July 7, 2026- Bellwether League Foundation’s Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership Hall of Fame selected eight professionals, recognized as innovators, leaders, pioneers and visionaries paving the way forward for their industry and professional contributions and performance, as honorees of the Bellwether Class of 2026. They will enter the Hall with 154 earlier honorees inducted since the organization began.
Bellwether League Foundation (BLF) selected the following professionals for the 19th Bellwether Class: John Bardis, retired Founder & Chairman, MedAssets, and former Assistant Secretary, Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; William A. Baum Sr. (1891-1964), Founder & Board Chairman, William A. Baum Co. Inc., Copiague, NY; Pamela L. Bryant, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, Parkland Health, Dallas; Joseph R. Colonna, Chief Supply Chain & Project Management Officer, Piedmont Health, Atlanta; Capt. Thomas R. Defibaugh (1940-2019), U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine & Surgery; Jay M. Kirkpatrick, Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, Lifepoint Health, Brentwood, TN; Debbie Sprindzunas, Retired Executive Director, Association of Healthcare Resource and Materials Management (AHRMM), Chicago; and Mark Welch, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Novant Health, Charlotte, NC. Bellwether Class of 2026 honorees will be inducted at the the 19th Annual Bellwether League Foundation Induction & Recognition Event (BLFIRE), scheduled for Monday, November 16, at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Center, Savannah, GA.
BLF selected these professionals for their achievements and contributions in the delivery of quality care through efficient and innovative supply chain operations. They represent creative thinkers who take the initiative, expand the boundaries of what’s possible, and perform in a way that improves and promotes the profession of supply chain management among hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations, group purchasing organizations (GPOs), product manufacturers and distributors, consulting firms, academic/educational institutions and media properties.
“We congratulate the eight 2026 Bellwether Honorees who represent a wide range of roles, facilities and organizations that they have led over their careers,” said Barbara Strain, Bellwether Class of 2021, BLF Board Chairman. “Each of their bodies of work read like the history of supply chain leadership. Take a few minutes to acquaint yourselves with each individual highlighted below and plan on honoring them personally at our live induction event on November 16 in Savannah.”
BLF Advisory Council Chairman Gary Rakes, Bellwether Class of 2021, agreed. “The newest Bellwether Hall of Fame honorees have transformed challenges into progress, innovation into impact and careers into lasting legacies. Their contributions have not only advanced healthcare supply chain excellence but have helped ensure better outcomes for the patients and communities we serve. Join me in congratulating these eight distinguished and extremely talented supply chain executives as the Bellwether Class of 2026 Hall of Fame honorees!”