Now Boarding: THA’s Newest Board of Trustees Members

Daniel (Dan) Miller
Methodist Healthcare System
San Antonio

Daniel Miller earned a B.S. from Vanderbilt University and an MHA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Before becoming the current President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare System, he was CEO of the Medical Center of Aurora in Colorado and COO of Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado. Miller also served as CEO of Methodist Children’s Hospital and Methodist Hospital.

Methodist Hospital has expanded its service lines – becoming the largest hospital for inpatient admissions in Texas – and has won many reputable accreditations and awards for clinical excellence and quality outcomes, such as joining the Fortune and Merative 100 Top Hospital list and being recognized for the last five years as Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report – all under Miller’s leadership. His current projects include expansions and constructions of new Methodist hospitals in San Antonio and the surrounding areas.

Debra (Debbie) F. Sukin, MHA, Ph.D., FACHE
Texas Children’s
Houston

Dr. Debra F. Sukin, MHA, Ph.D., FACHE, received her PhD in Health Policy and Health Management from The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Sukin has previously served as the executive vice president of Houston Methodist and the CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital.

Today, Dr. Sukin is the president and CEO of the Texas Children’s system. She is responsible for overseeing all administrative and clinical operations, including the Texas Children’s Health Plan, the Texas Children’s Research Institute and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute.

Dr. Sukin shared that a meaningful lesson she recently learned arose from meeting a family whose baby was critically ill during the holidays. Texas Children’s arranged for a small Christmas tree to be delivered that matched the teddy bear on the baby’s hospital-room door.

“This patient may not remember, but the family certainly will, and their gratitude was a humbling reminder that healing goes beyond medicine: It is also about humanity, compassion and creating moments of hope when families need it most.”

Donald Baker, CPA
Ardent Health
Tyler

Starting his career in Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Donald Baker is a certified public accountant. During his time in eastern Oklahoma, Baker oversaw more than 7,000 employees across seven hospitals and 80 clinic locations in Hillcrest Healthcare System. He concluded over 25 years – the last 10 as CFO for the market – at Hillcrest and joined UT Health East Texas as the COO and CFO in 2019.

Currently, Baker is the regional president of UT Health East Texas. Ten hospitals offering many specialties and services benefit from his strategy and operations leadership, including an academic medical center, physician clinics, a variety of integrated outpatient and in-home health care services and free-standing emergency centers.

A takeaway he’s learned from clinical teams and patients is to “always put patient and clinical team members’ needs first – be focused on the success of others.”

Edmundo Castañeda, FACHE
Parkland Health
Dallas

Edmundo Castañeda is a bilingual graduate of Trinity University and Texas State University. He began his career in senior leadership serving as CEO and COO at regional medical centers in New Mexico and as the president of two hospitals in California. In Texas, he has served as CEO at Tenet’s Sierra Medical Center in El Paso. Castañeda was named executive vice president and COO of Parkland Health in 2022.

“Embracing patients as customers, and employees and physicians/advanced practice providers as partners, is critical for the purpose of creating an environment for success,” Castañeda noted as a meaningful lesson he’s gained from patients and clinical teams.

Jamie Youssef
Ascension Texas
Austin

Before starting as CEO of Ascension Texas in 2025, Jamie Youssef served as senior vice president of Network Development & Service Lines at HCA Healthcare and as Vice President at the national health care consulting firm Integrated Health Strategies. He holds an MHA from The Ohio State University.

Youssef is pairing his expertise in clinical innovations, strategic growth and operations and over 23 years of prior experience to expand access to high-quality care and improve community health outcomes in his new role as CEO. Youssef joins THA’s Board of Trustees as the vice chair of the Council on Policy Development.

Lori Boyd, DNP, RN
Palo Pinto General Hospital
Mineral Wells

Starting her career as a nurse in 1989, Lori Boyd, DNP, RN, has gained broad clinical expertise over many health care settings and specialties. She joined the Palo Pinto General Hospital Board of Directors in 2010. In 2016, Boyd moved into nursing education and currently serves as a nursing program director, preparing nurses for practice rooted in evidence-based care and sound clinical judgment. Boyd is joining THA’s Board of Trustees as chair of Texas Healthcare Trustees.

“One of the most meaningful lessons I have learned is the power of collaboration and innovation in improving clinical judgement,” she said. She and her team lead an international webinar teaching their audience how to bridge didactic instruction and clinical decision-making.

“This experience reinforced for me that when educators share practical, evidence-based strategies and resources, the impact can extend far beyond a single program and potentially strengthen nursing education globally.”

Marie Alvarez
Acadia Healthcare
El Paso

As a proud resident with a strong connection to El Paso, Marie Alvarez has provided over 25 years of service in the Behavioral Health and Chemical Dependency field; she has been a clinician, a senior divisional director of Admissions and CEO of Rio Vista Behavioral Health Hospital. The most meaningful lesson she’s gained from her experience in health care is patience.

“The hardest part of treatment for most is walking through the front door and deciding to get help. I have learned from clinical teams, patients and families to never give up on people. It may take one attempt at treatment or 20. Be patient, kind and keep offering help,” Alvarez said.

Currently, she is the division president of Acadia Healthcare. Eleven hospitals – including four in Texas – are under her purview. Alvarez takes pride in the awards the facilities have won for patient safety and care, nursing leadership, outcome measures and more.

Russell “Russ” Weaver
AdventHealth
Burleson

Russell Weaver’s career spans several notable roles in managed care contracting and executive operations across several hospital systems, including directing revenue cycle activities, supply chain management and physician contract administration as VP of Revenue Cycle/Finance and AVP of Revenue Cycle & Managed Care Contracting at Texas Health Huguley.

As the current vice president of Mission, Community, & Government Advocacy for AdventHealth’s Southwest Region, Weaver leads the strategy and operational oversight of four hospitals. Extensively involved in community engagement and advocacy efforts, he also supervises the advancement of mission and ministry priorities, the development of community health plans and partnerships with safety-net organizations and area churches, among many other key responsibilities.

The most meaningful lesson he’s learned from a patient and their family is that “No matter how advanced our medical care is, it only truly matters when patients and families feel seen, valued and cared for as individuals.”