcare delivery in Europe.
As a senior Captain, I was afforded the rare opportunity to be the administrator and operations officer for the Army-Baylor Program. I gained skills in not only how the program operated, but obtained a solid perspective of the core values and skills that it took to keep the Program flourishing for so many years. I also must take credit for one of the crowning jewels for Baylor - I hired Ms. Rene Pryor who is endearingly known as the “Baylor Mom.” She was and still is truly grand and the Program would not succeed without her. During this time I gained valuable allies that helped me to realize another dream - to complete my doctoral degree. For this special opportunity, I must sincerely thank COL Paul Brooke, COL Ron Hudak, and LTC George Gisin for their mentorship and support for my long term training selection to obtain my Ph.D. This had always been a lifelong dream and goal of mine even before I entered the military, and I will always be appreciative to everyone who had a hand in affording me this educational experience.
As fate would have it, I completed by doctorate at the University of Alabama in Birmingham in three years and was assigned back to Fort Sam. However, I was not directly assigned as a professor for the Army-Baylor Program at first. I was assigned as the MSC Education and Training Officer at Department of Healthcare Education & Training (DHET), where I spent about two years before finally getting assigned to the Program as a full time faculty member. During that two- year period at DHET, I continued to volunteer to teach one course a semester in the Program.
While it took a tremendous amount of effort from key individuals, I was finally assigned to the Program in 1997. I have to give many thanks to COL Maxwell, who had been the previous Director of the Program and was the current Dean of the School. COL Maxwell and LTC Jody Rogers greatly facilitated my assignment to the Program. Because of my previous background with the Program as an alumnus and as the former administrator, I was able to contribute to both the teaching requirements as well as the operational requirements. COL Maxwell and LTC Rogers were instrumental in my also being selected as the Deputy Director of the Program.
As Deputy Director, I was able to hone my skills, both as a teacher and as a administrator to prepare me for an even greater opportunity. As Deputy Director, it positioned me to achieve another once in a lifetime dream, to become the Director of the Program. When I was selected to succeed LTC Jody Rogers as the Program Director, I was completely overwhelmed with joy. While, I had dreamed of this opportunity, I didn’t ever expect it to become a reality. I have many individuals to thank, but specifically COL Harrison Hassell and COL George Masi were two individuals that were instrumental in this process. Being Director was a humbling and wonderful experience and the epitome of my military career. The Baylor faculty and staff during my tenure were absolutely incredible in every detail and the student classes were equally superior. Even if you tried your best, you couldn’t invent or imagine a better situation and group of great individuals to work with as a last assignment in the military. On 30 September 2001, I said my goodbyes and retired with nearly 23 years of military experience.
However, my story does not end with my retirement from active duty. Because of my Army-Baylor experiences, I was selected to be the Director of the Graduate & Undergraduate Healthcare Administration Programs at Western Kentucky University. As my current position, this has been a great career move and allowed me to test my skills in the civilian academic world. As before, I firmly believe that the Baylor experiences have been a major contribution to my new position and professional career.
Lastly, I must thank my family, my wife, Daphine, and my daughters, Laura, Jennifer, and Katherine for their unwavering support and dedication to ensure that I succeed in my professional career. They are a wonderful and cherished part of my life and I am truly blessed. Finally, I must thank the Lord, who most of all has continued to guide my life and allow me these opportunities throughout my career.
I sincerely believe that the Army-Baylor Program has touched so many lives and so many careers that it is really hard to imagine. I think it has strengthened the military presence in professional societies such as ACHE, MGMA, HFMA, AAMA, and AUPHA. It has also set the military and government healthcare administrators in a special class of MHA graduates that has served the United States with distinction. I am extremely proud of the men and women graduates of the Program and I wish them well in all their future endeavors. Go Army-Baylor!