Executive Committee
FHPCA is proud of our dedicated and outstanding Executive Committee, we feel honored to have such a talented group of people leading our organization.
CHAIR
Chuck Lee, MA, MBA, President & CEO, Cornerstone Hospice
Before joining Cornerstone Hospice as President and CEO in 2013, Chuck had more than 11 years of executive-level hospice experience. Chuck holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Loyola University. He earned his Master of Arts at The George Washington University, and his Master of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chuck has also completed an extended internship in Clinical Pastoral Education at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola FL, and he is a Permanent
Deacon, ordained in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
INTERNAL VICE CHAIR
Rana McClelland
Rana McClelleand, MBA, is the Regional Program Director of Florida operations for Compassionate Care Hospice, a large national hospice and palliative care provider. She was previously Vice President of Palliative Medical Associates, a national palliative care provider and a division of hospice and palliative care services for patients in need. She is an acknowledged expert in the hospice an palliative care industry whose many accomplishments include founding Compassionate Care Hospice’s Florida operations in 2010 and rapidly expanding to 3 programs in 6 counties by 2015. She serves on the board of the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association (FHPCA) and is currently the Internal Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee. A native of Huntsville, Alabama , she received her undergraduate degree at Auburn University and her MBA at Southeast University.
EXTERNAL VICE CHAIR
Samira K. Beckwith, President and CEO of Hope Healthcare Services
Samira has served as president and CEO of Hope Healthcare Services for more than two decades. She also serves as chair of the National Hospice Foundation Board of Directors and is a National Hospice Work Group founding director. She also serves on the American Society of Pain Educators Board of Directors, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Board of Directors and is the founder and president of Florida PACE Association. Beckwith earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University and has been recognized for her leadership, career accomplishments and commitments to diversity.
SECRETARY
Cathy Blanchard, BSN, RN, Area Vice President of Operations, Emerald Coast Hospice
Cathy has been with Gentiva Health Services for over 19 years, and has been the Area Vice President of Operations – Hospice for over 6 years. A nurse by trade, Cathy also has extensive experience managing the overall operations of both Hospice and Home Health, including developing budgets and managing Agencies profitably. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina.
TREASURER
Jaysen Roa, President & CEO, Avow
Jaysen Roa brings over 10 years of hospice leadership experience, having served as Executive Director at Good Shepherd Hospice, Inc. an affiliate of Chapters Health System, Inc. based in Lakeland, Florida. Roa also served in a variety of leadership roles at Hernando Pasco Hospice (HPH), Inc.
and also worked at Hospice of Citrus County, Inc., both based in Florida.
Roa currently serves as President & CEO for Avow.
PAST CHAIR
Susan de Cuba, MA, ACHE, President & CEO, Treasure Health
Susan has worked for Treasure Health for ten years, overseeing various departments including Bereavement, Volunteer Services, Marketing, Foundation, Finance, IT and Compliance. She was recognized by the American Marketing Association as one of the top non-profit marketers in the country and was responsible for Treasure Coast Hospice’s award winning media education campaign. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University with a double major in Humanities and Spanish,and a Master’s degree in Counseling from University of South Florida.
COMMITTEE CHAIRS:
Research & Development Committee
Mary Linn Hamilton
Mary Linn currently serves as President and CEO of VNA Hospice of Indian River County. She is also President and CEO of VNA of the Treasure Coast, its parent corporation. She brings extensive leadership experience with home healthcare, hospice and palliative care, homemaker/companion services, and community wellness programming, all core services offered by the VNA of the Treasure Coast. In addition, her leadership experience includes pediatric home care, home infusion services, and home medical equipment. Mary Linn has served as President and CEO of the VNA of Rhode Island and VNA Foundation (RI), as well as Corporate Director of Home Health for Camcare Inc. in West Virginia. Mary Linn earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Simmons College, in Boston, Massachusetts and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina. She also completed a Fellowship at the University of Chicago’s Center for Health Administration Studies and has completed Doctoral Program coursework in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University’s School of Public Health.
Quality Committee: Indicators & Education
Pauline Taylor
Pauline Taylor is currently the Assistant Vice President Administrator at Hospice of the Comforter. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Central Florida, a Master’s degree from Webster University, and is a Registered Nurse. She has worked in the hospice field since 1998 and has held positions in finance, nursing, and sales and operations leadership. In 2013, Pauline was granted the Advanced Certified Hospice Executive certification administered by the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH). The certification demonstrates advanced competencies for strategic positioning, financial management, and legal compliance issues. In 2014, FHPCA awarded Pauline with The Catalyst Award, which recognizes an individual in any role within an organization who has consistently demonstrated leadership in forging the collaboration that makes hospice unique. She is a board member of the Health Council of East Central Florida, appointed by Orange County government, and was recently appointed to the Florida Healthcare Workforce Leadership Council. Paulin was also Chief Operating Officer at Hospice of St. Francis. Pauline is married and has 2 sons.
Public Policy Committee
Dave Fielding, President & CEO, Trustbridge
David C. Fielding joined Hospice of Palm Beach County as President and Chief Executive Officer in December 1998. Under Mr. Fielding’s leadership, Hospice of Palm Beach County has grown from caring for approximately 200 patients on a daily basis to more than 2000 patients on a daily basis, branching out to bring the organization into Broward County and merging with Hospice by the Sea, forming a new parent company, Trustbridge, which includes Hospice of Palm Beach Cou
nty, Hospice by the Sea, FocusCare and Harbor Palliative Care.