Page Content Regional Executive Team
Members of the Regional Executive Team embrace a leadership model fully rooted in our Mission and Values and in our heritage as a Catholic health care ministry. This model guides our leaders in every aspect of their work and oversight responsibilities. It challenges us to relentlessly pursue improvements in patient outcomes and service to patients and families while awakening joy, meaning and purpose in the human spirit.
|
|
Nancy Steiger
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Mission Officer
Nancy Steiger came to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center from San Mateo Medical Center in California where she was Chief Executive Officer. Previous leadership positions included Chief Operating Officer for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital/St. Joseph Health System in Northern California.
Nancy received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New York University. She earned her Master of Science degree from the University of California at San Francisco. She is the co-author of "Self-Care Nursing: Theory and Practice," published in 1985 and again in 1995.
Her many professional and community involvements have included serving on the California Hospital Association Board of Directors, the California Association of Public Hospitals Executive Committee, as scholarship chairman for Women Healthcare Executives, as chairman of the American Heart Association Board in Santa Rosa and as heart walkathon chairman. She currently serves on the Washington State Hospital Association Board of Directors and Patient Safety Committee. She is on the boards of Whatcom Hospice and St. Joseph Medical Center Foundations.
|
|
Jim Barnhart
Chief Administrative Officer
Jim Barnhart has worked in health care administration for 30 years, serving as a small and rural hospital CEO for the past 23 years, most recently at PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Hospital. Peace Harbor is a critical access hospital in Florence, Oregon, which includes a 32 physician provider-based medical group. He currently serves as the Chief Administrative Officer, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. His responsibilities include development of the medical center’s regional care network and Peace Island Medical Center on San Juan Island. Jim is a graduate of the University of Washington MHA program, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, past chairman of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) small and rural committee.
|
 |
Cindy Klein
Vice President, Human Resources
Cindy Klein is the Regional Vice President of Human Resources for PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. She joined PeaceHealth in June 2008. Cindy came to us from West Virginia University Hospitals, a 522-bed academic medical center with several facilities and more than 3,600 employees, where she was Vice President of Human Resources.
Prior to her HR executive position there, she was Director of Cardiac and Diagnostic Services at West Virginia University Hospitals. Cindy has a Masters in Public Administration from West Virginia University and her undergraduate degree is in journalism. Cindy has oversight for Human Resources, Learning and Development, the Employee Assistance Program and Volunteer Services. Cindy also serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Whatcom County.
|
|
Chris Phillips
Director for Community Affairs & Strategic Communications
Chris Phillips serves as part of the regional executive team for PeaceHealth in his current position as Director for Community Affairs and Strategic Communication at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Chris received his master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco, and has served as the clinical director of a community mental health center in Monterey, California, a grant administer and evaluator for an interagency project designed to provide coordinated primary health care and social services for people who are homeless in Burlington, Vermont, and the executive director of a community health center in Bellingham.
|
|
Nancy Tieman
VP, Strategy, Innovation & Development
Nancy Tieman is the Regional Vice President of Strategy, Innovation and Development for PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Originally from Chicago, Nancy began her health care career at PeaceHealth St. Joseph as a medical technologist. Over the years, Nancy changed her laboratory focus to more leadership roles managing projects, information system implementations, operations and marketing efforts. Nancy has been the Administrative Director of Northwest Regional Laboratory and the Executive Director of ComPASS, a local medical billing company. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from Northwestern University and a master of business administration from Western Washington University.
|
|
|
Dale Zender
Vice President of Finance (CFO) & Organizational Integrity Officer
Dale Zender is the Regional Vice President of Finance (CFO) and Organizational Integrity Officer (OIO). This includes oversight for all fiscal operations, Patient Business Services, Health Information Management, Contracts Administration, Materials Management, Food and Nutrition Services, Plant Management and Environmental Services. Additionally, Dale provides financial oversight for the Southeast Alaska region and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. He serves as the Whatcom Regional Organizational Integrity Officer (ROIO) and as a member of the PeaceHealth System Organizational Integrity Task Force. He is responsible for establishing a culture of ethical and compliant behavior and leading the Whatcom Region Organizational Integrity Program to confirm compliance with PeaceHealth policy and federal/state regulations. Dale came to PeaceHealth St. Joseph in 1982 and has held various roles at PeaceHealth leading up to his current role as Regional VP of Finance and OIO. Dale received his Bachelor of Art degree from Western Washington University in 1979 and fulfilled the requirements for CPA from the Washington State Board of Accountancy in 1992. Dale also earned an MBA from City University in 2001. He is a member of the Bellingham Bay Rotary and in 2010 was elected to WECU's Board of Directors.
|
|
Kelly Espinoza
Vice President of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer
Kelly Espinoza is the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer for PeaceHealth St. Joseph. Kelly Joined PeaceHealth in July of 2012. Kelly came to us from Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, a 385 bed, not-for-profit medical center which was part of Dignity Health, a 40 hospital system formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West (CHW). Kelly was the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services. Kelly also served at the President of the Nevada State Board of Nursing and was awarded the Northern Nevada Nurse of Achievement for LEADERSHIP in 2012. She is pursuing her PhD in Nursing Education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Prior to her Chief Nurse role, Kelly was the Vice President of Quality at Renown Health in Reno and the Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Palo Alto, California.
Kelly has bachelor's in nursing, a master's in nursing and participates in numerous professional organizations, including but not limited to Sigma Theta Tau, American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and Association of Nurse Executives (AONE).
Kelly has oversight for patient care services, including nursing, pharmacy, social services, behavioral health, rehabilitation services, therapies, professional practice, emergency services and trauma.
|
|
Peter Valenzuela, MD
Medical Director for PeaceHealth Medical Group - Bellingham
Dr. Peter Valenzuela is a practicing family physician who serves as Medical Director for PeaceHealth Medical Group in Bellingham, Washington. Prior to moving to Bellingham, Dr. Valenzuela served as the Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Chair of Family Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of the Permian Basin. Early in his career, he spent five years practicing rural medicine in his hometown of Fort Stockton, Texas, with a population of 7,500 people.
Dr. Valenzuela has a passion for physician leadership development and instituting lean strategies to improve medical group operations. He has given national and international presentations in topics related to residency education as well the business side of medicine. He also has publications in the Journal of Medical Practice Management, Family Practice Management, MGMA Connexion and the Physician Executive Journal. Recently, Governor Chris Gregoire appointed Dr. Valenzuela to serve on the Robert Bree Collaborative, focused on identifying concerns with quality and variation in health care and recommending evidence-based strategies for improvement.
Dr. Valenzuela has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas in Austin. He graduated from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his family medicine residency at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. He earned his Physician’s Executive MBA from Auburn University. Dr. Valenzuela completed a fellowship in academic faculty development from the Waco Faculty Development Center. He holds a certificate in health care delivery improvement from the PeaceHealth Advanced Training Program as well as a Six Sigma greenbelt with a focus on health care.
|
|
Jeremy Blanchard, MD
Northwest Network's Vice President of Quality & PeaceHealth St. Joseph's Vice President of Quality & Medical Staff Services
Dr. Jeremy Blanchard is the Northwest Network’s Vice President of Quality and PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center’s Vice President of Quality and Medical Staff Services. He came to PeaceHealth in 2012 from Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Southeastern Washington, a 270 bed tertiary referral center. During his 10 years at Kadlec he practiced as an intensivist while leading the building of a quality and patient focused intensivist program and resurrection of a failing hospitalist program. Jeremy’s choice to come to PeaceHealth was guided by his commitment to the Mission, Vision and Core Values of the Sisters of St. Joseph. He has oversight of quality, patient safety, medical staff services, risk management and infection prevention.
Jeremy has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Montana, Medical Doctorate from the University of New Mexico, Master of Medical Management from the University of Southern California and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine as well as a Certified Physician Executive. He is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians.
|
|
|
