Leadership
Administration
James "Jay" Kirby has served as the President and CEO of Pardee UNC Health Care since 2011, bringing more than 30 years of healthcare management experience to oversee the 222-bed acute care hospital, a comprehensive cancer center, four urgent care locations, six orthopedics clinics, and a physician practice network comprised of 341 physicians. Under his leadership, Pardee has expanded its services to include Board-certified interventional cardiologists and vascular surgeons, and only the second STEMI-certified emergency department in all of western North Carolina. Kirby also led Pardee to add pulmonology, neurology, oncology, thoracic surgery, infectious disease, and the region’s second largest orthopedic group to better serve the people of western North Carolina.
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Brett English joined Pardee UNC Health Care as Chief Financial Officer in October 2021. In this role, English leads the final operations of the organization, which includes the 222-bed Pardee Hospital, a comprehensive cancer center, urgent care centers, six orthopedic clinics, and a network of 341 physicians and 139 allied health providers. Specifically, he provides executive oversight for key supporting functions, including revenue cycle, accounting, internal audit, system budgeting, capital planning and decision support. He brings decades of experience in financial operations and has a BS in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University.
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Steve Heatherly joined Pardee UNC Health Care as Chief Operating Officer in October 2021. In this role, Heatherly oversees the daily operations and functions of Pardee, working to ensure that efficient services are delivered to meet the needs of its patients. An experienced hospital executive with deep ties to western North Carolina, Heatherly helps manage the increasing demands of a high growth healthcare organization that remains deeply committed to its community. Heatherly received his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from the University of North Carolina Asheville, and earned his Master of Business Administration from Western Carolina University and his Master of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
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Natascha Lautenschlaeger, M.D., is a Board-certified family medicine physician and hospitalist and Pardee UNC Health Care’s first female, non-U.S. national Chief of Staff – a role she’s held since January 2021. She also serves as Pardee’s first Chief Medical Informatics Officer and is responsible for implementing technology that automates and improves clinical workflows and outcomes, as well as patient experience. As Chief of Staff, Dr. Lautenschlaeger provides leadership, guidance and a voice for the medical staff, contributing to a dynamic physician environment that strives to deliver safe, high-quality, patient-focused care at the 222-bed Pardee Hospital, its comprehensive cancer center, urgent care centers and orthopedic clinics.
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Gregory McCarty, M.D., is the Chief Medical Officer of Pardee UNC Health Care. In this role, he provides operational oversight of multiple departments and coordinates the medical staff activities of the organization, championing clinical pathways and ensuring that the viewpoints of all physicians are presented and considered as a part of strategic decisions. A board-certified emergency medicine physician, McCarty earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia and studied medicine at East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. He completed an internship, residency, and chief residency in emergency medicine at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte before moving to Hendersonville in 2007 to join Pardee’s emergency department as an attending physician.
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Kris Peters, MBA rejoined Pardee UNC Health Care as Vice President of Support Services and System Integration in 2018. In this role, Peters helps develop and implement the long-term vision of the organization, which includes the 222-bed Pardee Hospital, a comprehensive cancer center, urgent care centers, six orthopedic clinics, and a network of 341 physicians and 139 allied health providers. Peters has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry and received her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
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Johnna Reed, BSN, MPH, joined Pardee UNC Health Care in 2016 as Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the organization, which includes the 222-bed Pardee Hospital, a comprehensive cancer center, urgent care centers, six orthopedic clinics, and a network of 341 physicians and 139 allied health providers. Additionally, Reed has specific oversight of the organization’s four urgent care centers, Community & Government Relations, Human Resources and cardiovascular services. She brings more than 20 years of health care experience to her role and is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Texas Tech University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Creighton University.
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Carol Stefaniak, MSN, RN, NE-BC, joined Pardee UNC Health Care as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in September 2019 and most recently became Vice-President, Clinical Services in 2021. In her role at Pardee, Stefaniak oversees the clinical practice and quality outcomes of the nursing staff. A registered nurse, Stefaniak holds a master's degree in Nursing Administration from Otterbein University and earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Old Dominion University. Stefaniak brings more than 20 years of experience in acute care hospitals to her role as Chief Nursing Officer.
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Board of Directors
- Tammy Albrecht
- Debbie Bell, Secretary
- Vivian Bolanos
- Brittany Brady
- Dr. John Bryant
- Steve Burriss
- James H. Chandler
- Michael Edney
- Dr. Thomas Eisenhauer
- Chip Gould, Chair
- Jay Kirby
- Dr. Natascha Lautenschlaeger
- Anthony McMinn
- Tommy Thompson, Vice Chair
- Hall Waddell, Treasurer
