Interview with Kimberly A. Russel, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, BryanLGH Health System.(INTERVIEW)(Interview)

As president and chief executive officer of BryanLGH Health System in Lincoln, Nebraska, Kimberly A. Russel, FACHE, is responsible for overseeing an urban tertiary medical center, a rural critical access hospital, a multispecialty physician network, a foundation, a heart institute, and the College of Health Sciences. Before taking the helm at BryanLGH in 2008, Ms. Russel served as president and chief executive officer of Mary Greeley Medical Center (Ames, Iowa) for more than a decade. Since the mid-1980s, she has held leadership positions at various healthcare organizations.

Ms. Russel is an active member of the board of directors of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, and the Lincoln Medical Education Partnership. Also, she is the chair of the Mayor's Health Care Safety Net Task Force in Lincoln, and she has served on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Health Care Pilot Evaluation Team. In 2008, she was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives, and in 1997, she was named on Modern Healthcare's Up and Comers list. In addition, she has published articles in several healthcare publications.

Ms. Russel holds a bachelor's degree in general management from Purdue University and a master's degree in health administration from Washington University. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Dr. Grazier: You have been president and chief executive officer of BryanLGH Health System since March 2008. Before this, you filled various senior leadership roles for many years. To what do you attribute your advancement in the field?

Ms. Russel: I am fortunate to have an outstanding mentor and to have worked for organizations that have presented a lot of opportunities. I have been in the right place at the right time.

Dr. Grazier: What are your responsibilities as a CEO?

Ms. Russel: Our health system is made up of a broad spectrum of services, including a tertiary acute care medical center, a critical access hospital, a physician network, the College of Health Sciences, a foundation, and various subsidiaries. Each of these entities is led by capable leaders. Also, the system has an active board, which consists of members of local businesses and educational institutions. My primary job is to advocate for the system's mission to advance the health of individuals in our region through collaboration with physicians and communities. I am proud to be part of BryanLGH.