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Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership salutes Dee Donatelli for earning 2023 AHRMM Leadership Award

ORLANDO (August 8, 2023) — Bellwether League Foundation (BLF) hails Dee Donatelli (Bellwether Class of 2015), for earning the 2023 George R. Gossett Leadership Award, given by The Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) this morning at AHRMM's annual conference.

The Leadership Award represents the highest honor bestowed by AHRMM and is given to an individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary level of leadership and professionalism in the field, made significant contributions to AHRMM and advanced the healthcare supply chain. This prestigious honor is named after and presented in memory of George R. Gossett who served as the first elected President of AHRMM in 1962. Gossett envisioned the prominence of resource and materials management in the healthcare field and championed the educational and professional development of the healthcare supply chain discipline.

BLF inducted Gossett posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 2010. His son Kim Gossett represented him at the event and accepted the award in his honor for the Gossett family.

Hall of Famer and newest Gossett Award recipient Donatelli currently serves as senior director of spend at Symplr and is a former Board member of BLF.

Donatelli was presented with the Gossett Award on stage at the AHRMM23 Annual Conference here on Monday, August 7.

AHRMM stated that "Donatelli has demonstrated an extraordinary level of leadership and professionalism and has made tremendous contributions to AHRMM and advancing the healthcare supply chain. Her remarkable journey began as a registered nurse, and throughout her career, she has continually contributed to the health care field, evolving from her role at the bedside to serve as a Nursing Director and later transitioning into the Supply Chain as a Purchasing Manager and then as a Supply Chain Director. Her outstanding dedication and accomplishments have made a lasting impact, earning her this well-deserved recognition."

During her acceptance speech Donatelli briefly reflected on her clinical and operational career and thanked a number of mentors she credited for helping her grow and develop into a knowledgeable and influential industry leader. Donatelli started with Bob Shackelford, the "visionary" supply chain leader who hired a nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Kansas into a purchasing role.

Among the short list of prominent names, she credited next were four fellow Bellwethers in the Hall of Fame, two of which were AHRMM Chairs as she herself would later become: Dale Montgomery (Bellwether Class of 2014), the late Tom Hughes (Bellwether Class of 2012), Bill McFaul (Bellwether Class of 2008), and John Gaida (Bellwether Class of 2018). Gaida also served as a BLF Founding Board Member, Secretary, Chairman and Chairman Emeritus.

Donatelli cited Montgomery for his encouragement and professionalism, Hughes for his prescience in discerning supply chain talent, McFaul for his pioneering value analysis concepts and Gaida for his challenging her traditional thinking.

Donatelli is the 16th and most recent Bellwether to receive the esteemed Gossett Leadership Award. Past Bellwether recipients are the following in reverse chronological order (courtesy of AHRMM, https://www.ahrmm.org/about/leadership/leadership-award):

• 2015 — Brent T. Johnson, Bellwether Class of 2014
• 2011 — Jamie C. Kowalski, Bellwether Class of 2018 (BLF Co-Founder, Founding Chairman)
• 2001 — Dale A. Montgomery, Bellwether Class of 2014
• 1998 — William J. McFaul, Bellwether Class of 2008
• 1997 — Robert A. Simpson, Bellwether Class of 2012
• 1995 — Michael Louviere, Bellwether Class of 2010
• 1994 — Thomas W. Hughes, Bellwether Class of 2012
• 1992 — John B. Gaida, Bellwether Class of 2018
• 1990 — Samuel G. Raudenbush, Bellwether Class of 2009
• 1988 — Br. Ned Gerber, Bellwether Class of 2010
• 1983 — Donald J. Siegle, Bellwether Class of 2008
• 1980 — Lillian Matiska, Bellwether Class of 2009
• 1979 — Alex J. Vallas, Bellwether Class of 2008
• 1978 — Dean S. Ammer, Ph.D., Bellwether Class of 2008
• 1967 — Paul E. Widman, Bellwether Class of 2013

About AHRMM


The Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) is the leading membership group for health care supply chain professionals.

AHRMM strives to advance health care through supply chain excellence by providing education, leadership and advocacy necessary for its members to remain at the top of their field. With more than 3,600 members, AHRMM offers numerous opportunities for professionals to reach their highest potential and grow their network. For more information, please visit www.ahrmm.org.

About Bellwether League Foundation

Bellwether League Foundation (BLF) comprises two operating divisions that educate, endow and evaluate professionals in healthcare supply chain performance excellence: The Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership and Bellwether Philanthropy.

The Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership evaluates and validates professionals submitted for consideration in its three award programs: Bellwether Honorees, Future Famers and Ammer Honorees. The Hall of Fame also offers educational and professional development content via the Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership Forum and its "Leaders & Luminaries" multimedia of online and printed content.

BLF selects deceased, 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 recognized publicly as Bellwether Class Honorees.

Future Famers represent supply chain professionals early in their healthcare careers who do not yet qualify for Bellwether consideration but have contributed meaningfully to the profession and industry.

Honorees who receive the "Dean S. Ammer Award for Healthcare Supply Chain Performance Excellence" represent noteworthy executives and professionals in the middle of their careers who, through their innovative leadership and influential project management experience, best exemplify the practice and spirit of healthcare supply chain performance excellence.

To date, The Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership has honored 143 innovators, leaders and pioneers in healthcare supply chain management in five distinct categories: Education & Media, Supply Chain Management (Provider), Group Purchasing, Supplier and Consulting Services. Bellwether League Foundation also has recognized 39 Future Famers, and four Ammer Honorees.

Bellwether Philanthropy offers capstone educational and developmental projects to college-bound high school students who plan to study supply chain curricula, current collegiate students who major in supply chain-related careers and professionals who pursue continuing education through associations and universities. The division also is planning to offer grants and scholarships in the future.

Launched in late July 2007 by a group of influential veterans in the healthcare supply chain industry, Bellwether League Foundation began as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation that upgraded to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in January 2021.

Bellwether League Foundation currently is funded by six Founding and Platinum Sustaining Sponsors — GHX, HealthTrust, Owens & Minor, Premier, Vizient and Wingfoot Media — and a host of additional sustaining sponsors at multiple levels. For more information, visit Bellwether League Foundation's website at www.bellwetherleague.org.