Sallie Bissette Jara, Ed.D, MHA, MBA, RHIA, CHC
Biography
Sallie Bissette Jara, EdD, MHA, MBA, RHIA, CHC is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in health information management, compliance, and revenue cycle operations. She currently serves as Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for Roper St. Francis Healthcare, where she leads system-wide compliance, privacy, and data governance initiatives.
Dr. Bissette Jara began her career in coding and health information management and has since built a broad leadership portfolio spanning compliance program development, regulatory oversight, and emerging technology governance, including artificial intelligence and data strategy. Her work focuses on ensuring accurate, reliable health information while supporting organizational performance and patient care outcomes.
A dedicated leader within the profession, Dr. Bissette Jara currently serves as President of the South Carolina Health Information Management Association (SCHIMA) and previously served as President of the North Carolina Health Information Management Association (NCHIMA). She has also represented component associations at the national level as a member of the AHIMA House of Delegates. In addition, she co-chairs the AHIMA Component Association Rebate Task Force, formed at the request of the House of Delegates, where she partners with national and component leaders to evaluate and advance recommendations impacting financial sustainability and member value across associations. In these roles, she has been a strong advocate for member engagement, professional development, and positioning HIM professionals to lead in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
In addition to her professional and association leadership, Dr. Bissette Jara is an adjunct faculty member at Purdue Global, where she teaches future HIM professionals and mentors emerging leaders in the field. She is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences, presenting topics including compliance program development, legal medical record considerations, and the intersection of HIM and emerging technologies.
Dr. Bissette Jara is passionate about developing leaders, advancing the profession, and ensuring that health information professionals are equipped to influence the future of healthcare.
Position Statement
AHIMA's core values are Integrity, Bold, and Inclusive. How would you incorporate these into your service if elected to the AHIMA Board of Directors?
AHIMA's core values, integrity, boldness, and inclusivity, are not aspirational to me; they are operational. They shape how I lead, how I make decisions, and how I hold organizations accountable.
Inclusivity starts with ensuring members feel seen, heard, and understood. That requires more than broad messaging—it requires intentional, accessible communication and meaningful engagement. As a Board member, I would prioritize clear, relevant communication that reaches members where they are, leveraging component associations as strategic partners to translate national priorities into local impact. Inclusivity also means creating space for diverse perspectives across roles, settings, and experience levels so that AHIMA reflects the full profession it represents.
Integrity requires transparency and accountability. It means being willing to acknowledge where we are succeeding and where we need to improve and doing so openly. I believe in setting clear expectations, communicating progress against those expectations, and holding both leadership and the organization accountable to outcomes. Integrity also means making decisions grounded in what is right for the profession, even when those decisions are difficult.
Boldness is about moving from conversation to action. Healthcare is evolving rapidly, and AHIMA must lead with urgency and purpose. Being bold means challenging the status quo, making timely decisions, and advancing initiatives that position our members at the forefront of healthcare transformation. It also means being willing to take calculated risks, advocate for the profession in new ways, and ensure AHIMA remains relevant in a rapidly changing environment.
Together, these values create a leadership approach that is transparent, action-oriented, and deeply connected to the needs of our members.