November 5, 2026
The 2026 MHA Healthcare Leadership Symposium brought together alumni, students, faculty and community leaders for two days of celebration, connection and inspiration.
Thursday evening’s session honored the MHA program’s past, present and future. Dr. Stephanie Reid-Arndt, dean of the College of Health Sciences, and Jeremy Scarbrough, associate vice chancellor for health system advancement, helped celebrate a transformational $2 million planned gift from program alumna Sara Ellis Sternberger, MHA/MBA, and her spouse, Howard Epstein, MD. This generous gift will provide lasting support for the program through student scholarships, an endowed faculty position and dedicated program funding. The evening concluded with program updates from Dr. Botswana Toney Blackburn, chair of the Department of Health Sciences, and Dr. Dave Ruggeri, interim MHA program director, including the introduction of its incoming program director, Dr. Greg Cox.
Friday’s program featured interactive panel discussions and networking opportunities, moderated by David Moxley. Sessions explored public health, policy and community partnerships; advanced leadership & system-level strategy; and the human side of leadership. Alumni panelists inspired attendees by sharing insights from their careers and discussing emerging challenges and opportunities in health care leadership.
We are deeply grateful to our alumni panelists: Judy Baker, Traci Carter, Julie Mannarino, Megan Tregnago, Troy Lambert, Doug Richardson, Megan Cram, Kelly Pearce, Carey Unger, Madison Fox, Amber Lashley, Sheila Langlotz, Lana Wilhelm and Elizabeth Wilcockson.
The 2026 MHA Healthcare Leadership Symposium continued the tradition of connecting generations of leaders and preparing students to make a meaningful impact in health care organizations and communities.
Special thanks to David Moxley, Sidney Everhart, Audrey Schutte and the Department of Health Sciences for support in planning this year’s symposium.
