Lynne Cunningham
What's the Why? Connecting the Dots to Evidence-Based Leadership

Lynne Cunningham is a coach and business development resource with the Studer Group, working with health care systems throughout the country as they plan and launch their service and operational excellence initiatives. Prior to Studer, Cunningham was with Kaiser/Permanente Medical Care Program as a public and community relations supervisor. She also served as Vice President of Communications and Marketing with Sutter Health. Cunningham has published numerous books and publications related to service quality and leadership. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University.

Lowell Catlett
Supercare: How Healthcare Dominates the 21st Century

Lowell Catlett is a Regent’s Professor at New Mexico State University and a recipient of the university’s highest award, the Westhafer Award. He is an exciting futurist with an expansive knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we will live and work. Dr. Catlett received his doctorate in Economics from Iowa State University and has twice received the Don C. Rouch Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Defense and Labor, as well as a consultant to many Fortune 500 companies.

Thomas Green
The New World of Financing for Community & Rural Hospitals

Thomas Green is chairman and CEO of Lancaster Pollard, an investment banking, mortgage banking, financial advisory and investment advisory firm serving the health care, senior living and affordable housing sectors. He has over 30 years of senior management experience in corporate finance, banking and healthcare. During his tenure at Lancaster Pollard, the company received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was named to the Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the nation.

John J. Nance, JD
Why Hospitals Should Fly

With over 13,000 hours of flight time, John Nance is familiar with the 30,000-foot view of the world, but his feet are squarely on the ground when it comes to the quest for patient safety and medical practice improvement. Nance is a founding member of the National Patient Safety Foundation at the American Medical Association, and has been an energetic part of the medical community for nearly two decades. His most recent book Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care was named the 2009 Book of the Year by the American College of Healthcare Executives. The book is recognized for reinventing the cultural foundations of healthcare and bringing clarity to the decade-long patient safety and quality care debate.

V.J. Smith
The Richest Man in Town

V.J. Smith is a professional speaker and author of The Richest Man in Town, the story of a Wal-Mart cashier who became one of the most respected citizens in a small South Dakota town. A 1978 graduate of South Dakota State University (SDSU), Smith spent most of the 1980s working in human resources for Allied Signal Aerospace which was contracted by the Department of Energy. In 1990, he become Assistant Athletic Director of SDSU and later became Executive Director of the University’s Alumni Association. In 2007, Smith resigned from SDSU due to overwhelming requests for speaking appearances.