Welcoming New Board Members in 2018

NHPCO is proud to welcome four new individuals to the organization’s Board of Directors. Joining the NHPCO board for three year terms are:

• Samira Beckwith, ACSW, LCSW, FACHE, President and CEO, Hope Hospice and Community Services, Fort Myers, Florida 
• Sandy Kuhlman, BSN, Executive Director, Hospice Services, Inc., Phillipsburg, Kansas
• Balu Natarajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, Rosemont, Illinois
•  Stacie Pinderhughes, MD, Medical Director, Optumcare, Complex Care Management, Phoenix, Arizona

Jan Jones, of The Elizabeth Hospice, continues in her second year as board-chair. Joining Jones on the board’s executive committee are Gregory Wood, vice-chair, of Hospice of the Ozarks; Regina Bodnar, secretary, of Carroll Hospice; David Williams, treasurer, of VITAS Healthcare; and Edo Banach, NHPCO president and CEO. Additional members of the executive committee are Suzi Johnson of Sharp HospiceCare, Rafael Sciullo of Empath Health/Suncoast Hospice, and Norman McRae of Caris HealthCare, LP.

“NHPCO thanks all the new and existing board members for their dedicated service on behalf of our nation’s hospice and palliative care provider community as well as the millions of patients and family caregivers that benefit from the care that our diverse membership provides. Board members come from programs that vary in size and structure, serve urban and rural areas, and represent single-site and multi-state providers. We all share a common goal to advance interdisciplinary, person-centered care to all those with or at risk of serious illness,” said Edo Banach, president and CEO of NHPCO. 

NHPCO extends special thanks to the board members who concluded service in 2017: Linda Todd, Kenneth Zeri, SueAnn Reynolds, and Lori Bishop.

A list of NHPCO’s full board of directors is available in the “About NHPCO” section of the organization’s website.