Media

Previous Press Releases

Bellwether League, Inc.Healthcare supply chain hall of fame board welcomes two
Bellwether League Inc. adds group purchasing experience to leadership roster

SCHAUMBURG, IL (January 13, 2011) – Bellwether League Inc., the healthcare supply chain hall of fame, added two industry professionals to its Board of Directors.

Mark M. McKenna and Mary A. Starr represent the newest members of Bellwether League’s 11-member Board of Directors, which annually selects and honors noteworthy men and women for hall of fame induction.

McKenna is the retired president and CEO of Novation LLC, and a Bellwether Class of 2010 Inductee. Starr serves as director of the AdvantageTrust program in HealthTrust Purchasing Group.

“The healthcare field is a special place to spend a career,” McKenna said. “There is a sense that you are contributing to something greater than a paycheck.

“When I was approached to join the Bellwether League Board of Directors I was humbled by the company I would join and the opportunity to contribute to shaping future nominees to be considered as Bellwether Honorees,” he continued. “The criteria are rigid, and the ability to gain recognition for our industry is long overdue. Now entering its 4th year the Bellwether League is well on its way to giving meaningful recognition to a profession that contributes significantly to improving the cost and quality performance of our healthcare system.”

McKenna’s career spanned both the supplier and provider sectors in healthcare, including senior management positions with Imed Corp., Baxter Healthcare Corp., VHA Inc. and Novation. McKenna retired from Novation in 2006 where he had served as president and CEO since 1999. He also served as chairman of the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association (HIGPA) and represented Novation as a founding member of the Arizona State University HealthCare Research Consortium.

Since his retirement, McKenna has served on a variety of company boards, including the Beryl Cos., the Med Group, SterilMed, Suture Express, Systagenix and UHS.

“I am pleased to be part of the Bellwether League Board, not only because of the caliber of the other individuals on Board, but because I believe that healthcare materials management has a significant impact on our healthcare system’s ability to further their mission in serving the medical needs of our society,” Starr said. “The individuals that strive to improve our system face challenges everyday and must be tenacious champions to achieve results. That contribution should be recognized!”

Starr has more than 25 years healthcare supply chain management experience in hospital and non-acute care operations, consulting and group purchasing. In her current role, Starr leads the AdvantageTrust program serving HPG’s non-acute care members. Starr has been an active member of the healthcare materials management industry speaking at numerous conferences, contributing to publications and as Board Member and President of the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM).

McKenna and Starr were introduced as the newest Board Members during Bellwether League’s 2010 Honoree Induction Dinner in Chicago in early October.

About Bellwether League Inc.

Launched in late July 2007 by a group of influential veterans in the healthcare supply chain industry, Bellwether League Inc., a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation, identifies and honors men and women who have demonstrated significant leadership in, influence on and contributions to the supply chain from healthcare providers, healthcare product manufacturers and distributors, group purchasing organizations, consulting firms, educational institutions and media outlets.

Bellwether League Inc. is funded by five Founding Sponsors – Hospira, Kimberly-Clark Health Care, MedAssets, Owens & Minor and Premier Purchasing Partners – and a host of additional sponsors.
Bellwether League Inc. selects retired and currently active professionals with a minimum of 25 years of exemplary service and leadership performance in supply chain operations that meet its criteria to be publicly recognized. Honorees demonstrate their qualifications through advancing the profession, work experience, work performance and active participation in professional organizations.

The Bellwether Classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010, include 36 industry innovators, leaders and pioneers.

The Board of Directors of Bellwether League Inc. comprises a veteran group of industry advocates that includes:

  • Jamie C. Kowalski (co-founder and chairman), CEO, Jamie C. Kowalski Consulting LLC, Milwaukee, WI
  • Rick Dana Barlow (co-founder and executive director), president, Wingfoot Media Inc., Schaumburg, IL
  • John B. Gaida, (secretary) senior vice president of supply chain management, Texas Health Resources, Arlington, TX
  • Patrick E. Carroll Jr. (treasurer), president, Patrick E. Carroll & Associates, Cypress, CA
  • James F. Dickow, president, Dickow Associates, Mequon, WI
  • James R. Francis, chair, supply chain management, and chief supply chain officer, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
  • Mark M. McKenna, retired president and CEO, Novation LLC, Dallas, TX
  • Vance B. Moore, president, Resource Optimization & Innovation, a division of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, Chesterfield, MO
  • Richard A. Perrin, president and CEO, AdvanTech Inc., Annapolis, MD
  • Jean M. Sargent, director, supply chain, USC Health Sciences, Los Angeles
  • Mary A. Starr, director, AdvantageTrust, HealthTrust Purchasing Group, Schaumburg, IL

For more information, to become a corporate or individual sponsor or to nominate honoree candidates visit Bellwether League Inc.’s Web site at www.bellwetherleague.org.

Bellwether League Inc. (BLI) is a non-stock, not-for-profit Illinois corporation, tax exempt under IRS Code Section 501(c)(6). BLI donations and sponsorships are not deductible as a charitable contribution for income tax purposes, but may be deductible as a business expense.