The Leadership Lessons From Team
Kim Byas, Sr., PhD, MPH, FACHE
Founder and CEO
Before starting Leadership Lessons From... and honored to be the father of three fantastic young adults, Kim served as a senior executive for a national hospital association addressing federal advocacy, health care system transformation, and health policy by tapping into over 45 years of experiences in health care leadership in various settings—including direct patient care, public health, health insurance, strategic consulting, and policy.
As a former university trustee and then as the program director of two graduate programs (MS in Health Care Leadership and MS in Organizational Leadership) at Union Institute & University and previously serving as adjunct faculty teaching health policy to Rush University’s Healthcare Services Management program, Kim is committed to higher education.
Currently, Kim is the founder and CEO of Kailo Consulting; conducts Classic Grounded Theory research on leadership; teaches health care ethics to MBA students at Loyola University Chicago; mentors internationally more than 20 C-suite leaders; and serves on various boards of not-for-profit organizations--most recently with the Conscious Leadership Guild.
Kim received his PhD in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati; a Master in Public Health from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a B.A. from Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Gyasi C. Chisley, PMP, FACHE
Board Member
Gyasi C. Chisley, PMP, FACHE, is the Managing Director and the Head of Corporate Healthcare for PNC Bank. With more than 25 years’ experience in health care—ranging from hospital administration to health insurance plans and investment ventures, Gyasi establishes partnerships and creates financial stability for organizations.
As an author, speaker, and board member of various entities, Gyasi received recognition and awards for his achievements—among them include Becker’s Top 25 Healthcare Executives, Modern Healthcare’s Up and Comers, Tenet Circle of Excellence Award, NAHSE Young Healthcare Executive of the Year, ACHE Young Executive of the Year, Xavier University Preceptor of the Year, Cincinnati Business Courier’s 40 under 40, Leadership Academy Alumni Award, and The University of Michigan Award for Service.
Gyasi received his Master of Health Services/Business Administration from The University of Michigan; and a dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Biology from Morehouse College. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives; and is board certified in health care and project management. He is an avid sports fan, a self-proclaimed movie buff, enjoys music, and a marathoner in various cities.
Dawn V. Gay, MBA-HCM
Board Member
Dawn Gay is the Executive Director and Chief Relationship Officer for CareAdvisors, a minority-owned healthcare technology company specializing in social care management. She has a strong clinical and operations background with over 30 years of experience in diversified healthcare settings working with hospitals, ambulatory care centers, community-based organizations and physicians.
Dawn is the Past President for the Chicago Health Executives Forum (CHEF), an independent chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Dawn is a Fellow of the Institute of Medicine Chicago (IOMC) currently serving on the Research group for Maternal and Child Health Workgroup. She is passionate about life-long learning, values-driven leadership and mentoring students.
Dawn serves as an External Advisory Board member for Loyola University Chicago as well as the Advisory Board at Governors State University Health Care Management program. In addition, she serves as a Board member with Access to Care (Suburban Primary Health Care Council) a non-profit organization focused on filling the gap for the uninsured.
Ms. Gay is an alumna of the MBA in Health Management Administration program from Loyola University Chicago; and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Behavioral Sciences from National-Louis University. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Fellows program in Community and Organizational Systems.
Dana Richardson, MHA, RN
Board Member
Dana Richardson is the Chief Executive Officer for the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO). In this role, she oversees Wisconsin’s largest information system used by state government, provider organizations, health plans, employers, researchers, and consumers to improve the performance and value of Wisconsin’s health care delivery system and the health of its citizens. The WHIO recently added socio-economic indicators of health to its data system to identify shortcomings in health care services for disadvantaged populations.
Prior to joining the WHIO, Ms. Richardson worked for the American Medical Association as the Director of Operations for the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement program (PCPI®). For the PCPI, developed novel improvement initiatives to improve care outcomes and led the development of the National Quality Registry Network, a learning system for organizations that support national clinical registries. From 2002-2010, Ms. Richardson was the Vice President of Quality Initiatives for the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). While at the WHA, she developed CheckPoint®, a voluntary public reporting program on hospital quality and led multiple statewide initiatives to improve the quality of care provided by Wisconsin hospitals. Ms. Richardson began her career at SSM Health/Dean Medical Center where she provided bedside nursing care at St. Mary’s hospital for 13 years, developed a physician-led quality improvement program for Dean Clinic, and worked for Dean Health Plan as Manager of Corporate Reporting.
Ms. Richardson enjoys playing the piano, listening to audiobooks, creating and tending to her gardens, and riding her bike when the Wisconsin weather permits. She has two grown children, a daughter-in-law, and most recently, a grandson.
Ms. Richardson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a Master of Arts degree in business with a major in health service administration from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Jon Ross, PhD
Board Member
With us since our founding, Jon has a long career in healthcare, public health, and scientific communications, public policy, and advocacy affairs, with a wide range of positions and assignments across healthcare, government, nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and professional service organizations. He currently is Director of Research & Evaluation at TASC’s Center for Health and Justice, where he supervises and publishes on a range of nationally funded programs around addiction and public health/public safety. Jon earned his BA in political science from the University of Florida, his MA in legislative affairs from George Washington University, and his PhD in public policy from Union Institute & University. He also has performed extensively in theatre and improvisation around Chicago, incorporating lessons learned from theatre into his professional and academic work, which has included teaching students from community college through the doctoral level in eight distinct disciplines at seven institutions of higher learning. He is father to a 15-year-old son, a young adult-equivalent Border Collie, and a stump-tail black cat.
Peter H.S. Sporn, MD
Board Member
Peter is also a founding member.
He is Professor of Medicine, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Medical Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.
As a physician-scientist with a longstanding interest and track record in investigation of cellular and molecular mechanisms of lung inflammation, injury and repair, as well as regulation of innate immunity and pulmonary host defense, Dr. Sporn focuses on the role of alveolar macrophages as both regulators and effectors of immune and inflammatory responses in the lung.
As an active clinician, Dr. Sporn primarily focuses on the care of patients with sarcoidosis. In doing so, he led the development of a robust multi-disciplinary sarcoidosis clinical program at a major teaching medical center in Chicago. Under his leadership, this program actively follows over 1,500 patients with sarcoidosis; and was recently recognized as a Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR)-World Association of Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases (WASOG) Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence.
Politically and socially engaged on a national and international level, while offering counsel and medical advice locally to individuals and communities in need, Dr. Sporn is affectionately called “the people’s doctor.” Dr. Sporn continues to mentor, teach, conduct research, and support social justice at home and abroad.
Dr. Sporn completed his A.B. in Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago; his M.D. at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit; and his residency in internal medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. He completed two fellowships, one in allergy and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the other in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Transforming health through ethical leadership.