Baton Rouge – The LHA announced its 2026-27 Board of Trustees officers and trustees at its annual
membership meeting on July 20.
Edgardo J. Tenreiro, president and CEO of Baton Rouge General, will serve as the LHA Board of Trustees chair. He received the gavel from Michele Kidd Sutton, FACHE, president and CEO of North Oaks Health in Hammond, who will now serve as immediate past chair. Joan M. Coffman, FACHE, president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System in Covington, will serve as the association’s chair-elect, and Jaf Fielder, president and CEO of Willis Knighton Health in Shreveport, will serve as treasurer.
In addition to the officers, Tina Haynes, CEO of Claiborne Memorial Medical Center in Homer, was elected to serve a two-year term as a trustee.
The following individuals were reelected to serve two-year terms as trustees:
Lee J. Chastant III, CEO of West Feliciana Parish Hospital in St. Francisville
E.J. Kuiper, DPT, FACHE, president and CEO of FMOL Health in Baton Rouge
Scott W. Prouty, CEO of Allegiance Health Management in Bossier City
Sean Wendell, CPA, executive chairman of the Beacon Behavioral Partners Board of Directors in
Baton Rouge
Monte A. Wilson, regional market president and CEO of CHRISTUS Health Central and
Southwest Louisiana in Alexandria
Kemp Wright, senior vice president of Priority Hospital Group in Bossier City
“As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, the LHA thanks our new and returning board members for their strong leadership,” said LHA President and CEO Paul A. Salles. “For a century, the Louisiana Hospital Association has worked to strengthen healthcare across our state, and the leadership of our board remains critical to advancing that mission by protecting access to essential healthcare services, supporting a strong healthcare workforce, and improving health outcomes for Louisianians.”
About the Louisiana Hospital Association
Established in 1926, the Louisiana Hospital Association is a nonprofit organization representing hospitals
and healthcare systems across the state. The mission of the LHA is to support its members through
advocacy, education, and services. For more information, visit LHAonline.org.
Biographies of Elected Board Officers and Trustees in Alphabetical Order by Last Name:
Lee J. Chastant III has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Chastant is the CEO of West Feliciana Parish Hospital, a critical access facility in St. Francisville. His healthcare career spans more than 40 years, including leadership roles in both urban and rural hospitals. He has served as controller of Baton Rouge General’s chemical dependency unit, CEO of a rural critical access hospital, and CEO of Stanocola Medical Center, a large multispecialty physician clinic. Chastant has held
several healthcare industry leadership positions, including serving as president and a board member of the Louisiana Medical Group Management Association, where he chaired the Legislative Committee for 10 years and was recognized as a lifetime member in 2016. He also served on the boards of Summit Hospital, the Stanocola Home Health Advisory Board, and the Louisiana Arthritis Foundation. Active in shaping healthcare policy, Chastant has served on the Provider Advisory Committee for state Reps. Troy Hebert and Karen Carter, the Louisiana Department of Insurance Task Force, the Louisiana Association
of Business and Industry Healthcare Task Force, and the LHA Legislative, Regulatory & Policy Council. He currently serves on the board of the Rural Hospital Coalition. In the community, Chastant serves as a board member of Bayou Federal Credit Union and is on the boards of the West Feliciana Parish 911 Commission and the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partners. In 2019, he was recognized as a distinguished graduate by Redemptorist High Alumni and Friends.
Joan M. Coffman, FACHE, will serve as the LHA Board of Trustees chair-elect for the 2026-27 term. She currently serves as president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System, which includes a 281- bed hospital, an offsite emergency department, three diagnostic centers, a cancer center, a graduate medical education program, and more than 3,100 employees. She has diverse experience across nonprofit, for-profit, rural, and urban health systems, multispecialty physician clinics, and faith-based
healthcare sectors. Coffman holds several professional and community leadership positions. She is serving a three-year term on the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees, is immediate past chair of the Vizient Southern States Board of Directors, chairs the St. Tammany Corporation Board and serves on the Northshore Business Council Executive Committee. She was appointed to serve a three- year term as a board member of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana and was named a member of Louisiana’s Committee of 100 for Economic Development. Before joining St. Tammany Health System, she served as president and CEO of St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s of Hospital Sisters Health System. She has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree in health arts from the University of St. Francis.
Jaf Fielder was elected to serve as the LHA Board of Trustees treasurer for the 2026-27 term. As president and CEO of Willis Knighton Health in Northwest Louisiana, Fielder oversees an integrated healthcare delivery system that includes four acute-care hospitals, a rehabilitation institute, a multispecialty physician network, and The Oaks of Louisiana, the state’s largest retirement community. With more than 30 years in healthcare management, Fielder began his career at Willis Knighton at age 23. Before his October 2021 appointment as president and CEO, he held several senior roles within the organization, including chief operating officer, senior vice president, and administrator of Willis Knighton North. He also led human resources for 24 years and served as the information security and privacy officer. Fielder is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of the Willis Knighton Health Clinically Integrated Network. He chairs the LHA HOSPPAC/LA Health PAC
Board of Directors. In the community, Fielder has been actively involved with the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, including serving two years as chair. He also served on the Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana Board of Directors and its Finance and Contract Labor Committee. He serves on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas and North Louisiana and is a member of the Shreveport Committee of 100. He served on the MLK Clinic board for five years and is a deacon at University Church of Christ. A native and resident of Shreveport, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in business administration from Abilene Christian University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from LSU Shreveport. He holds an honorary doctorate of humanities from Northwestern State University.
Tina Haynes has been elected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Her leadership at Claiborne Memorial Medical Center reflects a strong commitment to strengthening rural healthcare and expanding access to high-quality care in Claiborne Parish. With more than two decades of healthcare administration experience, Haynes brings expertise in health information management, strategic planning, healthcare law, and public policy. Under her leadership, Claiborne Memorial has grown from a 47-bed community hospital into a comprehensive rural healthcare system that includes rural health and primary care clinics, a home health agency, and an intensive outpatient addiction recovery program. Her success in securing grants and alternative funding has helped expand services and preserve access to high-quality care close to home. Haynes also led the development of the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, which addresses physician shortages by creating a pipeline of physicians trained to practice in rural communities. Haynes earned a bachelor’s degree in medical record administration from Louisiana Tech University and a master’s degree in healthcare law and policy from Texas A&M University School of Law. She was recognized by the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine as a Champion of Rural Medicine. She also serves on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Rural and Underserved Graduate Medical Education Advisory Board and has served on the LHA Legislative, Regulatory & Policy Council.
E.J. Kuiper, DPT, FACHE, has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Kuiper joined FMOL Health in 2024 as president and CEO, bringing more than two decades of leadership in Catholic healthcare. Previously, he served as CEO of the Midwest Division at CommonSpirit Health, overseeing operations across four states. Originally from the Netherlands, Kuiper began his healthcare career with Hospital Corporation of America in 1991 and advanced from physical therapist to chief operating officer of two Florida hospitals. He holds a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of St. Augustine and a master’s degree in health services administration from Florida Gulf Coast University. He later served as CEO of St. Anthony’s Health System in Illinois and as Illinois Division president of Hospital Sisters Health System, leading a nine-hospital, $1.4 billion division that achieved the state Malcolm Baldrige Award. At FMOL Health, Kuiper oversees the $4 billion, not-for-profit integrated
healthcare organization serving regional markets in Louisiana and Mississippi and is advancing its academic partnerships, including its relationship with LSU.
Scott W. Prouty has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Prouty serves as CEO of Allegiance Health Management, which includes 11 acute-care hospitals and more than 70 clinics. With more than 35 years of healthcare leadership experience, his career has spanned clinical care, hospital operations, executive leadership, physician recruitment, and healthcare advocacy. Prouty began his career as a respiratory therapist at LSU Medical Center, where he worked in intensive care services before transitioning into healthcare administration. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of executive leadership roles, including becoming CEO of a long-term acute-care hospital at age 36. He later served as vice president of the psychiatric division at Allegiance Health Management and chief operating officer before being appointed CEO. A native of Hailey, Idaho, and a U.S. Army veteran, Prouty is an active advocate for healthcare policy and works closely with local, state, and federal leaders to address
the evolving challenges facing today’s healthcare system.
Michele Kidd Sutton, FACHE, will serve as immediate past chair of the LHA Board of Trustees for the 2026-27 term. Sutton is in her tenth year as president and CEO of North Oaks Health and has dedicated 38 years to the organization. She has been involved with the LHA since 1988, holding key roles including HOSPPAC chair, Board of Trustees treasurer and chair, and chair of the LHA Legislative, Regulatory & Policy Council. She also served on the LHA Trust Funds Board. Additionally, she has participated in committees for the American Hospital Association and the Louisiana Department of Health. Aside from her involvement with the LHA, Sutton is immediate past chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), which promotes excellence in healthcare leadership among its 53,000 members. She is a board-certified fellow in healthcare management through ACHE and has served as Louisiana regent and as a member of the Board of Governors. Sutton is also a prominent figure in Louisiana’s business community, serving on the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, Inc. She was appointed by former Gov. John Bel Edwards and reappointed by Gov. Jeff Landry to the Louisiana Emergency Response Network State Commission. She participates in several organizations, including the Northshore Business Council, the New Orleans Chapter of the Women’s Healthcare Executive Network, and the Rotary Club of Hammond, where she served as president. She is also a lifetime member and former board member of the Southeastern Louisiana University Alumni Association, a board member and past president of the Lions Athletic Association, and has held various roles, including board chair, with the Tangipahoa Chamber since 1985.
Edgardo J. Tenreiro will serve as the LHA Board of Trustees chair for the 2026-27 term. Tenreiro is president and CEO of Baton Rouge General and previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. For nearly three decades, he has worked in management roles for hospital systems in Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Louisiana. Tenreiro is a member of various boards, including the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Baton Rouge Health District, and Louisiana Independent Hospital Network Coalition. He earned a bachelor’s degree in politics, philosophy, and economics and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Sean Wendell, CPA, has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Wendell brings extensive leadership experience in healthcare and behavioral health and currently serves as executive chairman of the Beacon Behavioral Partners board of directors after nearly 20 years as CEO. During his tenure, he helped expand Beacon from a single location into a network of more than 50 sites across Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. Before becoming CEO in 2007, Wendell served as Beacon’s chief administrative officer and chief financial officer. He began his career as a CPA specializing in healthcare management and auditing. Wendell has also served on several community and professional boards and committees, including Our Lady of the Lake CNA College and Seat at the Table. He previously served on executive and capital campaign committees supporting the construction of a new
church and school.
Monte A. Wilson has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Wilson serves as regional market president and CEO of CHRISTUS Health Central and Southwest Louisiana, which includes two rural hospitals, a tertiary care hospital, a surgical hospital, 20 ambulatory sites, and 17 school-based clinics. He has more than 25 years of senior executive leadership experience managing hospitals within large community health systems, post-acute services, and trauma centers. Wilson has served on the LHA Legislative, Regulatory & Policy Council and serves on the boards of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana and the Central Louisiana Community Foundation. He is also a past board chairman and current member of the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce. Wilson previously helped lead the Global Health Crisis Coordination Center’s virtual command center and is a Leadership Louisiana graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and a
master’s degree from the University of Arkansas College of Engineering.
Kemp Wright has been reelected to a two-year term on the LHA Board of Trustees. Wright is a partner and senior vice president at Priority Hospital Group, which owns or operates eight long-term acute-care and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Alabama. He previously served on the LHA Legislative, Regulatory & Policy Council and the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long-Term Care Administrators Examination Committee. In addition, Wright served as the LHA-appointed board member for the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Nursing Facility Administrators from 2011 to 2024. Previously, he was CEO of Riverside Hospital in Alexandria and Specialty Hospital of Winnfield from 2007 to 2012. From 2005 to 2007, he served as CEO of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Alexandria. Wright was executive director of the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Nursing Facility Administrators from 1994 to 2005. He holds a master’s degree in health services
administration from the University of St. Francis and a bachelor’s degree in management from Louisiana
State University.
