Anita Vaughn, Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, begins her two-year tenure as chair of the Board of Directors of the Women’s foundation for a Greater Memphis in July of 2008.  Anita, elected to the board in 2004, has served as secretary and on the Development, Education, and Executive committees along with being an ardent fundraiser. Anita, a Registered Nurse, has been with Baptist Memorial Health Care for more than 30 years. During that time, she’s gained experience in most areas of the health care business, from the patient’s bedside to management. Now as CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, she’s a champion for raising the level of women’s health and making quality health care more accessible and convenient for women and their families.

In 1998, Anita was selected to lead the planning and development team for Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women. From 1997 to 1998, she was the director of Practice Management for Baptist Memorial Health Care, which included planning and operations for 11 Baptist Minor Medical Centers and six physician practices. Anita’s position as the administrator of Managed Health and Wellness from 1994 to 1997 involved planning, development and implementation of business plans and programs to promote the system’s wellness product line.

Anita has a strong clinical background. In 1992, she was promoted from clinical director for Baptist Memorial Hospital-East (now Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis) and Baptist Medical Center to the assistant vice president for Baptist East, overseeing all of the hospital’s clinical areas. Prior to 1985, Vaughn worked in the Medical Surgical Intensive Care and Critical Care units, receiving numerous promotions during that time. Vaughn graduated from the Baptist Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1973 and later earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Memphis. Anita has helped steer the Foundation to the heights that it as achieved.  We are looking forward to her serving as chair, knowing with her leadership, we will go even higher.  She says, “I am pumped about this opportunity to work with the Women’s Foundation Team, Board and Committed Volunteers that have a passion for transforming Memphis—one family at a time.  I pray everyday that I will be able to ‘stand on the shoulders’ of the past great leaders and continue to catapult us forward as we help Women and their families gain independence and self sufficiency.” We also would like to announce that we excited to have several new Executive committee members that will be working with Anita to further the goals of the Foundation.

2008-2009 Executive Committee

Anita Vaughn, Chair
CEO, Baptist Hospital for Women 

Karen Goff, Secretary
EVP, Manager, Emerging Nation Business Strategy and Marketing 

Rebecca Ballou, Treasurer and Finance Chair
V.P. and Assistant General Counsel, AutoZone, Inc. 

Mary Wolff, Grants and Research Chair
President, Wolff Ardis, P.C. 

Becky West, Development Chair
President, WestRogers, LLC 

Regina Walker, Education and Training Chair
Senior Vice-President, Community Impact, United Way of the Mid-South 

Andrea Bienstock, Board Development and Nominations Chair
Corporate Counsel, Belz Enterprises 

Sherri Pucci, Marketing and Communications Chair
Assistant General Manager, Grand, Horseshoe and Sheraton Casinos 

Celie Althoff, Policies and Procedures Chair
First Vice President, Wealth Advisor Morgan Stanley 

Susan Stephenson, Human Resources Chair
President and Co-Chair, Independent Bank 

Gayle S. Rose, Memphis HOPE Development Chair
President and CEO, EVS Corporation 

Joyce McKinney, At-large
Director, Public Relations, Gold Strike Casino Resort 

Lauryce Graves-McIver, At-large
Thanks and Giving, Corporate Acquisition and Development, ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital