UMMS Member Leadership Biographies
Alison G. Brown, MPH, BSN
President
University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus
Alison G. Brown is the President of UMMC’s Midtown Campus. She recently served as Interim President & CEO of University of Maryland Medical Center’s Downtown Campus from December 2019 through October 2020. Prior to assuming the role as President of UMMC Midtown Campus in March 2018, she served as Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer for the University of Maryland Medical System’s thirteen hospital regional health care system. In this role she led strategic planning, marketing & brand strategy, corporate communications & media relations, community health and telemedicine services.
In her role as President of UMMC Midtown Campus, she is responsible for the delivery of high value, safe and effective patient care partnering with clinical faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) and the UMB professional schools to fulfill the academic missions for excellence in clinical care, education and innovation.
UMMC Midtown Campus is fully integrated operationally and clinically with UMMC’s Downtown Campus and provides emergency services, medical, surgical and behavioral health inpatient care, post-acute long term medically complex care and a wide array of outpatient centers providing highly specialized subspecialty care with regional and national distinction, addiction medicine services and an adult day hospital for psychiatric care. Recognizing UMMC's role as an anchor institution serving Baltimore City, Alison also leads efforts to assure active and effective community engagement, health improvement and workforce development.
Alison joined UMMC’s executive leadership team in 1992 to lead strategic planning and business development until her promotion to UMMS in 2012. During her tenure with UMMC, she led clinical program development, facility planning, marketing & communications, post-acute referral service, hospital-based outpatient practice operations, physician referral services including Maryland ExpressCare and UMMC’s affiliate clinical networks for cancer care and diabetes.
Ms. Brown holds a B.S. degree in Nursing from the University of Vermont. She earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University where she has served as an adjunct faculty preceptor for MHA students.
Ms. Brown is a member of Executive Alliance women’s leadership organization and serves on the Mentoring Committee. She is a past member of the board of directors for the United Way of Central Maryland. She was inducted into the Maryland Top 100 Women “Circle of Excellence” by the Daily Record. She was named one of Maryland’s “Top 25 Women to Watch” in 2017 by the Baltimore Sun and one of the “Women Who Move Maryland” by Baltimore magazine in 2018. In the fall of 2020, she was selected by the Boy Scouts of Central Maryland as a Healthcare Hero.
Noel A. Cervino
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center
Noel A. Cervino, president and chief executive officer of University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center (UM CRMC) is a graduate of the University of Baltimore and began his career in healthcare in 1979. He has worked at Levindale Hospital, Northwest Hospital Center, and Dimensions Healthcare System. Noel also served as chief restructuring officer for Kessler Memorial and Pascack Valley Hospitals in New Jersey during their bankruptcy, closure, and reopening proceedings.
Cervino joined UM CRMC (known then as Civista Medical Center) as Chief Financial Officer in fall 2008 as an independent financial consultant, assuming the role of CEO in February 2009. Civista has achieved positive financial results during his tenure, and he has overseen the growth of the hospital campus by more than 40 percent. Notably, Mr. Cervino guided the transition of Civista Health through a two-year management agreement to full affiliation as a member of the University of Maryland Medical System. Under his leadership, UM CRMC has been recognized as a Top Performer for excellence in quality care by the Joint Commission and The Delmarva Foundation for Quality and the recipient of the Excellence in Insights Award by the Healthstream Organization and the 2014 Minogue Award by Maryland Patient Safety Center.
Noel is the president of the Charles Regional Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors and a member of the UM CRMC Board of Directors, the Chesapeake Potomac Health Care Alliance Board, the Chesapeake Potomac Home Health Agency Board and the Chesapeake Potomac Regional Cancer Center Board of Directors.
Formerly a resident of Glyndon, Maryland, Cervino resides in La Plata and has a son and daughter.
Christopher L. deBorja, MD
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Christopher deBorja attended Loyola University, where he received his bachelor of science degree in biology and graduated from the Ross University School of Medicine with his medical degree. He completed his internal residency program at Harbor Hospital Center.
Dr. deBorja is board certified and is a member of both the American Society of Internal Medicine and a fellow of The American College of Physicians. He has been practicing medicine since 1992.
Dr. deBorja is currently chairman of the Department of Medicine, physician director of patient safety and quality and medical director for population health at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
Cynthia A. Kelleher, MBA, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute
Cindy Kelleher joined the executive team at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute and in 2013 and has served as the senior director of business development and marketing until being appointed president and chief executive officer in January 2015. During her tenure, she has enhanced awareness and operation of the Institute and the University of Maryland Rehabilitation Network, with a focus on post-acute care continuum and led efforts to revise and implement new programs to meet the needs of patients and the community.
With almost 30 years of experience working in the healthcare industry, Kelleher possesses specific expertise in healthcare market analysis, state regulator requirements, health sector reform and health promotion. Prior to joining the University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute, Kelleher served in leadership positions with various healthcare organizations, including RTI International and HealthSouth Corporation, where she managed the strategic development of new inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. Kelleher earned a BS degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore; an MBA from the University of Baltimore; and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University.
Kenneth D. Kozel, MBA, FACHE
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
Kenneth D. Kozel was named president and CEO of Shore Health System in October of 2011. He has extensive experience in strategic operational, fiscal and programmatic plans designed to support the mission and vision of Shore Health System. He has an extensive background in building and managing collaborative teams, overseeing multiple clinical and non-clinical divisions and departments and achieving strategic objectives. He has previously demonstrated success in maintaining federal, state and local accreditations for Upper Chesapeake Health, where he most recently served as President of Upper Chesapeake Hospitals. He is experienced in developing, implementing and monitoring systems, policies and procedures that improve patient safety, patient care and enhance patient quality of life.
Mr. Kozel has 24 years of healthcare experience. Prior to being named the CEO of Shore Health System, he held a number of senior management positions at Upper Chesapeake Health. These positions included president, UCH Hospitals in 2011, executive vice president from 2009 through 2010, and senior vice president and chief operating Officer from 2005 to 2009. He also served as vice president, operations; assistant vice president, ambulatory services; and business development and laboratory director from 1997 to 2004 at Upper Chesapeake. Prior to joining Upper Chesapeake, Mr. Kozel served in a variety of positions in the Clinical Laboratory Division at John Hopkins Hospital from 1988 to 1997.
Kozel has an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University, and BS in Medical Technology from The University of Maryland at Baltimore. He is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. His service responsibilities include board member of the Maryland Association of Healthcare Executives and member of its Community Outreach Committee as well as member of the Maryland Hospital Association's Council on Clinical Quality Issues.
Kathleen McCollum
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ms. McCollum serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of UM BWMC, effective April 2021. She joined UMMS in 1992 as an administrative resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and transitioned to UM BWMC in 2001 as Vice President and Executive Director of the Tate Cancer Center, an affiliate of the UM Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was promoted in 2013 to Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Integration, with oversight for operations, nursing, local HR and strategic planning.
Ms. McCollum holds a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Health Science degree in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. A resident of Anne Arundel County, Ms. McCollum is active in the community, having served on boards or volunteered for several community organizations, including Hospice of the Chesapeake, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation and Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Bert W. O'Malley, Jr., MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Medical Center Downtown Campus
Bert W. O’Malley Jr., MD, oversees the University of Maryland Medical Center downtown and midtown campuses and other community locations.
In addition to executive experience, Dr. O’Malley is an internationally renowned surgeon and innovator of skull base surgery, robotic surgery and head and neck cancer at UMMC, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. O’Malley served at UMMC and University of Maryland School of Medicine in multiple leadership positions from 1999-2003, including chief of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, professor of surgery and associate director of the current University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC).
From 2003 until returning to UMMC, Dr. O’Malley was a faculty physician and executive at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. He began his faculty career at Johns Hopkins in 1995, where he rose to associate professor and director of gene and molecular therapy in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery before joining UMMC in 1999.
While in Philadelphia, Dr. O’Malley served as vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, director of the Penn Specialty Network, and as the physician executive of Penn Specialty Practices. Dr. O’Malley also served as professor and chairman of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery with Penn Medicine.
Dr. O’Malley co-invented and developed a series of novel robotic surgical procedures called transoral robotic surgery (TORS). He co-founded the first human robotics head and neck surgery program and skull base surgery program in the world and was co-principal investigator (CoPI) of the first Institutional Review Board-approved clinical trial for robotic surgery in his specialty. He also served as the CoPI of clinical trials that earned US Food and Drug Administration approval for TORS procedures in 2009 and 2014.
Dr. O’Malley has been the PI on several National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and industry and foundation grants. He is a pioneer in the discovery and application of molecular and gene therapies that treat head and neck cancer. He has also investigated novel combinations of stem cells and biomatrices for tissue defect reconstruction and has served as the Co-PI of the NIH-funded Penn Multidisciplinary Consortium: Personalized Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Tissue Regeneration.
As president and CEO of UMMC, Dr. O’Malley works closely with Alison Brown, MPH, president of UMMC Midtown Campus; with Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, president and CEO of UMMS; and with leaders of the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Dr. O’Malley is the son of Bert W. O’Malley, MD, professor of molecular and cellular biology and chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Mark Puente
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Medical System Health Plans
Mark Puente is the president and chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Medical System Health Plans. His experience includes more than 25 years of working in Maryland's healthcare delivery system as both a regulator and as a health plan executive. Before joining the System, Puente founded Riverside Health, Inc., a managed care organization that was acquired by the University of Maryland Medical System in August of 2015.
Prior to this, Puente served as CEO of Amerigroup, Maryland; senior vice president of Medicaid for Bravo Health, Inc.; and deputy secretary for the Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.
Puente received a BS, with a double major in political science and geography/environmental planning, from Towson University.
Nathaniel "Nat" Richardson Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Capital Region Health
Nathaniel “Nat” Richardson Jr. is the president and chief executive officer of University of Maryland Capital Region Health (UM Capital), a healthcare system that operates the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, University of Maryland Laurel Medical Center, University of Maryland Bowie Health Campus and the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Group.
Prior to his role as president and CEO of UM Capital, Mr. Richardson spent 15 years with the Huntsville Hospital Health System in Huntsville, Alabama, where he served in multiple executive roles, most recently as the president of Decatur Morgan Hospital.
During that time, Mr. Richardson brought three competitor hospitals together to form the Huntsville Hospital Health System. He has wide-ranging experience leading large-scale facility renovation and construction initiatives in addition to providing strategic oversight and system-wide operational leadership. Mr. Richardson has in-depth experience in strategic planning and development. He has effectively developed and implemented comprehensive, organizational culture change.
Mr. Richardson has undergraduate degrees in radiological sciences, business administration with specializations in management and leadership and earned his master's from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Richardson is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Lyle E. Sheldon, FACHE
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health
Lyle E. Sheldon, FACHE, is the president and CEO of University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health, an award-winning, not-for-profit health system that has received state and national recognition for its quality of care and physician satisfaction. University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health a member of the University of Maryland Medical System, includes two acute care hospitals, 185-bed University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and 89-bed University of Maryland Harford Memorial Hospital, the Senator Bob Hooper House, and an 85-doctor Physician Enterprise. He has been with Upper Chesapeake Health since 1987 when he joined the system as vice president and chief operating officer and as president and chief executive officer since 1995.
Lyle has a bachelor's degree from Rutgers College and a master's in health services administration from George Washington University.
A fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives since 1995, Lyle is active in community and professional organizations and has received multiple leadership awards during his career from different organizations.
A life-long learner and a resident of Harford County since 1987, Lyle and his wife, Donna, live in Havre de Grace and have four children and three grandchildren.
Thomas B. Smyth, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center
Thomas B. Smyth, MD, is the president and CEO of University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. He helped lead the formation of Maryland Urology Associates PA, and served in several administrative capacities including president (1999-2001 & 2004-06). He was instrumental in the merger of MUA with two other independent practices to form Chesapeake Urology Associates PA in 2006.
During the past 10 years, Dr. Smyth has served Chesapeake in various capacities, including vice president as well as interim CFO and COO. He spearheaded several innovative programs as director of Integrated Care, director of Physician Practice Development and chair of the Physician Wellness Initiative. He developed a particular interest in reengineering the healthcare experience for CUA patients and CUA physicians through these programs. In February 2013, CUA became the first healthcare company to be included in Baltimore magazine's "Top 25 Places to Work."
Dr. Smyth has enjoyed a robust clinical practice in general urology with a focus on prostate disease. Currently, he leads a clinical initiative that combines 3D ultrasound and MRI fusion of the prostate to allow enhanced detection of prostate cancer.
He graduated from Calvert Hall College High School in 1977, received his BA in biology from Princeton University in 1981 and his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1986. He moved to the West Coast in 1986 for six years of surgery and urology residency training in the Department of Urology at Stanford University. Dr. Smyth serves on the Board of Trustees of Calvert Hall. He and his wife, Tina Townsend Smyth, live in Towson, MD, and have raised three sons, Taylor, Burk and Sam.
Sheldon Stein, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
Mr. Stein is the president and CEO of Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, a 102-bed specialty children's hospital with two sites in the Baltimore/Washington area: the main Baltimore hospital and an outpatient center and a satellite operation in Prince George's Hospital Center just outside the Washington DC. In 1995, Mr. Stein was recruited to join the staff, where he successfully negotiated Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital through two mergers while significantly increasing the hospital's programs and profitability. In 2001, Mr. Stein was named president and CEO of Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
A native New Yorker, Mr. Stein received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and holds a MBA from the University of Colorado. Mr. Stein is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and member of The Maryland Chapter of Health Care Administrators. He serves on the Management of Information Services Council and Specialty Hospital Section for the National Association of Children's Hospitals.
President and Chief Executive Officer
University of Maryland Medical System