Our Strategy Advisors

Todd Linden served as president and CEO of Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Grinnell, Iowa from 1994 through the end of 2017, at which time he was named CEO Emeritus. Today Todd works with governing boards on process improvement, best practice development, governance education, facilitating board workshops and retreats, and building optimal trustee/executive relationships. He also works with healthcare organizations on strategic planning, constructive disruption, and building ingenuity, quality and safety into the organization’s culture. Todd has received significant recognition for his leadership in healthcare, including the Iowa Hospital Association’s “Excellence in Leadership Award;” the American Hospital Association’s “Board of Trustees Award;” and Becker’s Hospital Review’s “50 Rural Hospital CEOs to Know,” among many others. He is a Fellow and member of the faculty of the American College of Healthcare Executives, serves on the board of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum, and was a member of the AHA Board of Trustees from 2013 – 2016.

Barb Lorsbach offers unique insights for this engagement based on her background as a former senior vice president of the American Hospital Association. In her role, Barb was responsible for several AHA divisions including constituency sections and member involvement, regional operations, executive and trustee education and member services. Barb has over 25 years of experience working with our nation’s health care systems and hospital leaders. She led the team that developed the AHA’s Center for Health Care Leadership and strategies to ensure member-driven governance and thought leadership. Barb has also held management positions at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, and other organizations. In addition, Barb has been involved for many years with the Center for Diversity and Health Equity. That combined experience, coupled with her current work as president of Great Hearts Initiatives (GHI) makes her an outstanding resource for this assessment engagement. GHI organization brings together people and organizations that have a shared vision for improving communities. Barbara is a passionate advocate for governance and leadership education, community engagement, and increasing diversity and inclusion in management and governing boards. She is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives and has been a frequent speaker on health care issues and trends.