SCHA Announces Inaugural Class of WHY Executive Fellows

South Carolina’s hospitals are navigating historic challenges—from workforce shortages and rising costs to accelerating clinical innovation and community health needs. To meet this moment, SCHA is launching a new WHY Executive Fellowship to invest in the leaders who will guide our state’s hospitals through what’s next.

The inaugural Executive Fellowship begins this March and will run for one year. Twelve leaders from across South Carolina were selected through a competitive process based on their track record of results, commitment to mission, and potential for system‑level impact.

Congratulations to our 2026 cohort:

• Presley Bacon – MUSC Health Catawba Division

• Kelli Barfield – Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center

• Aneesah Deen – Lexington Health

• Paul Hanna – Aiken Regional Medical Centers

• Jerome Jackson – MUSC Health Midlands Division

• Latressa Kennedy – Abbeville Area Medical Center

• Busy Kimball – Tidelands Health

• Shelly McMillan – Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System

• Jennifer Risser – Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Greenville

• Jennifer Rogers – Prisma Health

• Cathy Sumner – Aiken Regional Medical Centers

• Heather West – McLeod Health

We’ll share updates, session takeaways, and capstone highlights throughout the year. To follow along—and to congratulate the Fellows—connect with SCHA on LinkedIn and subscribe to our Workforce Insights and The Weekly newsletters.

For questions about the Executive Fellowship, contact Lara Hewitt.