NALTH's membership contains an array of voluntary nonprofit as well as proprietary and governmentally owned hospitals. The Association strives to reflect the diversity of the membership on the Board of Directors.
The Governance Committee ensures the quality and effectiveness of NALTH’s Board as a whole, and for individual Board members – both current and future. The Committee considers many aspects of leadership, including, but not limited to:
- Geographic Distribution
- System vs Single-entity
- Investor-Owned vs Not-for-Profit LTCHs
- Freestanding vs Hospitals-within-Hospitals
- Urban vs Rural Representation
- Active in Committee Participation and Meeting Involvement
- Legislative and Advocacy Involvement and Support
- Decision Maker (most often CEO, CFO or physician)
- Financial support to attend meetings and utilize resources to support NALTH initiatives
- Ability to understand, support and advance NALTH
President
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Ed Prettyman PsyD
Texas NeuroRehab Center
Austin, TX
ed.prettyman@uhsinc.com
Ed Prettyman, PsyD is the CEO of Texas NeuroRehab Center and NALTH President. Dr. Prettyman has fourteen years of successful experience at the executive level. He is a visionary leader of medical rehabilitation, neurobehavioral, and behavioral
health facilities. Dr. Prettyman has proven achievements in strategic planning, product-line development, expense management, and revenue growth.
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Vice President
Vice President
Treasurer
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James Blanton
UT Health East Texas Long Term Acute Care
Tyler, TX
jblanton@uthet.com
James Blanton, CPA, CFO of Post-Acute Services at UT Health East Texas in Tyler, Texas. 30 Years of hospital experience, 25 of those in post-acute services to include IRF/LTCH/HHA/Outpatient Therapy/Cardiac Rehabilitation/Health and Wellness.
Treasurer of NALTH from 2009 to present.
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Board Member
Board Member
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Denise Kann RN BSN MS CRRN
Ernest Health
Mesquite, TX
denisekann@ernesthealth.com
Denise Kann has been in the healthcare industry for over 40 years with more than 35 years in the post-acute sector. Over those years, she has held various leadership roles in the post-acute industry including administrator for a 40 bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. She currently is the Executive Vice President/Chief Regulatory Officer for the Ernest Health system of hospitals and has worked with the Ernest system of hospitals since Ernest’s inception in 2004. Denise also serves as a Board Member for the National Association of Long Term Care Hospitals (NALTH) and is active on various committees within the American Medical Rehabilitation Professionals Association (AMPRA). She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama and Masters of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of Central Florida. She has been a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) since 1987.
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Board Member
Board Member
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Jim Prister
RML Specialty Hospitals
Hinsdale, IL
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Board Member
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Lisa MacLean
PAM Health
Enola, PA
lmaclean@pamhealth.com
Lisa, who most recently served as Executive Vice President for Vibra Healthcare, brings extensive experience in strategy and referral development to the company. After beginning her career with a skilled nursing company, she eventually
moved into business development and managed care for a national rehabilitation services provider. She would make multiple moves throughout the years taking on executive level positions of increased responsibility for marketing, strategy
and managed care before joining PAM Health.
"The post-acute industry is in a state of constant change, but I am confident with the leadership team here, we will not only weather the changes, but also grow the company," MacLean says. "There is much opportunity within the industry
for a company like PAM Health that has the necessary expertise to integrate our services with our acute care hospital partners and become the post-acute solution in all of our markets."
Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris University.
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Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
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Paul Dongilli Jr. PhD FACHE
Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals
Lincoln, NE
pdongilli@madonna.org
Paul Dongilli Jr., Ph.D., FACHE, officially named president and CEO of Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals on Jan. 18, 2016. Dongilli has a long history of service to Madonna—both in the capacity of direct patient care and leadership within
the organization spanning 28 years; including executive vice president and chief operations officer since 2006. Dongilli holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburg in speech pathology as well as a Ph.D.
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
A leader within the health care industry, Dongilli is a board member for the National Association for Long Term Hospitals (NALTH) serving as board chair from 2012 to 2022. He is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dongilli has served as a CARF International* surveyor participating on national advisory committees.
In 2008 he was appointed to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Trauma Advisory Board. Dongilli was elected to serve on the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) Board of Directors, starting his service in January, 2018.
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Board Member
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Sonja LaBarbera MSOL MS CCC/SLP
Gaylord Specialty Healthcare
Wallingford, CT
slabarbera@gaylord.org
Sonja LaBarbera is President and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare, a rehabilitation-focused, nonprofit health system located in Wallingford, Connecticut, that provides inpatient and outpatient care for people at every point in their
journey from illness or injury to maximum recovery.
Named CEO in 2019, Ms. LaBarbera rose through the ranks of Gaylord as the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Operations and Strategy, Senior Director of Therapy
and Outpatient Services, and Director of Inpatient Therapy Services over a span of 15 years. She serves as a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the University of New Haven School of Health Sciences Advisory Board; and
the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) Committee on Government. She has been recognized by the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce as Woman of Year; named a Power 25 in Healthcare by Hartford Business Journal and one of six Women Who
Mean Business by New Haven Biz.
Ms. LaBarbera is an active member of American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and Healthcare Financial Management Association
(HFMA). She earned her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University, in Hamden, CT, and her Master of Science in Speech - Language Pathology from State University of New York at Fredonia, in Fredonia, NY.
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*Board elections are held during the Spring Annual Member Meeting.
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