Siloam Health, a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare organization serving Nashville’s uninsured, underserved, and culturally marginalized patients, has named Katie Richards as its next President and Chief Executive Officer following the planned departure of the organization’s former leader, Dr. Morgan Wills. Richards assumes her new role effective July 5, 2023.

With fifteen years of experience in faith-based charitable healthcare and nonprofit development in the Nashville community, Richards is a mission-driven nonprofit leader who has successfully contributed to and impacted outcomes for Siloam Health and its patients.

“After a rigorous national search process, we are delighted to name Katie Richards to the role of President and CEO,” said Sammye Woods, Siloam Health’s Board Chair. “Through creative leadership and strategic decision-making, we are confident that Katie will successfully lead and further elevate Siloam Health’s mission.”

Formerly serving as Chief Development Officer and most recently as the Interim Chief Executive Officer for Siloam Health, Richards is a relational leader who builds partnerships with community organizations to expand service impact and access. Under her leadership Siloam’s contributed revenue doubled – going from $1.6M to $3.2M annually – which has led to 2,000 more patients being served each year through whole-person medical care, expanded community health programs, and the opening of Siloam’s second location in Antioch. In addition, Richards serves on influential teams/committees and spearheaded the creation and growth of the Next Generation board, which taps into the expertise of young professionals under the age of 40 who are passionate about engaging the Nashville community with the mission of Siloam Health.  

“Being a part of Siloam’s mission to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care the past nine years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” said Richards. “I am grateful for the board’s leadership and the opportunity to serve as the next President and CEO of Siloam Health. It’s an honor to steward a mission I believe in deeply and to lead the organization as we seek to ensure that our neighbors from all nations are empowered to live healthy lives and feel at home in our community.”

Prior to her tenure at Siloam Health, Richards worked in various roles with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee where she was involved with budgeting, staff development, hiring, fundraising, event planning, and board development.

Siloam Health’s Board of Directors and CEO Search Committee engaged executive search firm KEES, a non-profit executive search firm that builds teams, to conduct an extensive national search that yielded more than 100 talented applicants from across the nation. Leading the search efforts were Search Chair Sammye Woods (Former Director of Transformation Management and Facilitation at Parallon Business Solutions) and Search Committee Members Emmitt Beall (Director of Finance at Optum), Dr. Quincy Byrdsong (Vice Provost for Health Affairs at Lipscomb University), Dr. Doug Heimburger (Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University), Dr. Raymond ‘Buz’ Martin (Former Physician Director for Surgical Services at Ascension St. Thomas Hospital), Todd McKee (Principal Attorney at T. McKee Law), and April Savoy (Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Allstate). The Board of Directors ultimately selected Richards from a strong group of finalists that came from multiple sub-sectors in healthcare.

“Katie’s commitment to excellence and deep passion to serve not only Siloam’s mission, but Christian healthcare as a whole, will benefit the entire Siloam Health community,” said Heather Eddy, KEES President and CEO. “The KEES team congratulates Katie and the Siloam Health team on this exciting announcement. We look forward to seeing this next stage of Siloam Health’s growth as they continue to share the love of Christ by serving those most in need.”

ABOUT KEES 

KEES (formerly Alford Executive Search) is a non-profit executive search firm that builds diverse teams with dynamic leaders in the non-profit and public sectors. A woman owned and operated firm, KEES offers a full array of non-profit consulting services, including executive search, leadership development, interim staffing, and HR support. For more information, please visit www.kees2success.com.

ABOUT SILOAM HEALTH 

For more than 30 years, Siloam Health’s mission has been to share the love of Christ by serving those in need through health care. Siloam provides medical care for the underserved, promotes community health among marginalized immigrants, and offers student education for the next generation of health care providers. To learn more about Siloam Health, please visit SiloamHealth.org. 

KEES MEDIA CONTACT:

Jamie Sheffler, jsheffler@kees2success.com

SILOAM HEALTH MEDIA CONTACT:

Zach Bevill, Zach.Bevill@siloamhealth.org