By Rachel Bailey, Editor, PWH Connect Journal
The Professional Women in Healthcare® (PWH) organization held its seventh annual PWH Leadership Summit in Frisco, Texas, March 31 to April 2, 2025. The three-day event is the industry’s only conference dedicated to enriched leadership development. This year, with a theme of “rooted,” the event drew 230 executives and aspiring leaders.
Sessions offered attendees plenty of twenty-first century fertilizer to grow their roots, from learning how to apply AI tools and design thinking to speed mentoring and leadership support.
Vizient sponsored the event’s opening keynote speaker, Erin Diehl. Presenting on empathic leadership, Diehl encouraged attendees to “discover a newfound sense of self-love, empathy, and inner peace” to advance “positive relational energy.”
Ashlee Gerrie, Marketing and Communications Manager for Premier, attended Diehl’s session. “I loved the opportunity to attend many great sessions, especially the one with Erin Diehl, changing our scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, from ‘am I enough?’ to ‘I AM ENOUGH!’
After the event, Gerrie, who also serves as Vice Chair of the PWH CID Committee shared on social media, “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend#PWHSummit2025, where I had an amazing experience that significantly contributed to my professional and personal growth. The Summit provided a fantastic platform for networking and enhancing my skills, and I am thankful for the support and encouragement from my Premier Inc. family*.”
Ashleigh McLaughlin, PWH Chair and Chief Financial Officer of IMCO Inc., explained to attendees the meaning behind the event’s theme during the opening session on day two. “Our theme of ‘rooted’ honors the “women who have paved the way for us, whose passion, commitment, and influence created the PWH community that we know and cherish today. Their vision laid the foundation for an organization rooted in the belief in an industry equally led by women.”
One of those women is PWH Past Chair and PWH Board Advisor Julee Prefer who helped plan the inaugural Summit in 2018. Prefer helped coin the term “Leadership Insights” for the Summit’s signature session that features five industry leaders who inspire attendees with unique 15-minute TED-style talks on a variety of industry and leadership issues.
This year’s set of Leadership Insights was sponsored by Midmark. Attendees heard from:
- Matt Bourne, Chief Commercial Officer for Midmark
- Jenny Collopy, Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for The Christ Hospital Health Network
- Lamont Robinson, Leader of Small Business Development
- Rachelle Ferrara, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Account Management for ModivCare
- Jack Stephens, President and CEO of NDC Inc.
- Ashley Vertuno, Chief Executive Officer of HCA Florida JFK North Hospital
An event unique to this year’s Summit was the Special Executive Leadership Roundtable. C-Suite executives from PWH Corporate Partners were invited to be part of a collaborative conversation intended to help shape the future leadership of the industry. Participants discussed how to deploy practical strategies to amplify the influence of women leaders, build stronger leadership pipelines, and foster a culture of sponsorship and advocacy that embraces diverse perspectives.
The 2025 PWH Leadership Summit wrapped up with a leadership panel sponsored by B. Braun and moderated by John Pritchard, Publisher of the Journal of Healthcare Contracting and President of Share Moving Media. The session was entitled “Ring of Honor: Rooted in Leadership.” Sarah Charai, Executive Director of Supply Chain Operations for Cleveland Clinic; Andrea Harrison, Senior Vice President of Product & Solutions for Owens & Minor, and Clinton Hazziez, Vice President Supply Chain & Sourcing for Baylor Scott & White shared stories of resilience, risk, and growth.
Michele Rodriguez, Revenue Cycle Manager for Byrum Healthcare was especially inspired by the closing panel. “Our last day! It always goes so fast. I am truly blessed that I was able to attend for my fourth year. These summits are very much needed and appreciated. Thank you to everyone who was a part of putting this together. Our panel discussion inspired us to get rooted in leadership and included our very own Andrea Harrison.”
After the event, PWH Chair Ashleigh McLaughlin thanked the team of PWH members who put on the 2025 Summit. “I’m riding such an incredible high today and feeling so lucky to be part of such an inspiring group. Your leadership and commitment continue to shape the future of PWH in powerful ways, and this Summit was no exception. I’m proud of what we accomplished together and even more excited for what’s ahead.”
The PWH organization is grateful for Summit sponsorship from 18 industry-leading organizations and for the generous support of 24 corporate partners. Thanks also goes to the PWH Leadership Summit Committee, chaired by April Shomper, Sr. Director, Events Strategy & Planning, Vizient.
The 2026 PWH Leadership Summit will be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, May 18-20, 2026. For more information visit mypwh.org.
Honoring our Roots with PWH Awards
Four PWH members received the following PWH awards at the 2025 PWH Leadership Summit
- Shellene Baines, PWH Mentoring Committee Chair received the 2025 Sandra Parker Leadership Scholarship with funding from Graham-Field.
- Mary Poffenbarger, Supply Chain Information Systems – Security Reports & Analytics for Nebraska Methodist Health System, MBA, received the 2025 GHX Leadership Scholarship.
- Khaki Weber, Past PWH Mentoring Committee Chair and Partner at Weber and Associates Consulting received the 2025 Jana Quinn Inspirational Award.
- Cindy Juhas, PWH Founding Member, PWH Past Chair, and PWH Board Advisor received the 2025 Anne Eiting Klamar Leadership Award of Distinction.
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The PWH Board is comprised of voluntary and active PWH members who also serve as members of the PWH Executive Committee, as Chairs or Vice Chairs of the organization’s nine other committees, and as Board Advisors.
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During the Summit’s speed mentoring event, attendees had fun networking in a brief, informal, speed-dating like setting.