The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives

An ACHE Chapter

Meet the Board: Mark Holtz, MS, FACHE

First up in our Meet the Board series is Mark Holtz, MS, FACHE!

What did you want to be when you grew up? A Physician.

Who is a person past or present whose leadership you admire? There are several bosses I had over my career who I admire and have a great influence on me. Lou Liebhaber was my boss for over 10 years and the latest was Darlene Stromstad, who was CEO at Waterbury Hospital. She brought me there and I admired her intelligence and constant focus on what was best for the patients, quality and safety.

Words to live by: Patients first and foremost, do the right thing!

A successful day at work is: Feeling I accomplished something to make a patient or staff member’s day better.

What is an achievement you enjoy sharing? Participating in financial turnaround of Waterbury Hospital, saving it for the community.

What book are you reading or podcast are you listening to right now? A historic book about Alexander Hamilton. He was a fascinating person in American History.

What do you think are the greatest challenges/ opportunities for Connecticut’s healthcare industry to tackle in the next 10 years? 20 years? Not just CT, but the entire country. We have to align incentives for all constituents in the healthcare continuum so that the motivation is to do what is right for the patient and is effective. The healthcare system is being crushed by waste, mostly because financial incentives are not aligned. It is an engineering principal of counter productivity.

Why did you decide to be a board member? It was a way to give back to a profession I have been blessed to be a part of since I graduated from college. I learned a great deal, made lifelong friends, and valued colleagues from my membership in ACHE chapters in all the states I have lived in. The chapters succeed because of committed volunteer board members. I wanted to give back.

What advice would you give to an early careerist? Keep the long picture of your career goals and objectives in view. Don’t do anything for today unless it contributes or enhances your ability to grow professionally and personally. Don’t do anything just for the money, its not worth it.

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The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives

The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives (CTAHE) represents professionals who manage the business affairs of healthcare organizations throughout the state of Connecticut. No other professional association is more inclusive and essential for meeting the career needs and interests of healthcare executives in Connecticut as the healthcare industry transforms to value-based care.

Our CTAHE membership strives to be inclusive of all healthcare stakeholders spanning not only hospitals, health plans, health systems, and independent physician associations, but our universities that are educating our future healthcare administrators.

The Connecticut Association of Healthcare Executives (CTAHE) is a chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives, which you can read more about below.

The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)

The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management.

ACHE’s established network of 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its goal of being the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving healthcare delivery.

The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs—including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants—and groundbreaking research.

Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management including textbooks for college and university courses. For more information about ACHE, click here.