How did your career path lead you to run a cancer treatment hospital?
My career didn’t start in clinical care. I began in finance and consulting, and those roles taught me a lot about how organizations grow, how they navigate complex challenges, and, most importantly, how strong organizations are built around people and purpose. When I moved into health care, I quickly realized that all of those skills could be applied to work that has an incredibly personal impact on people’s lives.
I joined what was then Cancer Treatment Centers of America in 2009 in business development and had the opportunity over the years to work across nearly every aspect of the organization, from operations and finance to physician recruitment, service line development, patient experience, and growth. That progression gave me a unique view of what it takes to deliver exceptional cancer care and the responsibility we have to make that care accessible to more people.
When Cancer Treatment Centers of America was acquired by City of Hope in 2022, I had the privilege as president of our hospital of helping lead that transition. Today, what motivates me is making sure patients throughout Lake County and the surrounding region can benefit from the expertise and innovation of a leading cancer center without having to leave their community to find it.
How would you describe the care and expertise that City of Hope brings to Lake County, and what makes its approach to cancer distinctive?
What makes City of Hope distinctive is the combination of specialized cancer expertise, research, and compassionate, patient-centered care. Cancer isn’t one disease. Every diagnosis is different, and patients deserve a team that understands the complexity of their particular cancer and can connect them to the right expertise and treatment options.
Being part of City of Hope means our patients in Illinois are connected to a nationally integrated cancer care and research organization. Our teams can draw on expertise from across that network, and patients can have access to clinical trials and emerging treatments while receiving care here in the region.
Just as important is access. I strongly believe access to high-quality health care is a fundamental right. We have worked intentionally to expand the number of patients we can serve, including through additional insurance options and partnerships with other health care organizations. Great cancer care only changes lives if people can actually reach it.
Talent is a major priority for Lake County’s economic future. How is City of Hope helping attract, develop and retain skilled professionals?
Health care is a tremendous career ecosystem, and one thing I wish more young people understood is just how many different paths exist within it. Physicians and nurses are essential, of course, but delivering cancer care also depends on people working in research, technology, laboratories, finance, human resources, facilities, communications, patient services, and many other areas.
That’s why exposing students to these careers early matters. City of Hope Chicago has hosted Lake County Tech High School students so they could meet both clinical and non-clinical professionals and see firsthand the range of career opportunities involved in cancer care. Our human resources leadership is also represented on the Lake County Workforce Development Board, connecting our organization to the county’s larger workforce-development efforts.
We also have to create a workplace where talented people want to build careers. City of Hope Chicago was recognized this year by Modern Healthcare as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare. Together with our Orange County cancer center, we ranked among the top 150 health care organizations nationally and were the only cancer-center organization represented.
To me, attraction and retention go hand in hand. People want meaningful work, opportunities to grow, and the chance to be part of something bigger than themselves. Cancer care provides an extraordinary sense of purpose, and our responsibility as leaders is to build the environment that allows talented people to do their best work.
Learn more about these initiatives in this blog profile of City of Hope.
City of Hope’s presence in the community goes beyond providing cancer care. What are some of the ways the organization is contributing to the broader community?
Being a good community partner means looking beyond what happens within the walls of the hospital. Our team is out in the community providing education, expertise, and volunteer support, and working with organizations that already understand and serve their communities incredibly well.
In 2025, City of Hope participated in more than 475 outreach events and activities that reached more than 120,000 people. Those efforts included cancer education as well as wellness and nutrition programming.
There’s also a broader responsibility to advocate for people facing barriers to care. That’s one reason I’ve been involved in efforts such as the Illinois Cancer Care is Different Coalition and the Illinois Cancer Patient Bill of Rights, which focus on early detection and equitable access to innovative cancer treatments.
For me, community partnership is really about listening to what our neighbors need and asking where City of Hope’s resources, expertise, and people can make a meaningful difference.
