Ohio Hospital Association Announces 2026 Board Officers, Welcomes New Trustees
Columbus, Ohio – 43215 – The Ohio Hospital Association, the united voice of Ohio’s 252 hospitals and 17 health systems, announces new officers and welcomes new members to its Board of Trustees for 2026.
Stephen Markovich, MD, MBA, president and CEO, OhioHealth (Columbus) will serve as chair of the board beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Ben Gill, MBA, president and CEO, Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth) will be chair-elect and Deborah Hayes, RN, MS, MSN, MBI, MBA, NEA-BC, president & CEO, The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati) will serve as secretary/treasurer. T. Clifford “Cliff” Deveny, MD, president and CEO, Summa Health (Akron) will serve as immediate past chair. Board officers serve one-year terms.
“We are grateful to these leaders from our member hospitals who commit their time and talent to work with us on our mission to ensure Ohioans’ access to high-quality hospital care in their communities,” said Mike Abrams, OHA president and CEO. “The health care landscape continues to evolve with hospitals facing continued economic headwinds, administrative burdens imposed by payers, changing workforce needs, and integration of new technology and resources.”
New trustees-at-large beginning Jan. 1 are Christine Alexander-Rager, MD, president and CEO, The MetroHealth System (Cleveland), John Luellen, MD, state president, Ohio, Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati), Rob Mullen, president and CEO, Aultman Health System (Canton) and Rodney Stout, MD, CEO, Holzer Health (Gallipolis). Trustees-at-large who were previously appointed to board vacancies and were recently elected to new three-year terms are Brent Burkey, MD, president and CEO, Fisher-Titus Health (Norwalk) and Jorge Guzman, MD, executive vice president & president northeast market, Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland).
Returning trustees for 2026 include:
- Anita Hackstedde, MD, president & CEO, Salem Regional Medical Center (Salem)
- Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, CEO, University Hospitals (Cleveland)
- Arturo Polizzi, president and CEO, ProMedica (Toledo)
- Mike Riordan, president and CEO, Premier Health (Dayton)
- Tim Robinson, CEO, Nationwide Children’s (Columbus)
- Chad Ross, Esq., president and CEO, Mary Rutan Health (Bellefontaine)
- John Warner, MD, MBA, CEO, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus)
The OHA Board sets policy and strategic direction for matters affecting hospitals throughout Ohio. The board includes representatives from small and large hospitals, urban and rural hospitals, teaching facilities and independent facilities and health care systems.
Dr. Markovich joined the OHA board of trustees in 2021 and served as secretary/treasurer in 2024 and chair-elect in 2025. Markovich serves as president and CEO of OhioHealth. In addition to his role as a health care executive, he is a physician and retired military leader. Prior to his role as president and CEO, Dr. Markovich practiced family and emergency medicine, was a leader in OhioHealth’s Family Practice Residency Program and served as president of OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital – the largest hospital in OhioHealth’s system. He has held a variety of administrative roles, most recently serving as OhioHealth’s Executive Vice President with responsibility for acute care operations before his transition to CEO in 2019.
“I’m deeply honored to serve as chairperson of the Ohio Hospital Association Board of Trustees during such a pivotal time in healthcare,” said Steve Markovich, MD, president and CEO of OhioHealth. “The challenges before us are real, workforce pressures, rising costs and a changing regulatory landscape, but so is our collective resolve to put patients at the center of every decision and ensure high-quality, compassionate care remains accessible to every patient across the state of Ohio.”
