Ruth Brinkley

Ruth W. Brinkley is President and Chief Executive Officer of Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Arizona and West Ministry Market Leader for Ascension Health. She provides strategic and operation leadership for Carondelet while promoting alignment among Health Ministries within the Western Region and the System Office on issues related to Mission and Vision. Ms. Brinkley shares accountability for strategic positioning and operation performance for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Lewiston, Idaho, and Lourdes Health Network, Pasco, Washington.

Ms. Brinkley has extensive healthcare leadership experience in strategic and service line planning and implementation, financial and operations improvement, patient care delivery, and physician alignment and integration. She has held leadership positions in local, regional and national healthcare systems; academic and teaching healthcare institutions; and, healthcare management consulting. Prior to joining Carondelet and Ascension Health in 2007, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Health Care System, a Catholic Health Initiatives ministry in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she led the health system’s transformation to regional referral center status, along with consistent recognition as a Top 100 Heart Hospital, Consumer Choice Award Winner, and one of the state of Tennessee’s best employers. She also has established and lead national, financial and operations turn around efforts, and large, complex healthcare consulting engagements.

Ms. Brinkley is a registered nurse, and holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in nursing from De Paul University, Chicago. She serves on the Board of Chattem, Inc., is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a founding member of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation, and is a frequent speaker on healthcare and broader leadership issues.