CHIME Announces New Board of Trustee Members

Ann Arbor, MI, December 2, 2009 - The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is pleased to announce the election of members Gary Barnes, FCHIME and Drexel DeFord, FCHIME to the Board of Trustees.

Barnes is Chief Information Officer at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas. He has been an active member of CHIME since the organization’s inception in 1992. He has dedicated himself to numerous CHIME educational and volunteer activities, and in 2007 was recognized for his significant contribution as a CIO to the healthcare IT field when he earned fellowship status. Over the years, he has acted as a CHIME mentor and has served on CHIME’s Membership Committee, Election Committee, Fall Forum Planning Committee, and most recently the Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) Program Committee.

“I’m excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve the members of CHIME for the next three years and I thank you for that opportunity, “said Barnes. “One thing that I know for sure is the next three years will be a challenge for the CHIME Board to keep up with the changes occurring in healthcare and information technologies within healthcare. During my term I would like to provide a set of tools to help CHIME members thought the tough challenges to ahead.”

DeFord is Senior Vice President and CIO at Seattle Children’s Healthcare System and Research Institute in Washington. He has been with CHIME since 2000. He has several publications and presentations to his credit and has served on the CHIME Membership Committee, several CHIME Fall Forum Planning Committees (including Vice-Chair for 2007 and Chair for 2008), and the CHIME Foundation Strategic Advisory Council. A Fellow of both CHIME and HIMSS, DeFord is a past member of the HIMSS Board of Directors, and a past Chair of the Microsoft Healthcare User’s Group.

“I’m honored to serve on the CHIME Board; thanks to my peers for placing your trust in me. CHIME’s made a big difference in my professional life, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to represent all our members,” said Drexel. “I have a personal interest in both advocacy and education, and given the massive changes coming to healthcare, I’m excited to help this organization continue the great forward-progress it’s made since its inception.”

Barnes and DeFord will begin 3-year terms on the CHIME Board starting on January 1, 2010.

About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,300 CIO members and 70 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professionals and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve health and healthcare in the communities they serve.
For more information, please visit www.cio-chime.org.

Contact: Stephanie Fraser
Communications Coordinator, CHIME
(734) 665-0000
sfraser@cio-chime.org
www.cio-chime.org

UPDATED: 12/2/2009 10:03:26 AM