Proactively Managing Your Professional Development as a Healthcare Leader | 1.5 VI Credits
Join the ACHE of Central Florida Young Professional Summit Series for a dynamic virtual event focused on intentionally building your career in healthcare leadership. Whether you are a student, early-career professional, mid-careerist, senior leader, or executive, this session is designed to provide valuable insights for professionals at every stage of their journey.
Hear from accomplished healthcare leaders from across the country as they discuss the practical “nuts and bolts” of career planning and professional growth in today’s evolving healthcare landscape. This event will explore actionable steps individuals can take within their organizations and surrounding communities to position themselves for advancement into the next level of leadership.
Meet the Panelists
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Andrew is the Chief Executive Officer of OrthoSC, one of South Carolina’s largest independent, clinically integrated musculoskeletal healthcare platforms. He leads enterprise strategy, financial stewardship, physician alignment, and long-range growth across a multi-site ambulatory organization serving communities across northeastern South Carolina. Dr. Wade is triple board certified in healthcare leadership and management (FACHE, FACMPE, FACHDM) and also serves as an adjunct professor of management at Coastal Carolina University. His academic and professional interests include ambulatory strategy, healthcare affordability, price transparency, and the impact of out-of-pocket costs on patients in outpatient specialty care. Outside of work, Andrew is a grateful husband and dad, and a perpetual student of leadership and history.
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Erin Lemcke-Berno, MPH is Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Rochester Regional Health, a $4B community health system, where she leads enterprise growth through partnerships, acquisitions, and network expansion. With more than 20 years of experience, she brings deep expertise in operations, service line development, and physician alignment, with a proven track record of scaling care delivery and driving strategic growth. Erin is active in the community, including serving as the Board Chair for the American Cancer Society - Greater Rochester Region.
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Ilene Gilbert-Droge is the Regional Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of HCA CareNow for their American Group & is responsible for clinic operations across Texas and Denver, Colorado. Ilene is a seasoned medical group executive with experience working with private practice groups, academia, large integrated health systems as well as a National payer. Ilene earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix at their Hillsboro, Oregon campus. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt by the International Association for Six Sigma Certification, recognizing her experience implementing and managing sustainable process improvement programs. In addition, Ilene received the Medical Group Management Association Practice Executive of the Year award in 2014 and their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. Ilene is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives, a Certified Medical Practice Executive by the American College of Medical Practice Executives, an Executive Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Management and is certified by the Professional Academy for Health Care Management.
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Mark Mellott is a combat-tested enterprise infrastructure architect, Health IT executive, published researcher, and federal contracting leader whose career spans more than 30 years at the intersection of military service, clinical operations, and large-scale technology modernization. As President and CEO of Mellott & Associates—a CVE-certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract—Mark leads the delivery of Health IT, cybersecurity, infrastructure modernization, and program management services to federal and commercial healthcare clients, including IHS, DHA, and the VA. Mark began his career as an Army combat medic and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 24+ years of active duty service in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps. His career took him from field hospitals and combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan—where he personally served as a Chief Information Officer in a war zone—to the Pentagon’s Office of the Army Surgeon General. He has been awarded the Bronze Star twice and earned the Combat Action Badge. Mark has personally designed enterprise network infrastructure in active combat zones, led NOC operations across 38 medical facilities in Afghanistan supporting 108,000+ forces, and architected Zero Trust-aligned clinical networks achieving 100% EHR uptime. At Cerner, he served as executive owner for the infrastructure and cybersecurity posture on two federal Health IT contracts valued at more than $16 billion combined, achieving an 8x reduction in distinct vulnerabilities. His platform expertise spans Oracle Health Millennium (MHS GENESIS), TMIP, AHLTA, CHCS, and IHS PATH, and he has directed $300M+ contract portfolios throughout his career. Mark holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Policy Studies, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and DAWIA Level III IT Acquisition certification. He is a published researcher and recognized authority in federal health IT policy, cybersecurity architecture, and enterprise infrastructure strategy. His academic and operational credentials together span every layer of the technology stack—from personally cabling field hospitals to architecting EHR strategies worth $16B+. At Mellott & Associates, Mark provides direct personal leadership on infrastructure architecture, cybersecurity, and health IT modernization—delivering to clients a combination of proven operational depth, technical fluency, and strategic vision built across a lifetime of distinguished service.
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Dana Bledsoe is a nationally recognized pediatric healthcare executive with a distinguished record of leading complex transformations across multi‑state systems, academic medical centers, and freestanding children’s hospitals. Most recently, she served as the inaugural CEO charged with creating a fully integrated, multi‑state children’s health system and leading the development of a new children’s hospital. Under her leadership, Louisiana’s Best Children’s Hospital with nationally ranked Cardiac and GI programs began unifying the enterprise into a 141‑bed pediatric network with ambulatory sites throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Dana has led strategic, operational, and financial integration across large pediatric enterprises, designing and implementing innovative operating models that expand access, strengthen performance, and elevate patient and family experience. Her work has delivered measurable results, including double‑digit ambulatory growth, significant recapture of late‑cancellation volume, and top‑decile patient experience outcomes. She is known for building high‑reliability cultures, advancing digital and AI‑enabled care redesign, and positioning pediatric systems for sustainable growth. A champion of innovation, Dana founded and sponsored the national SPARKS Pediatric Innovation Summit, bringing together leaders across healthcare, technology, and academia to accelerate solutions for children’s health. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to improving outcomes for children and families through system alignment, operational excellence, and forward‑looking strategy. Dana holds a Doctor of Health Administration, an MBA, a Master’s in Nursing Administration, and is a nurse by background. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She continues to advise health systems, boards, and emerging leaders on pediatric strategy, enterprise integration, and the future of children’s healthcare.