LaRonda Chastang, MSW
Vice President Diversity and Inclusion
Trinity Health
LaRonda Chastang is vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Trinity Health. She is responsible for the development and implementation of the national DEI strategy that impacts more than 110,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 25 states. She is a result-oriented leader with a strong commitment to inclusive leadership and addressing systemic factors that contribute to inequities.
Ms. Chastang has over 20 years of leadership experience in diverse sectors including academic medicine, state government and non-profit organizations. Having served in those sectors have developed her into a strategic thinker, flexible leader and genuine influencer. She works with senior leaders across various industries to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that support the diversification of the workforce, increase employee engagement, improve patient outcomes, and create an inclusive culture. Ms. Chastang holds a master of social work degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of science degree from Michigan State University. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Plymouth Canton Community School District, SafeHouse Center and The C.L.A.S.S Agency.
Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores, S.T.D.
Bishop of Brownsville, Texas
Chair, Committee on Doctrine
USCCB
Bishop Daniel Flores is bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville since being appointed in 2009. He studied at the University of Dallas, and Holy Trinity Seminary, completing a bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy and a masters of divinity. In 1988 he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. He completed work on doctoral dissertation in sacred theology at the Angelicum in 2000. In 2006, he was appointed and ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit. Presently, Bishop Flores serves as a committee member on several USCCB Committees as well as chair of the Doctrine Committee.
Dennis Gonzales, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Mission Innovation and Integration
Catholic Health Association
Dennis Gonzales, Ph.D., is senior director of mission innovation and integration at the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). Based in CHA’s St. Louis office, Dr. Gonzales oversees the design and production of numerous CHA programs, meetings and member convenings in addition to the development of formation and mission resources for use across the Catholic health ministry.
Most recently, he served as the regional vice president for mission integration at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System and The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Initially joining CHRISTUS Health in 2008 as a quality and performance improvement facilitator, he soon moved to director of the organizational development department, and then vice president for mission and spirituality at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Health System in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr. Gonzales is a graduate of the prestigious CHRISTUS Leadership & Ethics Academy, which recognizes and prepares promising leaders for the future of the Catholic health ministry.
Prior to joining CHRISTUS Health, he served as associate dean for academics at a small, private university where courses in health care administration, computer technology, business and general education were offered. He has also served as a regional director and senior consultant for a multi-site medical case management company based in Southern California. A former De La Salle Christian Brother, he was a high school instructor of ethics, theology, church history, Christian and Hebrew Scriptures, government and economics.
At CHA he authors bi-monthly columns for CHA’s journal, Health Progress, and is responsible for oversite of CHA’s Mission Leader Advisory Committee, as well as a variety of task forces, seminars and forums sponsored by CHA.
He holds a doctoral degree in organizational development from the University of New Mexico; a master’s degree, earned Magna Cum Laude, from San Diego State University’s Department of Educational Technology, with an emphasis in organizational development; and a bachelor’s degree in political science and education, earned Magna Cum Laude, from Loyola University in New Orleans, with a minor in Spanish. Dr. Gonzales is certified in Conflict Management and Workplace Mediation and is fluent in Spanish.
Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM
President and Chief Executive Officer
Catholic Health Association
Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, is the 10th president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). She assumed the position in July 2019, succeeding Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, upon her retirement.
Sr. Mary leads CHA's mission to support and advance the health ministry of the Catholic Church in the United States with its network of hospitals, long-term care facilities and community health centers that represent the largest group of nonprofit health providers in the nation. She oversees CHA operations at the association's Washington, D.C. and St. Louis offices.
In conjunction with CHA's Board of Trustees, Sr. Mary leads the association's strategic planning and develops initiatives to support CHA member organizations in providing high-quality, accessible health care to people of all ages, races, faith traditions and ethnic groups from conception to natural death.
She also directs CHA's national advocacy initiatives to protect life, promote the well-being of communities, address social determinants and disparities, develop new models of health delivery, protect Medicaid, Medicare and other vital safety net programs, and create a just health system that works for everyone, particularly poor and vulnerable persons. She has overall responsibility for administration and program development in areas of advocacy, mission, sponsorship, ethics, community benefit, leadership development, ministry formation, international outreach, and relationships with bishops and other leaders of the Catholic Church.
Prior to her selection as president and CEO, Sr. Mary served as CHA's vice president of sponsorship and mission services since 2016. In that capacity, she directed critical areas of sponsorship, mission, ethics, leadership development and ministry formation, including development of numerous educational programs, resources and collaborations with member health systems, universities, social service agencies and community groups. From 2009-2016, she served as senior director of sponsor services and initiated CHA's Sponsor Formation Program for Catholic Health Care to prepare members of ministerial juridic persons to carry out their canonical responsibility as stewards of the health ministry of the Catholic Church.
Her previous experience includes serving on the regional leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy, St. Louis and working in areas of health care, social service and education, including service in Belize, Central America, and Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies.
Sr. Mary received her master's degree in business administration in health care from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and a master's degree in social work from Saint Louis University. She has a bachelor's degree in education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. She is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit Institutions of Higher Education.
She is a member of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, an office of the Vaticaan; a member observer of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); a member on the Subcommittee on Health of the USCCB; serves as a participating observer on the board of Catholic Charities USA; and a board member of The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Antonina Olszewski, MSQ
Vice President, Spiritual Care, Mission Integration
Ascension
Antonina Olszewski is vice president of spiritual care and mission integration for Ascension. She has worked for Ascension Health (or one of its legacy systems) since 2010. She has held roles as Foundation director, director of community health, director of mission integration, and director of spiritual services prior to her current position. She sits on the ABIDE Collaborative Team which is working to integrate a comprehensive national Diversity, Equality and Equity strategy throughout Ascension and the communities in which it operates.
Prior to her transition to Catholic health care, she was the program coordinator for the Women Wellness program at the Marshfield Clinic. She has a history of working in the financial industry in both Europe and the United States and has taught as an adjunct professor for colleges in both Austria and Germany.
Ms. Olszewski has served on various national committees for both the Association for Community Health Improvement (ACHI) and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). She has participated as a member on numerous community boards including the United Way, the American Cancer Society, the Community Center of Hope, the Rural Health Initiative, and the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership. Her involvement with children has included work with the Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin, where she joined the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors in 2020. She has also supported Healthy Marathon County and Blessings in a Backpack. She is most proud of her work with victims of human trafficking and domestic and sexual assault through her participation on the Board of Directors for The Women's Community — where she was past president — and her participation in the development of the human trafficking training modules used nationally throughout Ascension.
Ms. Olszewski was raised on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas prior to moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended Boston University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and Marion University. She holds a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry, genetics and history, and a master of science degree in organizational leadership and quality with an emphasis on Servant Leadership. Additionally, she holds multiple Executive Certificates from the University of Wisconsin Madison Graduate School of Business and Cornell University, and she carries a diploma as a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Jorge Perez, MBA, MA
President and CEO
YMCA of Greater Cincinnati
Jorge Perez serves as the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. His experience includes 30 years of providing effective leadership to health and social development programs. He is a sought after speaker, thought leader and board member, deeply versed in the challenges and opportunities of the nonprofit field.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education (Calvary Bible College), and two Masters Degrees: Christian education (Dallas Theological Seminary) and business administration (University of Dallas). Mr. Perez also serves as a certified facilitator of the LivingUNDIVIDED experience through the Courageous Love organization.
Heather P. Schmidt, DO
System Medical Director Health Work and Wellness
SSM Health – Greater Fond du Lac Ministry
Dr. Heather Schmidt is a family medicine physician in Fond du Lac, Wisc. She trained at Midwestern University-Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at Exempla/St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2005. She became the medical director of health and wellness at Agnesian HealthCare in 2013 and has transitioned into the role of system medical director of Healthy Work and Well-being for SSM Health in March of 2020. She currently serves on the Healthy Fond du Lac County Steering Committee, the Fond du Lac County Board of Health and as the Medical Advisor for the Fond du Lac County Public Health department. She is a passionate advocate for all things wellness, including improving the way we do our work to improve the health of our employees, clinicians and patients. She continues her medical practice by offering wellness consultations in the Integrative Health Department with a special interest in behavioral health and weight loss.
Arpan Waghray, MD
System Director for Behavioral Medicine
Swedish Health Services
Dr. Arpan Waghray is a geriatric psychiatrist who serves as chief medical officer of behavioral medicine at Providence and Well Being Trust, a foundation dedicated to advancing the mental, social and spiritual health of the nation.
He is the co-chair of the Providence Behavioral Medicine Leadership Council. In this role, he facilitates clinical collaboration across the organization to design, develop and deploy solutions that reduce variation and spread innovation. He oversees the systems tele-behavioral health network that spans across seven states.
Dr. Waghray completed his medical school training in India, a residency at Brookdale University Medical Center in New York and a fellowship at the University of Washington. He later completed a leadership development program through the Washington State Medical Association designed for physician leaders, as well as an executive development program at the Michael G. Foster School of Business. He is the chair of the American Hospital Association’s Behavioral Health Services Council, which helps shape behavioral health advocacy, policy and resource development.
Dr. Waghray has been featured in Seattle Magazine and Seattle Met as one of the area’s top doctors. He is actively involved in community activities, serving on the Sammamish YMCA board as well as the Catholic Health Association’s Well Being Taskforce.
Courtney Walton, MA
Chief Learning Officer
Courageous Love
Courtney Walton is the chief learning officer for Courageous Love, the movement behind the LivingUNDIVIDED and WorkingUNDIVIDED curricula. Ms. Walton was recognized as an influential female leader receiving the Greater Cincinnati YWCA Rising Star Award. She is a part of the Harvard LIFE Convening cohort. She is a TEDx speaker, Social Impact Global Fellow with MovingWorlds, certified Trauma Competent Care trainer and conference speaker.
Ms. Walton received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Elon University, her master's degree in women and gender studies at the University of Cincinnati and she is currently pursuing her doctorate from Northern Kentucky University in Educational Leadership focusing her dissertation research on examining anticipatory and acculturative stress in Black women and understanding how to mitigate the impact of racialized trauma and racial battle fatigue.