9 ASC industry leaders to know: women in the c-suite

Carrie Pallardy -

Here are nine women serving as CEO, COO, CFO or CFA of ambulatory surgery center companies.

If you would like to recommend a leader for this list or for future lists of ASC industry leaders please contact Carrie Pallardy at cpallardy@beckershealthcare.com.

Allison Bolger is CFO of Surgical Management Professionals. Ms. Bolger has more than 20 years of experience of financial management in the healthcare field. During the course of her career she has served as a staff auditor for a regional CPA firm, reimbursement analyst for a large non-profit hospital and CFO of Dells Area Health Center. She has also served as area controller for the healthcare system Avera McKennan. Ms. Bolger earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and master's degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Kim Fieldbinder, CPA, is executive vice president, CFO and chief administrative officer of SourceMedical Solutions. Ms. Fieldbinder joined SourceMedical in 2001 as a senior accountant. Previously, she was a senior accountant with Ernst & Young. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Sandra Jones, MBA, MS, CASC, FHFMA, is COO and executive vice president of ASD Management. Prior to her work with ASD Management, Ms. Jones was the president of Ambulatory Strategies and a regional managed care coordinator, risk manager and facility administrator for Premier Ambulatory Systems. She has also held CEO and COO positions at for-profit hospitals. Ms. Jones holds credentials in quality improvement and risk management. She earned graduate degrees from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.

Catherine W. Kowalski, RN, is COO and executive vice president of Meridian Surgical Partners. Ms. Kowalski has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare field. She co-founded and served as executive vice president of Surgical Alliance Corporation, and she co-founded and worked as vice president of hospital management company OrthoExcel. During her career, Ms. Kowalski has also been vice president of MedCenter Management Services, manager of Ohio Orthopedic Institute and a cardiothoracic surgery staff nurse. Ms. Kowalski earned her nursing degree from the Ohio State University in Columbus and her master's from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Denise Mayhew is chief administrative officer of Nueterra. Ms. Mayhew has been with the company since its beginning in 1997. She assumed her position as CFA in 2010. Over the course of her time with Nueterra, she has been involved in the development of surgery centers, specialty hospitals and ancillary facilities. She also led marketing and physician relations teams at the company. Ms. Mayhew has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare field.

Christine Merryman is chief development and operations officer of SurgCenter Development. Ms. Merryman has worked with SurgCenter Development for nearly 11 years. She earned her degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Karen Sablyak, CPA, is CFO of Physicians Endoscopy. Ms. Sablyak has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She joined the company in 1999. Ms. Sablyak and Barry Tanner, CEO of Physicians Endoscopy, co-authored the company's business plan. In her role as CFO, she oversees billing, finance, human resources and payer contracting at Physicians Endoscopy's centers. Prior to joining Physician Endoscopy, Ms. Sablyak was vice president of practice management for Allegheny University Hospitals. She has expertise in billing, developing policies and analysis of financial data.

Teresa Sparks is CFO and senior vice president of Symbion. Ms. Sparks has held a variety of leadership roles with the company. She served as corporate controller of Symbion since its inception and became its vice president in 2002. Before Symbion, Ms. Sparks was assistant controller for HealthWise of America, a managed care organization. She also served as a senior healthcare auditor for Deloitte. Ms. Sparks earned her bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn.

Kathleen Whitlow, BS, RNC, CASC, is COO of Blue Chip Surgery Center Partners. Ms. Whitlow joined Blue Chip in 2008 as a partner. Over the course of her career, she has worked as an ASC administrator and consultant. Ms. Whitlow has worked as director of surgical services for a large national hospital and been an advisor for a group of attorneys representing physicians. She has expertise in development, operations, strategic planning and marketing.

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10 ASC Industry C-Suite Leaders to Know

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