Governance

Board of Directors

AHIMA is governed by the Board of Directors . Members of AHIMA elect a president-elect and directors each year to serve in the role of governing the association, setting strategy and maintaining fiscal oversight and fiduciary responsibility. The AHIMA Board of Directors consists of 13 members including the CEO, who serves in an ex-officio role.

President/Chair

Angela Kennedy, EdD, MBA, RHIA, CPHQ

Head and Professor, Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA

Angela Kennedy is the chairman of the department of health informatics and information management at Louisiana Tech University. She served two terms as president of the Louisiana HIMA. She most recently served as chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). In addition, Kennedy has served on the AHIMA Board of Directors and in 2007 chaired its business and audit team.

Past President/Chair

Patty Thierry Sheridan, MBA, RHIA, FAHIMA

President, Care Communications

Chicago, IL

Patty Thierry Sheridan is president of Care Communications and formerly a vice president of AHIMA. She has served as president of NYHIMA and recently served on the AHIMA Board of Directors as well as numerous AHIMA task forces and work groups. She is a national speaker and published author on e-HIM, leadership, and leading transformational change.

Speaker of the House

Kimberly Baldwin-Stried Reich, MBA, MJ, RHIA, PBCI, CPHQ, FAHIMA

Compliance Manager and Care Management Coordinator
Lake County Physicians' Association
Waukegan, IL

Kimberly Baldwin-Stried Reich is compliance manager and care management coordinator at the Lake County Physicians' Association in Waukegan, IL. She has been an active member of AHIMA working groups and is a national speaker and author on the topics of health information operations, e-discovery, and healthcare compliance. She has served on the board of directors of the Illinois HIMA and on AHIMA's Quality Initiatives and Secondary Data Practice Council. As 2013 Speaker of the House of Delegates she serves a one-year term on the AHIMA Board of Directors.

CEO

Lynne Thomas-Gordon

Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA

Chief Executive Officer, AHIMA
Chicago, IL

Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, CAE, FACHE, FAHIMA, is a veteran healthcare executive whose experience also includes academia and a wide spectrum of association involvement. Thomas Gordon joined AHIMA after serving as associate vice president for hospital operations and director of the Children’s Hospital at Rush University Medical Center. Thomas Gordon holds active membership in AHIMA and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). She has served on the information management task force of the Joint Commission and as a governor on the ACHE board.

Directors:
Term ends 2013

Secretary

Jill Burrington-Brown

Jill Burrington-Brown, MS, RHIA, FAHIMA

HIM Consultant
Snohomish, WA

Jill Burrington-Brown is a HIM Consultant. Formerly she was a member of the faculty at Missouri Western State University where she taught in the HIT Distance Education Program. Before joining MWSU, she was manager of professional practice resources at AHIMA from 2001-2009. She has served on AHIMA’s Council on Accreditation and Nominating Committee and was president of the Washington State HIMA.

Kathy Giannangelo, MA, RHIA, CCS, CPHIMS, FAHIMA

HIM Consultant
Springfield, IL

Kathy Giannangelo is a national healthcare consultant and adjunct faculty at the College of St. Scholastica. She is a former director, informaticist, senior nosologist, and vice president in a number of healthcare organizations. She is an accomplished speaker and author on clinical terminologies, classifications, and data standards.

Jeanne Solberg, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA

HIM Consultant
Solberg Solutions Inc.
Lake Elmo, MN

Jeanne Solberg is an independent HIM consultant and serves as an adjunct faculty member with the College of St. Scholastica’s master’s program. She served as chair of CAHIIM’s and AHIMA’s Program Committee and has been active in the Minnesota CSA. She has presented and written on numerous subjects including EHR technology.

Directors:
Term ends 2014

Treasurer

Ann Chenoweth

Ann Chenoweth, MBA, RHIA

Senior Director of Industry Relations
3M Health Information Systems
Murray, UT

In her role as senior director of industry relations for 3M Healthcare Information Systems, Ann Chenoweth works closely with AHIMA, HIMSS, HFMA, and ACHE leadership in building relationships and thought leadership. She has been active in the Illinois HIMA and has served as a member of the Utah HIMSS board of directors.

Dwayne M. Lewis, RHIT, CCS

President and CEO
DML Consulting
Broken Arrow, OK

Dwayne Lewis is president and CEO of DML Consulting, a full-service HIM company. He has a long tenure of volunteerism within AHIMA and has served as chair of the AHIMA Foundation scholarship committee, a member of the convention program committee, and facilitator for the Diversity Community of Practice.

Melissa M. Martin, RHIA, CCS

Chief Privacy Officer and Director of HIM
West Virginia University Hospitals
Morgantown, WV

Melissa Martin is chief privacy officer and director of HIM for West Virginia University Hospitals. She is a past president and distinguished member of the West Virginia HIMA and has written and presented on work force issues.

Directors: Term ends 2015

Susan W. Carey, PMP, RHIT

System Director, HIM
Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY

Susan Carey is the system director of HIM for Norton Healthcare in Louisville, KY, a not-for-profit system including six Louisville hospitals, 101 physician practices and 11 immediate care centers. She has served as president of the Kentucky HIMA, as a member of the KYHIE Privacy Council, and as a member of the AHIMA House Operations team. Carey chaired the Privacy and Security Committee for the LouHIE and was a member of the AHIMA HIE Practice Council.

Dana C. McWay, JD, RHIA

Court Executive/Clerk of Court, US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
St. Louis, MO

Dana McWay is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Illinois. In 2003, she was responsible for implementing a fully electronic case filing and management system. She is a past chair of AHIMA’s Professional Ethics Committee and a past member of the Committee on Professional Development. She received the Legacy Triumph Award from AHIMA for her textbook, Legal Aspects of Health Information Management, and the Distinguished Member Award from the Missouri HIMA.

Cindy Zak

Cindy Zak, MS, RHIA, PMP, FAHIMA

Corporate Director HIM
Yale New Haven Health
Woodbridge, CT

Cindy Zak is corporate director of HIM at Yale New Haven Health in Woodbridge, CT. Zak received the FORE CPR Breakthrough Award for implementing an award-winning electronic health record solution and spearheading the development of her organization’s information security standards. She has participated in numerous AHIMA committees and work groups, including the Council for Excellence in Education and served on the Connecticut HIMA board, representing CTHIMA twice in the AHIMA House of Delegates.

House Of Delegates

The House of Delegates (HoD) is a deliberative assembly comprised of delegates elected or appointed from each of the 52 Component State Associations (CSA) and the AHIMA Board of Directors. Delegates serve as a grassroots member forum of AHIMA governing the health information management (HIM) profession. The HoD is chaired by the Speaker of the House, an AHIMA official elected by delegates.

Delegates work virtually year-round, operating on a July 1-June 30 term advocating for the profession, the members, and the Association. These leaders help keep our profession strong and moving forward by contributing or recommending action on issues affecting the industry.

Founded in 1946, the House of Delegates is a long-standing, decision-making body of our professional association. Delegates have a critical role in guiding and governing the health information management (HIM) profession. In 2007, the House of Delegates implemented a structure comprised of six standing house teams representing individual facets of health information management. This structure allowed for more tactical work, engagement, and valuable contributions. Team charges were set by the AHIMA Board of Directors and accomplished over time.

In 2012, the HoD implemented a new, forward-thinking approach to the operations and configuration of the House of Delegates. Consisting of the House Leadership, Envisioning Collaborative and ad hoc Task Forces, the HoD allows for agility and diverse input for strategic planning to better address and meet the needs of our members, profession, and industry.

We gather input from the Envisioning Collaborative consisting of one selected delegate or non-delegate representative per state to help inform the Board in setting strategy. We have a House Leadership team consisting of one CSA delegate per state. Along with subject matter experts from other relevant areas, delegates not on the House Leadership Team or Envisioning Collaborative can join Task Forces. As issues come through the House Leadership pipeline and are vetted, delegates will be notified and assembled to address them. The HoD offers a variety of activities for participation and cross-collaboration, such as vetting practice briefs for Practice Councils and joining workgroups with other volunteer groups.

This approach will position the House of Delegates to move more agilely to address the issues facing our profession today, tomorrow, and in the future and will allow the HoD to make the best use of time and effort for our delegates to govern the profession.

House Leadership will serve as a steering committee consisting of 52 CSA delegates. They ensure effective House of Delegates operations through alignment with strategy. House leadership provides oversight and direction to designated task forces and operations.

House Leadership members will identify best practices, document performance, and foster innovation and agility in decision making.

The co-chairs for this group are:

Jennifer McManis
2013 Speaker-elect of the HoD
Co-chair

Sandra Huyck
Co-chair

The Envisioning Collaborative serves as a "think tank" comprised of delegates, non-delegates, subject matter experts, and industry leaders bringing forward emerging issues and trends that can impact the HIM profession.

The Collaborative charges are to conduct environmental scanning year-round by looking at our environment (internally and externally), gathering the data, consolidating and discussing the information, and validating the results. a robust exchange of perspectives, innovation, and ideas that will contribute to the strategic planning process and enable sound decision-making.

The co-chairs for this group are:

Kim Baldwin Stried-Reich 2013 Speaker of the House Co-chair	Alice Noblin Co-chair
Vicki Delgado Advisor

Task forces create a member focused objective. Task force members can be comprised of delegates, subject matter experts, and industry leaders.

Throughout the year, a call to serve will be sent to delegates on a variety of topics. Delegates may be reached personally depending on their areas of expertise. Ad hoc task forces will allow for more flexibility and agility in the completion of projects.

Affiliates

AHIMA is a federation with affiliated entities. We work in conjunction with these partners to provide quality healthcare through quality information.

AHIMA Foundation

The AHIMA Foundation improves health information management by supporting the people, research and resources that advance the HIM profession.

Through scholarships and grants for HIM students, professional education and advancement programs, research, and a comprehensive HIM resource library, the AHIMA Foundation takes the lead in advancing the HIM industry.

The AHIMA Foundation, founded in 1962, is the 501(c)(3) charitable affiliate of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) dedicated to providing resources to support continuous innovation and advances in health information management. Today, the AHIMA Foundation is the pre-eminent foundation recognized for excellence in health information leadership, policy, education, and research for the healthcare industry and the public.

Learn more about the Foundation

Council for Excellence in Education (CEE)

The CEE is an AHIMA Foundation council established in 2011 as the leading force in education strategy for the profession, guiding the academic community through improvements to education, coursework, and the curricula of associate, baccalaureate, and graduate programs in HIM and related studies. Through innovation, research, communication, and transparency, the Council continues to elevate and promote HIM professionals as trusted sources for accurate health information and recognized knowledge brokers.

Learn more about the CEE

Commission on Certification for Health Informatics and Information Management (CCHIIM)

CCHIIM is an AHIMA commission founded in 1981, dedicated to assuring the competency of professionals practicing HIIM. CCHIIM serves the public by establishing, implementing, and enforcing standards and procedures for certification and recertification of HIIM professionals. CCHIIM provides strategic oversight of all AHIMA certification programs. This standing commission of AHIMA is empowered with the sole and independent authority in all matters pertaining to both the initial certification and ongoing recertification (certification maintenance) of HIIM professionals. Commissioners represent a broad spectrum of health informatics and information management professionals, and must be AHIMA-certified and meet certification, work experience, and leadership requirements in order to serve on the commission

Learn more about CCHIIM

Component State Associations

AHIMA is a federation, which includes a system of component state organizations (state chapters) in every state plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Component state associations (CSAs) provide their members with local access to professional education and networking. CSAs also serve as an important forum for communicating national issues and keeping members informed of regional affairs that affect health information management. For more information on how to connect with colleagues in your area, click your state's name below. If you are an AHIMA member, please visit the Geographic Community of Practice.

Map of the United States