Leadership

Deaconess Health System

Shawn McCoy, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer

An Evansville native, Shawn has served Deaconess for more than 30 years, beginning his tenure as an industrial engineering summer intern. He held many different and varied management roles throughout his career, moving to the chief operating officer position in 2005. The Board unanimously selected him to succeed Linda White as the CEO of Deaconess Health System based on his intimate knowledge of the organization, his business acumen, ability to forge relationships with physicians, and his involvement in the community and non-profit organizations. View Full Bio

Lynn Lingafelter, RN, MBA, FACHE
President of Hospitals Division, Deaconess Health System

Originally from Poseyville, Indiana and a 1987 graduate of Deaconess School of Nursing, Lynn began her career at Deaconess as a registered nurse. She served in many leadership roles within the hospital before becoming director of emergency, surgical and radiology services in the early 2000s followed by vice president of operations. Moving to the position of chief operating officer in 2017 and president of the hospitals division in 2022, Lynn is responsible for the overall operations of Deaconess Health System. View Full Bio

James R. Porter, MD, FAAP, FACHE
President of Physicians Division, Deaconess Health System

Originally from southeastern Illinois, Dr. Porter joined Deaconess in 2000 as an adult and pediatric hospitalist. He held various administrative roles during his tenure including chief medical officer, senior executive vice president of the physician enterprise and chief physician executive. He currently serves as president of the health system's physicians division and oversees population health initiatives, quality of care, medical affairs and Deaconess Clinic. View Full Bio

Jennifer Chiusano, MA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
Senior Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive​

Jennifer joined Deaconess in January, 2021. With more than 30 years in nursing administrative roles, she looks forward to furthering the ANCC Magnet® nursing culture, with a continued focus on exceptional quality in patient care. She’s a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and is a Certified Nurse Executive with ANCC. View Full Bio

Jared Florence, MBA, CPA _(inactive)
Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer​

Jared came to Deaconess in 2012 as director of Business Development and was promoted to vice president Business Development in 2016 before being named the senior vice president Strategy and Market Development in 2022 . In his current role, Jared is responsible for regional development, hospital partnerships and affiliations, post-acute care, cancer services and marketing. Since joining the health system, Jared has expanded affiliate relationships and secured partnerships with multiple hospitals and physician groups in KY, IN, and IL. View Full Bio

Melinda Lebofsky, SHRM  
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer​

Melinda Lebofsky is the first leader to hold the role of Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Deaconess. She joined Deaconess in April 2022, bringing more than 25 years of experience in human resources leadership. In her role, she oversees Human Resources; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and all aspects of Deaconess’ People strategy to position the organization as the preferred employer in the region. View Full Bio

Brad Scheu, DO, MBA, FACP
Senior Vice President; Chief Medical Officer, Deaconess Clinic​

Dr. Scheu had his first health care experience as a patient care tech in 2006 before starting a clinical career as a Deaconess hospitalist in 2014. He joined Deaconess Clinic as an internal medicine physician in 2015 and soon accepted administrative leadership responsibilities. After serving as medical director of primary care for almost one year, he transitioned into the role of vice president and chief medical officer in October 2020. View Full Bio

Cheryl Wathen, CPA, CHFP
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Cheryl joined Deaconess in February 1990 and became chief financial officer in 2010. She is a CPA and a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration. Prior to being named CFO, Cheryl worked in various capacities within Deaconess including CFO of The Women’s Hospital and controller of Deaconess Health System. View Full Bio

JoAnn Wood, MD, MSEd, MHA, FACP, FAAP 
Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer​

Dr. Wood joined Deaconess in September 2020, having most recently served as chief medical officer at Baptist Memorial Hospital – DeSoto in Southaven, Mississippi. In addition to her medical degrees, she holds a Master of Science in medical education, a Master of Health Administration, and completed the Intermountain Advanced Training Program in Health Care Delivery and Improvement. She is also a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. View Full Bio

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Affiliate Hospitals

The Women's Hospital

Christina M. Ryan, MHA, BSN
Chief Executive Officer

Originally from Chicago, IL, Christina joined Deaconess in 1999 when she was recruited to help plan and open The Women’s Hospital. Before coming to Deaconess, she served as director of Women and Children’s Services at Franciscan St. Margaret Health in northwest Indiana. In partnership with the physician-owners of The Women’s Hospital, Christina is responsible for the overall operation of the hospital. That includes labor and delivery, surgery, NICU, emergency and fertility services.

Encompass Health Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital

Blake Bunner, MBA
Chief Executive Officer

Blake Bunner is the CEO at Encompass Health Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital in Newburgh, Indiana. He is responsible for the 80-bed hospital in Newburgh, IN and the 18-bed hospital unit located at Deaconess Midtown. He joined Encompass Health in 2009 and served in other senior leadership roles for the company. Blake holds a Bachelor of Science degree and MBA. He also serves as president of a non-profit transportation company serving seniors. View Full Bio 

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Other Facilities