Joel Allison

Joel Allison is the former chief executive officer of Baylor Scott & White Health headquartered in Dallas. He joined Baylor Health Care System in 1993 and served as Baylor’s senior executive vice president and chief operating officer before being promoted to president and CEO in 2000. On October 1, 2013, he was named chief executive officer of Baylor Scott & White Health until his retirement in May 2017.

Allison completed his administrative residency at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene where he rose to become the executive vice president and chief operating officer. Two years later he attained his first CEO position, leaving Abilene for St. Joseph, MO where he led Methodist Medical Center until becoming CEO of Northwest Texas Hospitals/Amarillo Hospital District in Amarillo, Texas. Allison then became President and CEO of Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi. Ultimately, Allison went to work for one of his early mentors, Boone Powell, Jr., who had been the president and CEO of Hendrick Medical Center and left in 1980 to serve as the president and CEO of Baylor Health Care System.

He has long been seen as an innovator and visionary in health care through his orchestration of Baylor’s investment in primary care clinics, urgent care clinics and freestanding emergency departments. He also created the HealthTexas Provider Network, a Baylor subsidiary that relies on a quality-aligned network of physicians and advanced practice providers to provide care at sites throughout North Texas. Allison was instrumental in shepherding the merger between Baylor and Scott & White.

To add to an impressive resume, he is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Nationally, he serves on the Healthcare Leadership Council and the United Surgical Partners, International board. In addition, he was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency Board and has been involved in many other state and local organizations, including the Texas Association of Voluntary Hospitals, Texas Care Alliance, Baylor University Board of Regents, Dallas Citizens Council and the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture. He is also a past chairman of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Board, the Dallas Regional Chamber Board and the Dallas Citizens Council Board.

In his more than four decades long career in health care management, Allison has received numerous recognitions for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the health care field including the 2015 Dallas Business Hall of Fame Laureate (Junior Achievement of Dallas), CEO of the Year (D CEO Magazine), 100 Most Influential People in Health Care (Modern Healthcare), Distinguished Leaders Award (Texas Association of Business) and Boone Powell Sr. Award for Excellence (Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council).

He was an active member of THA throughout his career and served on the THA Board of Trustees from (2001– 2004), THA Special Committee on Medicaid (2003–2005) and received the Earl M. Collier award in 2008 during his time with THA.

Allison continues to train the next generation of health care professionals as a senior advisor for Baylor’s MBA in health care administration program.