Our Leadership Team
CEO
Christopher Gessner
President and Chief Executive Officer
CEO Council
Lisa Aurilio, MSN, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Tarun Bhalla, MD, MBA, FAAP
Chair, Anesthesia & Pain Medicine; Chief Clinical Officer; Pediatric Anesthesiologist
Michael Bigham, MD, MBA, FAAP, FCCM
Chief Quality Officer; Pediatric Intensivist
Shelly Brown, MAOL, CFRE
Chief Development Officer and Executive Director of the Foundation
Gordon Edwards
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Forbes, MD, FAAP, FCCM
Chief Academic Officer; William H. and Rebecca D. Considine Endowed Chair for Pediatric Research; Head, Rebecca D Considine Research Institute
Kristene Grayem, MSN, APRN-CNP
Chief Population Health Officer; Executive Director, Akron Children’s Health Collaborative
Tony Gutowski
Chief Government Relations and Business Development Officer
Rhonda Larimore
Chief Human Resources Officer
Shefali Mahesh, MD
Dr. Noah Miller Endowed Chair in Pediatric Medicine; Pediatrician in Chief; Immediate Past President, Medical Staff; Pediatric Nephrologist
Robert McGregor, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Kimberly Moses
Chief Legal Officer
Harun Rashid
Vice President, Information Services; Chief Information Officer
Todd Ritzman, MD, FAAOS, FAOA
Chair, Department of Orthopedics; Surgeon in Chief; Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon
Bernett Williams, MPA
Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer; Vice President for Community Initiatives
Christine Young, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, DNP
Grace Wakulchik Endowed Chair for Nursing; Chief of Hospital Based Services; Chief Nursing Officer
Chiefs and Chairs
Jennifer Baccon, MD, PhD, MHCM
Chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; President-elect for the Association for Academic Pathology; Medical Director of Value Analysis in Supply Chain
Bruce H. Cohen, MD, FAAN
Chair, NeuroDevelopmental Science Center; Philip H. Maynard Chair in NeuroDevelopmental Science Fund; Chairman, American Academy of Neurology Advocacy Committee; Pediatric Neurologist
Jennifer Dwyer, MD, FAAP
Chief of Primary Care; Pediatrician
Jeffrey Hord, MD
Director, Division of Hematology-Oncology; Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist; LOPen Charities and Mawaka Family Chair in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Vice President, American Society of Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology 2023-2024
Kerwyn Jones, MD
Medical Staff President; Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon; Sports Medicine Physician; Department Quality Officer
John Lane, MD, FACC
Director, Pediatric Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Service; Pediatric Cardiologist; Sunrise Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Michael Rubin, MD
Chair, Department of Pediatric Radiology;
Pediatric Radiologist
Julie Samora, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Orthopedics; Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon
Marya Strand, MD, MS
Chair, Department of Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine; Thomas R. & Mary Lynn Crowley Endowed Chair in Neonatology and Maternal Fetal Medicine; Director, Division of Neonatology; Neonatologist-Perinatologist; Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist
Eva Szigethy, MD, PhD
Director, Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology; The Lois C. Orr Endowed Chair in Pediatric Psychiatry
Vice Presidents
Janae Bragg, MBA
Vice President, Talent Management
Joseph Carr, MBA, RN
Vice President, Supply Chain
Beth Carr, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Vice President, Patient Services; Associate Chief Nursing Officer
Brian Dinger, MBA
Vice President, Primary Care and Regional Services
Shana Earle
Vice President, Financial Planning and Performance
Carole Ettinger
Vice President, Information Services Division
Matthew Groninger, MHA
Vice President, Medical and Surgical Subspecialties
Megan Hopper
Vice President, Principal Giving
Roderick (Rod) Ingram, Sr.
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Jawad Khan
Vice President, Enterprise Analytics
Joy Kosiewicz
Vice President, Associate General Counsel
Alicia LaMancusa, CPA, MBA
Vice President, Finance
Brian Lapolla, AIA, MBA, LEED AP
Vice President, Operations
Michael Mainwaring
Vice President, Business Development
Brian Martin, DMD, MHCDS
Vice President, Population Health; Dentist
Paul Olivier, FACHE
Vice President, Akron Children's Mahoning Valley
Deepesh Randeri
Vice President, Information Security
Matt Rusch, MBA
Vice President, Finance & Revenue Cycle
Sarah Rush, MD
Vice President, Informatics; Chief Medical Information Officer; Pediatric Neuro-Oncologist; Marci M. Matthews Endowed Chair in Telehealth
Tina Sanzone, MHA, BSN, RN
Vice President, Operations and Professional Services
Tina Speicher
Vice President, Total Rewards
Kara Williams
Vice President, Associate General Counsel