MHA Advisory Board
Thomas E. Beeman, PhD, Rear Admiral, USN, (ret)
Thomas E. Beeman, PhD, Rear Admiral, USN, (ret), is currently Executive in Residence at The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). He previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Regional Operations. Tom has more than 44 years of experience in the healthcare field. Prior to his roles at UPHS, Tom served as President and CEO of Lancaster General Health for 10 years. Prior to LG Health, he served at Saint Thomas Health Services (Nashville, TN) as its President and Chief Executive Officer, and the Senior Vice President for Hospital Operations and Executive Director of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) in the late 1990’s. Tom recently retired as Assistant Deputy Surgeon General for Reserve Affairs, U.S. Navy, where he has served as deputy commander for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. He is a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and a member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. He holds a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University where he has taught System Theory. He holds a master’s degree in Hospital Administration from Widener University, a master’s degree in Health Education and a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Studies from St. Joseph’s University. He is the co-author of “Leading from Within” and “Developing Philanthropic Champions” and has published a number of academic articles on leadership.
Michele Crissman, Esq., J.D., M.S., R.N., C.N.S.
My name is Michele Crissman and I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I received a BS in Nursing from Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN and received a MS in Nursing from South Dakota State University. I continue to be licensed as a registered nurse and clinical nurse specialist. My clinical areas of practice focused on neurological, neurosurgical and rehabilitation nursing. I have been a staff nurse, clinical nurse educator, Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Director of Organizational Improvement, and Director of Credentialing. After twenty years in healthcare, I decided to attend law school and received a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota. I worked as a law clerk and magistrate judge. I have been blessed with a rewarding career in healthcare and combining the legal experience with my healthcare background has made my career even more rewarding and challenging. I am currently an attorney at a health plan with oversight for legal and compliance matters.
I have nearly fifteen years of experience in the academic field as a University Dean and professor. I have taught in the criminal justice, nursing, healthcare management and legal fields.
In my free time, I spend time with my family – husband, son, daughter and son-in-law – and my one-year old adorable puppy. I love watching sports especially the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and Iowa Hawkeyes.
James M. Lineberger, Ph.D., MHA, FACMPE, FACHE
James Lineberger is the Executive Director of Anesthesia Associates of Boise, in Idaho. He has over 30 years of experience in health care administration, including 6 years as a practice management consultant and interim medical practice administrator, 3 years as a health system director, 6 years as a cardiology group practice administrator, 6 years as an orthopedic group practice administrator, and 10 years as an active duty U.S. Army Medical Service Corps officer.
Lineberger’s academic preparation includes a PhD in Adult and Organizational Learning from the University of Idaho, a Master of Health Administration degree from Baylor University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Management) from the University of Central Florida.
He is a Fellow and past national board member of the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and a member of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). He is board-certified in medical practice management, healthcare administration, and health information management systems. He is a graduate of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CIO) Boot Camp, and successfully passed CHIME’s Certified Health Care Chief Information Officer (CHCIO) examination. A member of the Idaho Medical Group Management Association (IMGMA) since 1995, he served as IMGMA’s President in 1998-1999, and was named its Member of the Year in 2004. In 2016, IMGMA honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the association’s annual conference.
He has published numerous articles and lectured nationally regarding medical practice management and health information technology issues. In 2000 the Idaho Business Review identified him as one of Idaho’s “40 Under 40 Young Achievers.” An 8-time “Top Walker,” Lineberger has raised over $30,000 for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk since 2003. While on active duty, he earned Airborne and Air Assault wings, earned the Expert Field Medic distinction, and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal on 3 occasions.
Todd Nelson, MBA
Todd is the Vice President of Education and Organizational Solutions at HFMA. In this role Todd is a member of the HFMA Executive team and is responsible for developing and overseeing the Educational development and delivery, as well as development and implementation of Organizational Solutions for industry partners. In his role, he develops collaborative relationships within the industry, for both HFMA members and non-members.
Prior to his current role he was the Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Operational Initiatives in the Healthcare Financial Practices Group at HFMA. In that role Todd was responsible for creating content in the areas of Leadership, Senior Financial Executives and Accounting and served as staff to the Principles and Practices Board of the HFMA. Todd championed the collaboration, communication, and translation of financial information among financial, revenue cycle, and clinical staff.
Todd was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a rural Midwest hospital for over 15 years, focused on finance and operations related areas before joining HFMA as an employee. He also served in a volunteer role on the HFMA Senior Financial Executive National Advisory Committee, as well as Chapter President, and Regional Executive.
Mr. Nelson received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration, as well as his MBA from the University of Iowa. Todd makes his home in a window seat on United Airlines.
Craig Maxey
Craig Maxey joined IllumiCare in 2017, bringing with him more than 15 years of progressive experience in health care and analytic leadership.
At IllumiCare, Craig serves as the VP of Customer Success where he utilizes his background as a data scientist and healthcare executive to identify and illuminate clinical improvement opportunities that reduce both the financial and clinical impact of healthcare decisions.
Craig left the Navy in 2014 after serving at the MTF, BUMED and DHA where he was able to work in roles such as the Department Head – Healthcare Operations as well as an Operations Research Analyst within M-81 and DHA.
After his Naval career, Craig worked as an executive with Tenet Healthcare Company serving in operational and strategic roles with two different Hospitals. During that time he developed, oversaw and opened multiple ambulatory access points and worked with the state to procure a CON for a Cath Lab thus starting a heart program in an underserved community. In addition, he pioneered new e-marketing campaigns that utilized data to maximize brand and content exposure while minimizing cost.
Craig earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Citadel in Charleston, SC, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Masters in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School where his thesis research focused on statistical machine learning algorithms and their application to healthcare disease classification.
Dr. Paul A. Markham, DBA, MBA, BBA
A global strategist and transformational business leader and marketing change agent, committed to revenue and EBITDA growth in Fortune 100 (GE), mid-size and start-ups. A chief strategist and operating officer with a deep background in change management. A trusted advisor in influencing and shaping the future of healthcare, Cryptocurrency, Value Based Medicine, AI/Deep Learning, Genomics, Pharmacogenomics, Stem Cell Therapy & IT for payers, providers & vendors. Always at the cutting edge of singularity driven market trends. Proven experience in; developing and positioning for SaaS, niche EMR, advanced visualization, enterprise imaging, analytics, compliance, corporate turnaround, brand creation, corporate positioning, B2B and OEM channel development. A snapshot of areas covered includes; EMR, cardiology, oncology, radiology, ACO, MU, CMS, Population Health Management, HIE, HIX, Wellness marketplaces, genomics. Deep experience consulting; reinvigorating turnaround strategies for start-ups and growth companies. Creator of entire healthcare market segments CVIS (2001) VNA and Universal Viewer (2004).
Christian Wallis
CDR Christian Wallis received his commission in1993 and was first assigned to the surface warfare community. He completed two tours as a surface warfare officer, earned a Masters in Business Administration, and was subsequently approved for a lateral transfer into the Navy Medical Service Corps in April of 2000. Over the next 14 years, he served in various healthcare administration positions including Patient Administration Department Head at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton; Department Head of TRICARE Business Services at the National Naval Medical Center; Director of Remote Site Healthcare for TRICARE Europe; Officer in Charge of Branch Health Clinic Bangor; and retired as the Director for Administration at the Federal Health Care Center in Great Lakes, Illinois. During his time as a Medical Service Corps Officer, CDR Wallis became certified as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, served as a Malcolm Baldrige Examiner and earned his Doctorate in Healthcare Administration.
Upon retiring from active duty in June of 2014, Christian started the next chapter of his professional career in the private sector as the Director of Pediatric Subspecialties for Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago. In 2018, he was promoted to the position of Vice President of Operations at Advocate Condell Medical Center. In addition, he has been an adjunct professor over the last nine years and currently teaches for Northwestern University’s Masters in Health Informatics program.
Dr. Susan Chim, DHA, MAT, BA
Dr. Susan Chim hails from Houston, Texas and currently resides in San Francisco, California. Her experience in healthcare began in 2005, when she provided social work services to elderly participants in an adult day healthcare center in Los Angeles. Since then, she has had the honor of serving in numerous roles at UCSF Health and UCLA Health, two of the top hospitals in the nation as ranked by the U.S. News & World Report. Susan also has a background in teaching and training. She has had the privilege of serving as an adjunct instructor for UCLA, an EHR trainer at UCLA Health, a Lean coach at UCSF Health, and an educator and intervention specialist for hundreds of students in grades K-8.
Dr. Chim enjoys collaborating with leaders, frontline providers and staff, and patients and their family members on continuous process improvement efforts aimed at improving health, healthcare delivery, and education. At UCLA Health, she supported the launch of the patient and family advisory council for the department of psychiatry and co-facilitated improvement efforts using a patient- and family- centered approach. In 2017, her unit-based leadership team’s efforts to eliminate CAUTIs for patients in the neurointensive care units earned them UCSF Health’s prestigious Patient Safety Award.
Jeff Plummer – FACHE
Senior healthcare executive with 31 years of diverse experience and extensive success as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Corporate Executive for the Military Health System (MHS). A visionary leader recognized for strategic planning, development of high performing teams, financial stewardship and problem solving through innovation. Proven ability to deliver exceptional performance in complex environments through building strong relationships and a disciplined approach to execution.
