Home > Leadership > Georgia Regents Health System Board of Directors

Georgia Regents Health System Board of Directors

Georgia Regents Health System, Inc.

Ricardo Azziz, MD, MPH, MBA

President of Georgia Regents University (GRU)

CEO Georgia Regents Health System

GRU includes nine Colleges/Schools, ranging from Business, Education, and Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, to Medicine, Allied Health, and Science & Mathematics, and serves as home to Georgia's public academic health center. Dr. Azziz also serves as Chairman of the Boards of the Georgia Regents Health System and Medical Center, responsible for the coordination and alignment of the entire clinical enterprise.

Since assuming his leadership role, Dr. Azziz has focused on advancing the university’s education, research, and clinical programs; re-energizing philanthropy; and expanding GRU’s state, national and global reach. He has strengthened the university’s commitment to civic and scholarly engagement, embraced sustainability, and fostered collaborative partnerships both within and outside the university community.

In previous positions, Dr. Azziz served as a transformational leader of multiple institutions, including the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to maintaining a nationally recognized clinical practice, Dr. Azziz led institution-wide initiatives to measure and improve faculty productivity, new faculty development and retention, and academic excellence. He is an internationally recognized clinical translational researcher, developing an important research program into androgen-excess disorders in women, which has been funded by the NIH since 1988.

A native of Uruguay and an accomplished artist, Dr. Azziz brings a global and creative spirit to his leadership of Georgia Regents University. He and his wife, Cindy, are enjoying life in the South with their children, Ashlee, Jonathon, and Mallory, and their dog, Arlo..
William L. Anderson, LFACHE

Bill Anderson is a retired healthcare executive with thirty years’ experience in executive positions for community healthcare systems and private/publicly traded national hospital companies. His last position was President and CEO of Regency Hospital Company, a privately held long term acute care hospital company. Previously, he was Division President – Division IV for Triad Hospitals (which includes the former St. Joseph’s Hospital of Augusta), where he was responsible for management of twelve acute care hospitals and one rehabilitation specialty hospital with net revenue of $1.2B, 22% operating margin and 9100 FTEs. Prior positions include Quorum Health Services, Healthtrust, Inc. (Columbia/HCA) and Hospital Corporation of America.

Bill is currently serving on the Board of Directors of St. Thomas Health in Nashville, TN, part of the Catholic Ascension Health System, where he is a member of the Finance Committee and the Compensation & Physician Practice Review Oversight Committee. He has served in board and policy roles with the Acute Long Term Hospital Association, American Hospital Association and Federation of American Hospitals. He is a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Bill graduated with a BS in Pharmacy from University of Rhode Island and a MBA in Healthcare from Temple University. He is married to Cynthia, also a graduate of URI College of Pharmacy.
E. Andrew Balas, MD, PhD

Dean and Professor at Georgia Regents University

Andrew serves as Dean and Professor at Georgia Regents University. His expertise includes development of priorities for the production of innovative scientific knowledge responsive to societal needs and application of advanced digital technologies for transferring research to practice. He is member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Library of Medicine and also the Allied Health Research Institute. He is an elected member of the American College of Medical Informatics and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

As a Congressional Fellow working for the Public Health and Safety Subcommittee of the United States Senate, he drafted the Healthcare Quality Enhancement Act of 1999 that, among others, first achieved government action on reducing errors in health care and was signed into federal law (Dec. 6, 1999).

His leadership emphasizes positive response to community needs, teamwork and measurable improvement. During six years of his previous service as Dean, the College of Health Sciences achieved many successes at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia (e.g., double digit increases in enrollment, solid accreditations, launching of new programs, tenfold increase in externally funded research; multimillion dollar fundraising, new R&D partnerships with industry). Previously, he served as Dean of the School of Public Health in St. Louis, Director of the Missouri European Union Center and Weil Distinguished Professor of Health Policy at the University of Missouri.

His academic credentials include over 100 publications, externally funded research in excess of 10 million dollar and publications that cumulatively attracted thousands of citations. He obtained degrees in medicine, medical informatics (Ph.D.), and applied mathematics.
Peter F. Buckley, MD

Interim CEO, Georgia Regents Medical Center
Dean, Medical College of Georgia

Buckley, Chairman of the Physicians Practice Group Board of Trustees, served as Chairman of the GHSU Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior before being named Dean of the Medical College of Georgia in 2011. He also serves as a Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry/Health Behavior, Pharmacology/Toxicology and Graduate Studies. He has extensively researched and treated schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. He earned his medical degree from the University College of Dublin.
Nadia Butler

President and CEO, ESi

Butler’s company develops crisis information management software and systems. She previously served in executive and management positions in nuclear engineering and technology development industries. She was named Georgia’s Woman of the Year in Technology in 2008. Butler is a Director of Augusta Tomorrow and President of the Augusta Ballet Board of Trustees.
Ben Cheek, MD

Ben Cheek graduated from the Medical College of Georgia, School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology at the Emory School of Medicine in 1986. He is board certified and in private practice in Columbus, Georgia. He is past president of the MCG School of Medicine Alumni Association.
Richard S. Callan, DMD, EdS.

Associate Professor
Chair of the Department of General Dentistry
GRU College of Dental Medicine

Dr. Callan supervises the Comprehensive Care Clinic along with co-directing the practice management courses offered within the College of Dental Medicine. He maintains an intramural general dental practice and conducts both educational research and research on practical applications of modern techniques and materials. He is a member of the American Dental Education Association’s Commission on Change and Innovation, the International College of Dentists, the American College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, OKU Dental Honor Society, GRU Academy of Educators, and was recently inducted into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
C. Thomas Hopkins, Jr., MD

University System of Georgia Regent

Hopkins, who is board certified in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine, has a private practice in Griffin, Ga. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon and orthopaedic surgeon. Hopkins is a Past President of the Georgia Orthopaedic Society, Spalding Regional Hospital medical staff and Griffin Rotary Club. He is a member of the United Bank Board of Directors and has served on the Georgia Health Strategies Council and Governor’s Physician Partnership.
Lewis C. Horne, Jr.

Partner, Schiff Hardin LLP

Horne, at Attorney-at-Law in Atlanta, is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the Georgia Economic Developers Association and the Council of Development Finance Agencies. He is Secretary of the Junior Golf Association, Chairman of the LPGA Foundation and a Past President of the National Minority Golf Foundation.
Henry "Hank" M. Huckaby

Chancellor, Board of Regents

Huckaby, Georgia’s House District 113 representative, is a longtime educator who has held administrative positions at Georgia State University, Georgia State University, Gordon College and the University of Georgia. He served as Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget from 1991-95 and as Interim Chief Financial Officer for former Gov. Sonny Perdue. A resident of Oconee County, he is a member of the Oconee County Rotary Club, the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce and the Management Committee of the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir. He is a Trustee of the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation and was named Douglas County’s 1995 Man of the Year. Huckaby earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and an M.B.A. in international business from Georgia State University.
James M. Hull

Member Manager of Hull Storey Gibson Companies, LLC

Jim Hull is a Member Manager of Hull Storey Gibson Companies, LLC and has played a major role in the acquisition, development and redevelopment of the company’s current approximate 11 million square feet of owned retail portfolio located in eight southern states. Jim is a lifelong resident of Augusta, Georgia and active communicant of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He currently serves on the Board of the Community Foundation of the CSRA, Medical College of Georgia Foundation, Augusta State University Foundation, Georgia Regents University Board of Visitors, the Augusta Warrior Project (where Jim is the co-founding member) and Georgia’s REACH Scholarship Program. Jim is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Georgia Regents University. Jim is an active supporter of Paine College, where he endowed the Hull Scholars Program, and Vanderbilt University, where he endowed the Coles and Caroline Hull Scholarship. Jim is a long-standing member of the United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society and has been honored with the United Way’s esteemed Founders Award. He is a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow, past president of the Augusta Assembly, and has been inducted in Junior Achievement’s prominent Business Hall of Fame and Beta Gamma Sigma’s Honor Society. Jim is a recipient of the Augusta Bar Association’s prestigious Liberty Bell Award and has been honored with the President’s Award from Augusta State University and the Society of Fundraising Professionals Philanthropist of the Year Award. Jim gives full credit for his happiness and success to his wonderful wife of 32 years, Karen Newton Hull, and their four adult children.
Carol A. Lefebvre, DDS, MS

Dean, GRU College of Dental Medicine

Carol received her DDS and MS in Prosthodontics from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Dr. Lefebvre was recently appointed as Dean at Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine after serving as the Vice Dean/Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Faculty Affairs for seven years. She is a Professor in the Departments of Oral Rehabilitation and Oral Biology in the College of Dental Medicine and the College of Graduate Studies.

Dr. Lefebvre is the PI of the Nobel Biocare/GRU Center of Excellence grant and a HRSA Dental Faculty Loan Repayment grant. She is a recipient of the College of Dental Medicine’s Excellence in Teaching and Outstanding Faculty Member Awards. Dr. Lefebvre is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics, a Fellow in the Academy of Prosthodontics, the American College of Prosthodontists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy as well as a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Phi Kappa Phi and the Hinman Dental Society. Dr. Lefebvre served as Editor-in-Chief for The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry for nine years after serving four years as the Associate Editor. The American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics recently honored Dr. Lefebvre by naming their Scientific Poster Award after her in honor of her tenure as Editor. Dr. Lefebvre is a 2005-2006 fellow of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.
Lucy N. Marion, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP

Dean, Professor, and Kellett Endowed Chair of Nursing at the GRU

Lucy provides executive leadership for the College of Nursing with direction in the use of business processes to strategically assess, plan, and evaluate CON programs; maximize allocation and use of financial and human resources; and generate revenue.

She was the Associate Dean and Department Head at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), and faculty member at the University of South Carolina (USC). A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, USPHS Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship, she has received numerous awards for nursing education, research, and practice. She has led national and state health policy nursing workforce initiatives, and currently serves on the Safety and Quality Committee of a 12-hospital health system board. She received her PhD from UIC and her BSN and MN from USC.

Dr. Marion’s NIH funded scholarship is focused on improving health outcomes in vulnerable populations. She served on the US Preventive Services Task Force and on the Stakeholder Group for the AHRQ Effective HealthCare program. She has published in journals in nursing and across disciplines, including Nursing Research and American Journal of Preventive Medicine. At UIC she led the establishment of the Community and Behavioral Research Center and Integrated Healthcare Center for people with severe mental illness. At GRU she established the Nurse Scientist Incubator for novice investigators, championed innovations in nursing education and nursing faculty practice/community service, and led the founding of the Greater Augusta HealthCare Network to expand primary care for vulnerable people.
J. Roy Rowland, MD

Director of Utilization Management, Middle Georgia Community Mental Health Center

Rowland, a 1952 GHSU graduate, practiced family medicine in Dublin, Ga., for 22 years. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years and the Georgia House of Representatives for six years. He is a member of the Medical College of Georgia Alumni Association and a recipient of the association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is an honorary member of the Dublin Rotary Club and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
Neil L. Pruitt, Jr.

Chairman and Chief Executive officer of PruittHealth, Inc.

PruittHealth, Inc. (formerly known as UHS-Pruitt Corporation) is an integrated health care company offering independent and assisted living, skilled nursing services, rehabilitation services, home health and hospice care as well as pharmacy services, community-based services, medical supplies and care management. As a past Chair of both the Board of Governors of the American Health Care Association and the Board of Directors of the Georgia Health Care Association, Regent Pruitt is a recognized leader in the health care profession as shown by his February, 2013 Congressional appointment to the Commission for Long Term Care. He currently serves as a Board Member of the American Health Care Association, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the PruittCares Foundation. Regent Pruitt graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of the South. He was awarded a Master’s of Business Administration and a Master’s of Health Administration from Georgia State University in 2000. He and his wife, Mebane, have three children.
Patrick G. Robinson

Private practice dentist in Athens, GA

Dr. Robinson is originally from Augusta, GA. After high school, he did his undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2002. Dr. Robinson then attended the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry in Augusta from 2004 to 2008 and graduated in May. He was the recipient of the Augusta Area Dental Society Award in 2007, which recognizes students for being in the top half of his/her class and displaying kindness to patients. Dr. Robinson worked at the Good Samaritan Dental Clinic in downtown Atlanta serving the working poor and homeless of downtown Atlanta to complete his externship. Dr. Robinson is a member of the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the Clarke County Dental Association.
Shawn P. Vincent, Sr.

Vice President of Partnerships, International Healthcare and Strategic Affiliations at Georgia Regents University

International Healthcare and Strategic Affiliations, GRU

Shawn is responsible for development of off-campus relationships and programs, including but not limited to, hospitals, physicians, clinics, foundations, community leaders, research endeavors, international entities, philanthropic opportunities, and branch campus opportunities.

Prior to joining GRU and GRU Health System, Mr. Vincent was Vice President of Operations with the Oncology Services Division of Hospital Corporation of America. He directed the strategic, financial and operational activities for the oncology sector with HCA. Vincent also served as either chairman of the board, or as a board member for several joint ventures between HCA and other organizations. HCA is a $30+ billion dollar organization, employing approximately 190,000 throughout 164 hospitals in 20 states and England. Mr. Vincent joined HCA in 2006 as the Regional Vice President of Operations for the Imaging Division and was promoted to his most recent role in 2008. Prior to joining HCA, Mr. Vincent served in leadership roles including Southeast Regional Director of Operations with Phymatrix Corporation, Chief Operating Officer of Wentz Wellness Centers and Business Director for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Vincent is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has been included in Who’s Who Among U.S. Healthcare Executives. He has served as Chairman of several philanthropic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association Heart Ball and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He serves on the Executive Board of the Metro Family YMCA’s, The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, Warm Spring Hospital and Wills Memorial Hospital. He is a graduate of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s, Leadership Augusta program, as well as Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Columbia County. Vincent is an Executive Fellow of the Advisory Board Company on Healthcare in Washington, D.C.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Vincent earned a bachelor of business administration in healthcare management from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and graduated at the top of his class with a master’s in business administration from the University of Georgia.
Don L. Waters

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brasseler USA, Inc.

Board of Regents Appointee, Don L. Waters is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brasseler USA, Inc., an international manufacturer of dental and medical surgical instrumentation. Waters has been CEO of Brasseler for 20 years. Prior to that he practiced both as a Certified Public Accountant, as a Partner with Price Waterhouse & Co., and as an attorney with Hunter Maclean. A native of Savannah, he currently serves as the Chairman of Union Mission, Inc., a provider of social services dedicated to ending homelessness, and as the Chairman of the Chatham County Hospital Authority. He also serves on the Boards of the University of Georgia Foundation, the Armstrong Atlantic State University Foundation, the New York University School of Dentistry, and the University of California at Los Angeles College of Dentistry. Waters graduated from Armstrong State College with a BBA in Accounting and the University of Georgia School of Law with a JD. He and his wife Cindy have two daughters and are members of the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church.
Jack C. Yu, DMD, MS, MD

Professor of Surgery at Georgia Regents University
Section Chief of Plastic Surgery

Jack has been a member of the Georgia Regents Medical Associates Board of Trustees for several years. Dr. Yu holds multiple board certifications and is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons and the American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons. His publications include 72 publications in peer reviewed journals and 19 book chapters. Dr. Yu has earned additional training from The Wharton Executive Management Program for Academic Surgery Leaders, the Wharton School and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, as well as Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management and Center for Continuing Education. Dr. Yu graduated with a Doctor of Dental Medicine, Master of Science in Education and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania..