News Release

Contact: Deanna Martin
dmartin@aha.org
312-422-3819

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2011

ASHE announces new president-elect, board members
ASHE members also approve governance changes

CHICAGO – Members of the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) have elected a new president-elect, selected new members of the ASHE Board of Directors and approved bylaws changes that will expand the organization’s governance.

Mark A. Kenneday, CHFM, FASHE, has been elected as the new president-elect. Kenneday is vice chancellor of campus operations at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Ark. He will serve as president-elect in 2012 and assume the presidency in 2013. Kenneday will succeed Jeffrey L. Arthurs, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE, who will assume the presidency from current president George A. (Skip) Smith, CHFM, SASHE, on January 1, 2012.

Kenneday, who has 28 years of experience in health facility management, is the Region 7 representative on the board and serves as chairman of the ASHE Advocacy Committee.

The following members were reelected to the board:

Region 3 (Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia):   
Phil Stephens, MHA, CHFM, SASHE, Director, Facilities Management Services, Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast, Concord, N.C.

Region 6 (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario):
Gary Hempeck, CHFM, Director, Plant Operations, St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Paul, Minn.

The following members were elected to the board for the first time:

Region 7 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas):
Terry Scott, CHFM, CHSP, Director of Facilities & Construction, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, Houston

Region 8 (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska):
Robert A. Gance, MBA, RHSO, CHFM, Director of Facility Services, McKee Medical Center of Banner Health, Loveland, Colo. Gance previously served on the board filling a vacant spot, and was elected to his first full term.

Region 10 (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Yukon):
Russell Harbaugh, EOC/Life Safety Officer Accreditation, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Boise, Idaho

The newly elected board members will serve two-year terms from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013. Elections are staggered, so candidates in other regions will face election in 2012. More detailed biographical information on board members and Kenneday is available online at http://www.ashe.org/about/governance/elections/.

ASHE members also approved nine bylaw amendments. Although some are minor changes to align the bylaws with current practices, two major changes will restructure the Society’s governance and redefine membership categories.

One significant change will amend the definition of a professional active member, which was previously a membership category reserved for those employed by a health care facility. The change allows those who do not work in a hospital but are currently Certified Healthcare Facility Managers (CHFMs) to also be professional active members.

“It was once common for health care facility professionals to stay with the same employer for decades, but the rapidly changing health care market has led to employment volatility, and this bylaws change reflects that,” said ASHE Executive Director Dale Woodin, CHFM, FASHE.  “Professional active members demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to a health care facility through their role in facility operations, whether they are employed by a hospital or hold CHFM certification.”

Another change will add two spots on the board of directors for associate members, who previously were not eligible to hold board seats. The board will consist of the president, immediate past president, president-elect, representatives from the 10 ASHE regions and two associate members. The 10 regional seats are filled by professional active members, and the presidential positions are reserved for professional active members employed by a health care facility or system.

“ASHE has seen considerable membership growth in the last 10 years, and a good portion of that is because of an increase in associate membership,” Woodin said. “This change recognizes the importance of both professional active members and associate members in achieving ASHE’s mission of optimizing the health care physical environment.”

More detailed information on the bylaws changes is available online at: http://www.ashe.org/about/governance/proposedbylaws.html.

About ASHE
ASHE is a personal membership group of the AHA. More than 10,500 members count ASHE as a key source of professional development, advocacy and representation of key issues that affect their work in physical health care environment. For more information about ASHE contact 312-422-3800 or go to www.ashe.org.

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