Role models in their companies and communities

It's often said that the leadership of an organization should reflect the community it serves. It's a noble aim, and an absolute necessity in healthcare, where so much is riding on the interaction between a patient and a provider or payer.

That's why the Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare is such an important program. It's a chance to congratulate—and learn from—the leaders and organizations who are getting it right. These executives are role models in their companies, communities and in the industryas a whole.

But as we have seen in the decades we have worked with healthcare talent, it can't stop there. The community also needs to be reflected in the boardroom and in the leadership-development programs within each institution for diversity to truly become part of the fabric of the organization.

Much is changing in healthcare these days. New leadership solutions are needed as well. Healthcare boards and CEOs need to commit to utilizing the richness that diverse backgrounds and cultures can bring when building their leadership teams. The Top 25 Minority Executives are 25 shining examples of what can happen to a healthcare organization and to a community when diversity is an intrinsic part of the leadership paradigm.

We hope you'll join us July 16 at the gala in Chicago to honor them.