Building Up the Nursing Workforce

Pete Marks, PhD, joined WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2017 as the VP and CIO. He retired from the US Army after serving for 21 years on active duty. As part of the US Military, he developed a passion for helping the underserved and deployed multiple times to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of Southwest Asia to support healthcare operations for those in need. Pete joined WakeMed team because of the focus on service to the community and servant leadership for the people in and around Wake County, North Carolina. He is honored to be part of the WakeMed team as everyone in the organization is focused on supporting patients, families, and health outcomes. He believes that all organizations should focus on sharing information so patients can better own their health and healthcare. He is also focused on population health to assist in keeping people healthy by understanding the predicators related to health outcomes. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his better half and high school sweetheart, Tracy; their four children; and their ever-expanding family.

Nicole Kerkenbush joined Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota in 2016, and is currently serving on the Executive Team in the role of Chief Nursing and Performance Officer. Nicole is responsible for Nursing throughout the Monument Health system as well as Operational Performance Management. Prior to joining Monument Health, Nicole served 24 years in the United States Army Nurse Corps where she focused on supporting quality healthcare with information and technology. Key roles that Nicole served in during her time in the Army include Chief Information Officer, Chief Medical Information Officer, and Military Functional Deputy Program Executive Officer. She also served as the Nursing Informatics Consultant to the Army Surgeon General for four years. She retired at the rank of Colonel. Nicole earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She also received Masters Degrees in Healthcare Administration and Nursing, as well as a Certificate in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

As a client alignment executive within Oracle Health, Mr. Chamberlain is responsible for all aspects of the IT delivery and partnership with Banner Health out of Phoenix, AZ. As a critical care trained nurse that went into healthcare and informatics, Mr. Chamberlain's responsibilities include the oversight of shared governance models, alignment of IT priorities against Banner Health strategic initiatives, the management of on-site and consulting engaged team members, and the successful delivery of all Oracle Health solutions and services throughout Banner Health. In addition to his background in critical care nursing, Jerry also holds credentials by CHIME as a CHCIO and is a Fellow within the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Wm. Bradford (Brad) Marsh, EVP of First Health’s Government service line, is a US Army retiree with more than 20 years of service. His military career was split between two areas of concentration (a decade in each) which helped him to develop a unique perspective as well as a wide range of capabilities. Brad began his career as an Air and Missile Defense officer where he gained technical and tactical leadership capabilities in complex environments, including a deployment to Mosul, Iraq. He then returned to school to become a (RN) Registered Nurse in 2011 and transitioned to the Army Nurse Corps, caring for both Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) patients.In 2015, Brad was selected to attend the National Defense University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Cyber Leadership. Using his background in both medicine and technology, he became directly involved at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels for the DOD’s modernized Electronic Health Record (EHR) deployment. His military career culminated as the Deputy Chief Medical Informatics Officer of the Federal EHR Modernization Office, which oversaw the deployment of the Joint EHR between DOD, VA, and the DHS-US Coast Guard. Brad brings to us leadership, sound judgement as well as a deep understanding of the nexus between medical data and cybersecurity.

Shanna is the Director of Clinical Informatics at Stanford Children’s Health, and in her role oversees Clinical Informatics, EHR Training, and IS provider efficiency. She has 12 years of healthcare IT experience and over 20 years experience in healthcare and hospital operations.