News Releases

The Center for Health Affairs Extends Terms for Board of Directors and Makes New Appointments

The Center for Health Affairs and its subsidiaries are pleased to announce term extensions for directors and the welcoming of new leaders to its boards, including the appointments of a new chair and vice chair. Drawn from hospital and community organizations in the Northeast Ohio region, these individuals will support the organization’s mission of bringing together partners through innovation to positively impact the communities it serves.

The Center for Health Affairs Board of Directors approved the term extension of three of its current directors — Valda Clark Christian, Janice Murphy, and Dr. Sandeep Palakodeti – through Dec. 31, 2026. The Center’s board aims to serve communities as a catalyst by aligning and collaborating with members and constituents to incubate, pilot, and launch programs and services that benefit the healthcare community.

“I’m excited to continue working with these incredible directors for another three years,” said Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, senior vice president-system chief nurse executive for The MetroHealth system and chair of The Center for Health Affairs’ Board of Directors. “On behalf of the entire team at The Center, I would like to thank our directors for once again agreeing to volunteer their valuable time to serve our organization. We are truly grateful for the knowledge and invaluable experience and insights that they bring to the board.”

The Board of Directors of HealthComp, Inc., dba CHAMPS, has extended the terms for current directors Jose Arrieta and Susan deCathelineau and its current vice chair, Kirsten Park. The HealthComp Board of Directors oversees two of The Center’s subsidiaries, CHAMPS Group Purchasing and The Essentials Group.

Comprised of hospital, academic and community leaders in Northeast Ohio, the Community Health Affairs Board of Directors supports The Center in addressing healthcare needs and issues to improve health and wellness throughout the community. The board made several updates, including naming Joy Johnson the new chair and William E. Finn, MBA, the new vice chair, and approving extended terms for directors Anne Nelson, Bill Chorba, and Shannon Jerse through 2026.

Adam Winston, MS, government affairs director, The MetroHealth System, and Orion Bell, MBA, president and CEO, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, have been named to the board as new directors.

“These new and returning directors will allow us to start 2024 stronger than ever,” said Brian Lane, president & CEO of The Center for Health Affairs. “Every single one of these talented leaders makes The Center a stronger organization and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining a board capable of impacting the health of our community and allowing us to implement collaborative solutions to healthcare challenges to better our community.”

About the Directors:

Jose Arrieta is the founder of IT solutions firm Imagineer, which offers solutions support in the agricultural, industrial manufacturing, healthcare and government market verticals. He is the former chief information officer and chief data officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he oversaw $26 billion in contract awards and $800 billion in grants.

Orion Bell, MBA, is president and CEO of Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. He holds more than 30 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management and services for older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers. His work includes a focus on collaboration between healthcare providers and community services organizations to address social determinants of health, quality of care and health outcomes.

Valda Clark Christian, JD, CHC, CHPC, is senior vice president and chief ethics & compliance officer for OhioHealth. In her current role, she leads the OhioHealth Corporate Ethics and Compliance Program and Internal Audit Function. Christian is an experienced healthcare leader having served for 20 years cumulatively as legal counsel to health systems and healthcare payers and as a health facility regulator.

Bill Chorba holds active CPA and CGMA designations and currently serves as CFO and vice president of finance, benefits and insurance services for CBIZ, where he brought his strategic, financial, and operational leadership experience when joining that organization 2021. Prior to that, he held the role of chief financial officer and treasurer of Cleveland Metroparks, where he managed the Park District’s financial affairs.

Susan deCathelineau is a customer success executive and consultant. She brings more than 20 years of experience in healthcare technology and operations, as well as expertise in strategic product development, campaign management, and solution design and implementation. Previously, she was Hyland Software’s senior vice president, chief customer success officer, with a focus on helping customers gain long-term competitive advantages by leveraging the breadth and depth of their technology investment.

William E. Finn, MBA, serving as president & CEO of Hospice of the Western Reserve since 2011, brings nearly 30 years of experience working in hospice and palliative care. Finn has twice been the chair of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State and served on the Board of Trustees for 21 years. A member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he has presented at the state and national levels on hospice and healthcare issues and holds a Master of Business Administration from the State University of New York.

Shannon Jerse serves as deputy general counsel and chief compliance officer for the Sisters of Charity Health System. With more than 25 years of experience, Jerse arrived at the Sisters of Charity Health System from Cleveland Clinic, where she served as in-house counsel to Cleveland Clinic regional hospitals. Prior to that, she spent eight years as in-house counsel at University Hospitals. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Joy D. Johnson is executive director at Burten, Bell, Carr Development Inc., a nonprofit neighborhood development organization. She acts as a liaison between program staff members, executive staff members and other collaborative partners. Johnson also manages tax and accounting details on behalf of the organization as well as planning, coordinating, and overseeing organizational events and supporting the agency’s grant writing and fund development efforts.

Janice Murphy, RN, BSN, MSN, FACHE, is president & CEO of Sisters of Charity Health System, a role she has been serving in since 2022. Prior to that, she had served as president & CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center since 2019. When she joined the Sisters of Charity Health System in 2018 as senior vice president of mission and ministry, Murphy oversaw integration of the philosophy and values of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine into the daily operations of the Sisters of Charity Health System.

Anne Nelson is the assistant dean of student services of the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University. In her role, she is responsible for generating and maintaining enrollment, working with faculty to enhance the business education curriculum, overseeing the college’s undergraduate student engagement services leading the academic advising teams, creating career development and exploration programs, and administering the college’s scholarship program and petitions.

Sandeep Palakodeti, MD, MPH, is the co-founder and chief product officer of Mishe Health. Palakodeti trained at Harvard Medical School and Kaiser Permanente. He has founded and led numerous businesses focused on health equity and value-based care. His previous roles include chief medical officer of population health at University Hospitals and consultant for Mayo Clinic.

Kirsten Park serves as senior vice president of treasury at Eaton, where she is responsible for the company’s cash management, capital market activities, hedging programs, retirement asset management, insurance programs, and global real estate strategies. Previously, Park, who came to Eaton in 2008, held several roles in Treasury including vice president and assistant treasurer and North America treasury center manager.

Adam Winston, MS, is the government affairs director for The MetroHealth System. In this role, he represents MetroHealth in public, private and professional forums, addressing issues regarding the healthcare industry and influencing public policy and government decisions for the benefit of people affected by legislative changes and quality of life concerns.