Greater Dallas Healthcare Diversity Summit

Lisa Rosser started The Value Of a Veteran in 2006, after recognizing an unmet need. At the time, veteran unemployment rates were skyrocketing and there was an erroneous perception that the reason for that high unemployment rate was because veterans lacked skills that were valued in the civilian workplace. Lisa believed that at least half the problem was that civilian recruiters and hiring managers had no exposure to the military, and were therefore not seeing the real value those veterans could bring to their organizations. Lisa combined her 22 years of military experience (both active Army and Army Reserve) with her 16 years of human resources / recruiting / diversity programs and training development experience and created training content specifically for recruiters, hiring managers and supervisors who wanted to improve recruitment and retention of veterans. The content was first deployed as a simple hiring guide in 2007 and quickly grew to include workshops, web seminars and consulting services.Lisa graduated from George Mason University (Fairfax, VA) with a BA in Communications and a commission as a Signal (telecommunications) officer through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. She later graduated from the University of Central Texas (now Texas A&M University – Central Texas / Killeen, TX) with a MS in Human Resource Management.

Kimel Hodges is the Assistant Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion and Equal Opportunity at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She joined UT Southwestern in September 2012 and oversees several divisions including Diversity & Inclusion, Equal Opportunity, and Supplier Diversity. Kimel leads the strategic development of the organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy. She oversees investigations of discrimination, harassment or retaliation. She’s responsible for Affirmative Action Planning, and ensures compliance with laws, regulations, organizational policies and contracts. Kimel also provides strategic direction in the development of initiatives for the Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) program, and enterprise-wide Minority, Women, Service Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (MWSDVBE). Prior to joining UT Southwestern, Kimel served as Director of Diversity & Inclusion at CHRISTUS Health; and has held leadership positions at Kellogg Company including Diversity Business Partner, EEO/AA Manager, and Human Resources Manager. Kimel is a member of several executive committees at UT Southwestern executive committees, and represents the Institution at various community events. Kimel is involved with the Youth Motivational Task Force (YMTF) at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, where she serves on the planning committee. Kimel earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, and master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Central Michigan University. Kimel also holds Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) credentials from the Society for Diversity. Kimel is the proud mother of four and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Kenya Woodruff is co-chair of the Healthcare Practice Group of Haynes and Boone, LLP. Her practice is dedicated to healthcare regulatory and related transactional and business matters. Her counseling activities focus on the creation and maintenance of compliant healthcare operations and structures for physicians, hospitals, home health and hospice providers, including accountable care organizations and the proper utilization of nonprofit health organizations (formerly known as 5.01(a)'s). Her practice also includes advice on compliance with HIPAA/HITECH, Stark, anti-kickback and other applicable fraud and abuse laws. Prior to joining Haynes and Boone, Kenya served as Deputy General Counsel at the Dallas County Hospital District d/b/a Parkland Health & Hospital System. She was the attorney primarily responsible for government investigations and provided legal support and consult for the hospital's daily operations. Before joining Parkland, in addition to her experience as outside counsel to healthcare entities, Kenya was the Vice President of Compliance and Associate General Counsel for a national radiology services company.

Dr. Katherine Coyner is an assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center.Dr. Coyner completed a fellowship in sports medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. She graduated from Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine in Rootstown, Ohio and completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.In the United States, fewer than 5 percent of orthopaedic surgeons are women. Katherine Coyner, M.D., is one of them. And here in the Dallas area, she’s one of only a few female sports medicine physicians.As a lifelong athlete herself, Dr. Coyner has no trouble relating to injured players. She was co-captain of her college basketball team at the University of Massachusetts, where she set scoring and assist records. Including the first female to score 1,000 points and 500 assists, where she was nominated for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Female Athlete of the Year. She was also a Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2004. At Duke University, she was a team physician for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the football team, and the women’s soccer team. It was the pressure and team spirit of sports that prepared her to be a great surgeon, she says, and she loves getting athletes back onto the field. “It is instant gratification,” she says, “to experience them doing well and returning to their level of play.”Dr. Coyner is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon. She is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Orthopaedic Association’s Emerging Leaders Program. Dr. Coyner is one of three sports-medicine orthopaedic surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Sports Medicine, Knee, and Shoulder Program.

Rear Admiral Epifanio (Epi) Elizondo is an active duty Assistant Surgeon General in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health. In his current assignment, he serves as the Regional Health Administrator for Region VI (TX, NM, OK, AR, and LA) and reports to the Assistant Secretary for Health. As the Regional Health Administrator, he provides guidance and assistance to States and key stakeholders related to public health in Region VI. He oversees four regional programs related to Women’s Health, Minority Health, Family Planning and HIV/AIDS. In August 2010, Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin appointed RADM Elizondo as Chief Professional Officer (CPO) for the Health Service Officers (HSO) Category. The HSO Category is the second largest with over 1200 officers, and is the most professionally diverse category in the Commissioned Corps representing physician assistants, podiatrists, optometrists, medical technologists, social workers, and several other professions. RADM Elizondo has served as the CPO for over five years and implemented numerous policies which have enhanced the capabilities of the HSO category. In August 2012, he was promoted to Rear Admiral (Upper Half) which made him the highest ranking physician assistant in the seven uniformed services. Prior to joining the Public Health Service, Admiral Elizondo served in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and the U.S. Air Force. He graduated from the Wichita State University (WSU) PA Program in 1981, and in 1985 with a Master of Health Science degree in Health Administration. Additional formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Kansas State University. RADM Elizondo’s his first clinical job was in Yuma, Arizona where he provided care to the indigent population of Yuma County and to inmates at the Yuma County Jail. He returned to the WSU PA Program and served as a faculty member from 1983 to 1989 at which time he accepted a commission in the U.S. Air Force as an Active Duty PA clinician. He transferred to the U.S. Public Service (USPHS) in 1994 to the Federal Bureau of Prisons where he served as a Clinician, Senior PA, and Coordinator for the BOP/DOD PA Program. All employees who graduated from the PA Program successfully passed the national board examination given by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. His final assignment with the BOP was as the Chief PA for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, DC. He returned to Texas as the Regional Minority Health Consultant for the federal Office of Minority Health with responsibility for work aimed at the elimination of health disparities. He then served as the Region VI Deputy Regional Health Administrator and subsequently became the Regional Health Administrator. RADM Elizondo served as Deputy Commander for the Hurricane Rita response, Commander during the Hurricane Katrina response, and most recently, Commander during the USPHS Ebola response in Liberia. In addition, he served as the first Commander for Rapid Deployment Force Team 4. Awards: Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal, PHS Meritorious Medal, BOP Meritorious Service medal, Navy Reserve Meritorious Medial, Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and PHS Commendation Medal. Other Awards: HHS Secretaries Award for Distinguished Service, U.S. Attorney General/s Award for Career Enhancement, USPHS HOAC Juan Carlos Finlay Award, Federal Executive Boards Public Health Service Award for “Leadership, Direction, and Support,” during Response to Ebola Outbreak.

Mr. Don Taylor was recently selected as Director, Southwest Health Resources Integration, as part of the UT Southwestern Integration Management Office. Don is a retired Colonel who served in the United States Air Force for over 27 years in various roles supporting DoD healthcare. He has led military hospitals, served as the Vice Commander of Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, and commanded the Air Force theater hospital in Balad AB, Iraq in 2006. He served as the Health Benefits and Policy advisor to the Air Force Surgeon General and was instrumental in developing the military health plan TRICARE and created the TRICARE for Life benefit with CMS and the Senate/House staff. He also served as an architect for over a decade, where he planned and designed healthcare infrastructure worldwide. Since military retirement, Mr. Taylor has served as the President of a large engineering company that served clients in 14 countries. He also founded his own consulting company that supported a national health system with strategic and tactical alignment of enterprise-wide resources to assure optimal cost, quality and access. Most recently he served as the Associate Director for the VA Medical Center in North Chicago, Illinois and while there was detailed to assist with leadership, community relations and operational development in the Phoenix VA Healthcare System. As a volunteer, Mr. Taylor served for 4 years in a leadership role with the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the 2012 Military Affairs Committee Chair. He has also served on the San Antonio Economic Development Council and served 3 years on the National Board of Directors for the Air Force Association. While there, he founded their Wounded Airman Program to provide dedicated support for ill and wounded Airmen/families world-wide. Mr. Taylor has a BS in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington and an MHA from Penn State. He lives in Southlake, Texas.