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, urgent care centers, 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 (WNC). 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 WNC.
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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 community and 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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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 health care 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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Mike Sunday was appointed as Pardee UNC Health Care’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in May 2022. In this role, Sunday leads the financial 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. Prior to joining Pardee in 2019, Sunday held positions with increasing responsibility at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He received both his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and his Master of Business Administration from East Carolina University.
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Natascha Lautenschlaeger, MD, 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, MD, 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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John Bryant, EdD
Vice President, Workforce Development & Community Affairs
John Bryant, EdD, joined Pardee UNC Health Care in July 2022 as the organization's first Vice President of Workforce Development and Community Affairs. In this role, Dr. Bryant is responsible for developing and recruiting a qualified workforce by focusing on the cultivation of key partnerships within education that will result in additional pathways to a future career in healthcare. Bryant most recently served as the Superintendent of Henderson County Public Schools (HCPS). Bryant graduated from Elon University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Education, then went on to obtain his Master of Arts in School Administration from Gardner Webb University before pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Carolina University.
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Board of Directors
- Tammy Albrecht
- Debbie Bell, Secretary
- Vivian Bolanos
- Brittany Brady
- 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
