UMMS Leadership Biographies
Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
John W. Ashworth III
Senior Vice President, Network Development
University of Maryland Medical System
Associate Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Mr. Ashworth was promoted to Senior Vice President for Network Development for the University of Maryland Medical System and Associate Dean of the University of the Maryland School of Medicine in June 2004. He is responsible for developing the Medical System’s statewide network, directing acquisition strategies, and working to strengthen partnerships with hospitals and physician groups throughout Maryland. Additionally, Mr. Ashworth continues to serve as the Medical System’s principal liaison to the Shock Trauma Center and other hospital emergency services, as well as to community-based health advocacy and support groups relating to trauma and emergency care. Prior to becoming Senior Vice President for Network Development, Mr. Ashworth served as CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), and before that as its chief operating officer. He had previously been director of the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and had also served as senior vice president for strategic planning and program development.
Mr. Ashworth served for a second time as CEO of UMMC from September 1, 2015 thru August 31, 2016. Mr. Ashworth has held numerous national leadership posts, including chairman of the American Trauma Society. He received a BA degree from the University of Virginia and an MHA degree from George Washington University. He served for nearly 20 years on the part-time faculty and as preceptor in the Department of Health Policy at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Additionally, he is emeritus faculty in the Department of Emergency Health Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Mr. Ashworth, a Vietnam veteran, retired as Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years in the U.S. Army’s active and reserve components.
Lisa Adkins, RN, JD
Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer
Lisa Adkins provides overall direction of the compliance program in support of the mission and strategic goals of UMMS. Reporting to the Chair of the UMMS Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors, Adkins plays a critical role in proactively developing and optimizing relationships throughout the organization, continuing to maintain and evolve a culture that actively seeks compliance input to further its day-to-day operations.
Adkins also has oversight for ensuring the coordination and collaboration with affiliate organizations and other UMMS compliance programs.
She comes to UMMS from Children’s National Health System where she served as the Vice President of Compliance and the Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer. In that role, Lisa built and directed the organizational strategy for creating and implementing a best-in-class compliance and ethics program that elevated the business standards, ensured performance unity and reduced vulnerabilities.
Her background includes serving as Vice President/Regional Compliance and Privacy Officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. and corporate counsel for Anne Arundel Health System.
A graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law, Lisa received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Kent State University in Kent, OH.
Kara Bowman
Chief of Staff
University of Maryland Medical System
Kara Bowman serves as Chief of Staff for the UMMS executive leadership team. Ms. Bowman provides strategic management support and serves as a liaison with the UMMS Board of Directors and senior leaders to advance the strategic operational objectives of the organization. She partners with the senior executive team in all matters including program management, initiative implementation and assisting in the management of the day-to-day operations of the executive office.
Ms. Bowman joined the organization as the Senior Director for Public Affairs after serving for five years in Governor Hogan’s administration as a key advisor to the Governor and then as Director of Public Affairs. During that time, she was responsible for communicating with internal and external stakeholders in an effort to advance the Governor’s priorities as well as advising on day-to-day operations of the Executive Office.
Jon P. Burns
Senior Vice President and System Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
University of Maryland Medical System
As Senior Vice President and System Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Jon Burns takes on a number of broad strategic and operational responsibilities. Mr. Burns has executive oversight for organizational data and analytics, the UMMS Telehealth and Access Center, clinical informatics, corporate construction and facilities management, IT, supply chain and corporate operations.
Mr. Burns joined the UMMS team in 2006 as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer where he implemented a system wide integration strategy of information technology resources, support systems, applications, and services, to include the implementation of the Medical System’s first integrated electronic health record.
Prior to joining UMMS, Mr. Burns was Senior Executive of Information Technology for the Cleveland Clinic Health System. He was also responsible for technology services to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and a number of emerging technologies initiatives across the Cleveland Clinic Health System. He served as the Chief Technology Officer of eCleveland Clinic, an Internet-based care delivery model.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic in 1997, he had served in a number of senior level administrative, financial and operational positions at Forum Health, UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania. While at UNC, he was appointed as Faculty Associate at UNC's School of Public Health-Department of Health Policy and Administration.
Matthew Clark
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications
University of Maryland Medical System
Matthew Clark is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the University of Maryland Medical System, where he leads all system communications activities from conception to implementation, including executive communications, media relations and internal communications. Matt also manages and provides oversight of all external marketing, branding, advertising and public relations efforts throughout the System. As a Senior Vice President, Matt works closely with the executive leadership team to help set and implement UMMS’ overall strategic direction.
Prior to joining UMMS, Matt served as Chief of Staff to Governor Larry Hogan since July 2017 and was Governor Hogan’s Communications Director in 2015 and 2016. As Chief of Staff, Matt played a lead role in all strategic planning, crisis management, policy development, budgeting and political strategy for the administration. Prior to joining State government, Matt was a managing director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, based in Washington, D.C., advising across a variety of industries, including energy; financial services; life sciences; and telecom, media and technology.
Earlier in his career, Matt was a freelance journalist and deputy editor at an online news service in Dublin, Ireland, where he was twice nominated for the Irish Internet Association’s Technology Journalist of the Year award and helped ENN to take home a European Online Journalism award in 2002.
Matt is a native Marylander and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and served on the UMBC Public Policy External Advisory Board. Matt also served as the Governor’s designee on the UMMS Board of Directors until May 2020, helping the system implement a number of governance reform initiatives and navigate several major issues. Matt resides in Anne Arundel County with his wife and three sons.
Michelle A. Gourdine, MD
Interim Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Population Health and Primary Care
University of Maryland Medical System
Michelle A. Gourdine, MD, is the Interim Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Population Health and Primary Care for the University of Maryland Medical System, where she oversees efforts across System sites to both develop and implement population health strategies and deliver primary care services in hospitals, clinics and other care sites. Dr. Gourdine serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and is a Senior Associate in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is secretary of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, and serves as chair of the Committee on Education Policy and Student Life. Dr. Gourdine is also a member of the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange Board.
A graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Gourdine was a resident in the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and practiced community-based Pediatrics from 1991–1995. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Dr. Gourdine previously served as Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and as Health Officer and Director of the Baltimore County Department of Health.
Donna L. Jacobs
Senior Vice President, Government, Regulatory Affairs and Community Health
University of Maryland Medical System
Donna Jacobs's areas of emphasis at the University of Maryland Medical System include Medicaid and other reimbursement issues, and she's also working on developing corporate strategies related to women's and children's health programs and mental health services.
Prior to joining the Medical System, Jacobs was Deputy Chief of Staff to Maryland Governor Parris Glendening. Jacobs has advised the Governor on important health care policy issues, including the Cancer and Tobacco Control initiatives and the Maryland Children's Health Program.
A graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and the Georgetown University Law Center, Jacobs has practiced law for two firms: Semmes, Bowen & Semmes in Baltimore and Weinberg and Green, LLC. Her legal practice focused on civil litigation with an emphasis on insurance-related matters.
Jacobs has held leadership roles with civic, community and professional organizations, including President of the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys, Commissioner on the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission, Chair of the advisory board of the Baltimore City Child Care Resource Center and a member of the board of the House of Ruth.
Kristin Jones Bryce
Chief External Affairs Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
Kristin Jones Bryce, Chief External Affairs Officer, oversees UMMS’ government relations and corporate social responsibility as well as public and regulatory affairs, as an advocate on behalf of our entire organization and external partners.
Ms. Jones Bryce joined UMMS in 2015 after serving for 10 years as Chief of Staff to Speaker Michael E. Busch in the Maryland House of Delegates. Before that, she was the Speaker’s Legislative Counsel.
Ms. Jones Bryce began her career in Annapolis shortly after graduating from law school in 1997 when she was hired as a policy analyst by the Department of Legislative Services. In that capacity, she served as committee counsel to the House Economic Matters Committee focusing on health and insurance issues.
Kristin graduated cum laude with a BA from the University of Massachusetts and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. She was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1998. Kristin was named one of the Baltimore Sun’s "50 Women to Watch" in 2013. In December 2017, Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller appointed her to a 4-year term on the Governor’s Salary Commission. She also served as a member of the UMBC Public Policy External Advisory Board and serves as a Trustee on the Governing Board of the Living Legacy Foundation.
Joel Klein, MD
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
Joel Klein serves as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, with responsibility for system-level IT initiatives including Epic, applications, infrastructure, security and informatics. Dr. Klein formerly served as President of the Emergency Medicine practice and as Medical Director of Informatics at UM BWMC, starting in 2011. Dr. Klein joined the UMMS leadership team in 2014 as head of IT Product Development and was named Vice President of Information Technology and Associate Chief Information Officer in 2017. He completed a residency in emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins, an MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and a B.A. from Yale University.
S. Michelle Lee, CPA
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
S. Michelle Lee is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the University of Maryland Medical System. Ms. Lee is a corporate finance and financial reporting expert with over 25 years of experience in the health care sector.
As the Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Lee is accountable for the financial strategy, reimbursement strategy and regulatory compliance, resource allocation, investment policy and the execution of key financial priorities across the system. She joined the University of Maryland Medical System in May 2000 as the Senior Director for financial reporting for the University of Maryland Medical Center, one of the hospitals in the System. Since that time, Ms. Lee has been instrumental in the development of the Medical System as it has grown into the largest health system in the state and has been accountable for the development of the consolidated capital finance structure. Prior to joining the University of Maryland Medical System, Ms. Lee was an audit senior manager in the Baltimore Office of KPMG, the international accounting firm. A certified public accountant, Ms. Lee earned a B.S. degree in business administration from the University of Baltimore in Maryland.
Kate McCann
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
Kate McCann is a Senior Vice President and is Chief Human Resource Officer for the University of Maryland Medical System. She is responsible for developing and implementing HR strategy across the system to maximize competitive advantage, and translating business strategy into HR Shared Service initiatives. In this role, she collaborates with system leaders, including hospital CEOs and corporate executives, to effectively administer HR products, providing HR consultative solutions and approaches that drive business results.
Prior to joining the Medical System in 2013, McCann was a leader at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and HR Management from Southern New Hampshire University and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Development from Towson University. She serves on the board of directors for the Baltimore Workforce Development Board.
Dave McDonald
Senior Vice President, Integration Officer
Dave McDonald is UMMS Senior Vice President, Integration Officer. In this role, Dave focuses on supporting UMMS' collective efforts to further leverage our scale to serve Marylanders and beyond while we support our education mission and assist with enhancing our emphasis on innovation. He also oversees key system-wide strategic priorities to help ensure alignment of integration efforts with member organizations.
He brings extensive healthcare experience in community hospitals, academic health systems and, most recently, a national healthcare performance improvement company where he worked with large academic and community-based healthcare systems nationally.
Dave previously had a 12-year tenure at UMMS ending in 2006. He served in a variety of corporate and University of Maryland Medical Center roles, his last being vice president for the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Andrew Pollak, MD
Senior Vice President, Clinical Transformation
University of Maryland Medical System
Dr. Pollak is The James Lawrence Kernan Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He also serves as Senior Vice President for Clinical Transformation and Chief of Orthopaedics for the University of Maryland Medical System.
Dr. Pollak received BS and MD degrees from Northwestern University and completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the integrated Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals of Cleveland program. In 1994, he completed a fellowship in orthopaedic trauma at the University of California Davis Medical Center. He has served in the past as Treasurer, Chair of the Extremity War Injuries Project Team and as Chair of the Board of Specialty Societies for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a Past President of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the Maryland Orthopaedic Association.
Dr. Pollak has served on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine since 1994 and has held numerous leadership positions. He has served in the past as Head of the Division of Orthopaedic Traumatology and Chief of Orthopaedics at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center where he has spent the majority of his professional career in clinical practice.
Dr. Pollak is currently Chair of the Maryland Health Care Commission and Vice Chair of the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium. His current responsibilities also include Editor of the AAOS Orange Book Series, Medical Director of the Baltimore County Fire Department, and Special Deputy US Marshal.
Aaron Rabinowitz
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
University of Maryland Medical System
Aaron has been the acting Special Counsel for Governance for the UMMS Board of Directors during the last year while serving as the Vice President and General Counsel for the UM Upper Chesapeake Health System since 2013. In that role, Aaron worked as a member of the senior leadership team providing legal counsel and strategic advice to the organization and its leaders on a wide variety of matters, including corporate and commercial transactions, litigation, employment, regulatory affairs and system development.
As the Special Counsel for Governance for UMMS, Aaron has been an integral member of the senior leadership team providing legal advice and strategic guidance to the Board of Directors and senior leaders in areas of governance, legal risks, public policy, advocacy, legislative requirements, litigation, tax exempt status and system integration. He also facilitated Board governance self-assessments at four member organizations and created board governance development plans with local Governance Committees.
In his new position as SVP and General Counsel for UMMS, Aaron will lead the System legal team as well as outside counsel and provide guidance on all legal initiatives, including advising on corporate and commercial transactions (including joint ventures and other strategic alliances), litigation, employment, regulatory matters, intellectual property and other aspects of system development and integration. He will play a critical role in the strategic leadership of the System and will work closely with the executive leadership team to help set and implement UMMS’ overall strategic direction.
Prior to joining our System, Aaron was an associate with Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver PC in Baltimore where he advised hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers on a variety of Medicare and Medicaid regulatory and reimbursement issues, including compliance with fraud and abuse laws, bad debt reimbursement, and claims disputes. He counseled hospital and health system clients on the Affordable Care Act and helped launch two accountable care organizations.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from Haverford College, Aaron earned his Master’s Degree in Economic Policy Evaluation and Planning from the National University of Ireland, his law degree from Harvard and then a PhD in health policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts of Sciences.
Jeffrey M. Stavely
Vice President and Chief Audit Executive
University of Maryland Medical System
Jeff Stavely serves as Vice President and Chief Audit Executive of the Corporate Internal Audit Group for UMMS. As the leader of the internal audit team, Jeff works with the senior management and the Board of Directors Audit Committee to assess key operating risks and ensure that the medical system has a strong internal control structure.
Jeff joined the University of Maryland Medical System in 2005 as the manager of the Business Process Improvement Project, which focused on improving business practices and strengthening internal controls. He has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Towson University, and is a certified public accountant, a certified internal auditor and a certified information systems auditor. His past experience includes providing audit and accounting services at several local and national accounting firms, such as SC&H Consulting, where he was an audit manager, and KAWG&F, Deloitte & Touche and Smith & Downey.