CEO Search Committee, Candidate Interviews

Health

Friday, Sept. 27, 2024
12:00 p.m. — 5:30 p.m. EDT

Remote

In this 5+ HOUR MEETING, DWIHN’s CEO Search Committee will interview 7 applicants for the position. Each gets a half hour to interview. Please don’t apply unless you can stay through the entire meeting, from noon to around 5:30 p.m.

View the AGENDA

Join meeting on Zoom:
https://dwihn-org.zoom.us/j/85887744582?pwd=lF08Fx1fDdti0zi4KNDixt0wZXDFda.1

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team

Note-taking by Sonja Stuckey

View notes

Live reporting by Clarissa Williams

Committee members found it tough to choose from the 6 candidates for DWIHN’s CEO, but unanimously selected Michael Hunter and James White as the top 2. Final interviews are tentatively set for Oct. 14, after which the committee will recommend 1 candidate to the full DWIHN board.

Civil Lens @Citizen_C_

Hello fellow citizens, I’ll be live-tweeting today's Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network meeting for #DETdocumenters @DetDocumenters media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @metrotimes @Michigan_Public @media_outlier @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit

10:59 AM Sep 27, 2024 CDT

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This meeting will be the CEO search committee performing candidate interviews. The board will be virtually interviewing seven people, each applicant getting thirty minutes.

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Experienced some technical difficulties in the beginning but the meeting has begun. The amount of candidates has been updated to 6 candidates being interviewed today.

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Each of the five committee members will ask each candidate a question. Mr. Hunter is the first to be interviewed and is asked to overview his educational and relevant background

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Mr. Hunter has worked the last two decades within the healthcare field with a concentration on mental health. During his round of questioning he points out how his experience with diverse demographics and data driven communication/care prepares him for this CEO position

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The next candidate, Dockery, has withdrawn from today's process so the board has decided to attempt to shift the slot of another interviewee. Meeting is in recess until 13:00 hours

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Interviews for the Health Network CEO will continue soon and until then we're wishing luck to all the candidates.

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For more information regarding @DetroitWayneIHN (Integrated Health Network) dwihn.org/about-us

dwihn.org/about-us

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The next prospective, Mr. White, is asked about his experience with diverse groups and how he'd better the network. He notes his experience in the police department and visiting different neighborhoods. He also discusses his efforts to earn trust and being task-oriented

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Candidate James White concludes his questioning by mentioning his success with the Detroit Police Department and his passion for mental health advocacy.

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That was the second candidate to interview following Cathy Dockery's withdrawal and the first interview with Michael Hunter.

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Up next to be met is Lori Sumner. She is a registered nurse who is currently halfway through her doctorate program at Madonna University. Sumner is joining the call from her volunteer position at an eastern Detroit high school.

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Sumner has extensive experience in healthcare and as a nursing supervisor. She has overseen large hospital teams, and worked in acute behavioral health with @HenryFordHealth and other health systems throughout Wayne county. She volunteers often and does community outreach.

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The next to be interviewed is Liz Knisley (surname pronounced: nice-lee). She is an experienced executive with a concentration in health services administration and public policy. She has directed bureaus and been CEO of a hospital.

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Knisley mentions the importance she places on crisis management services, autism and focusing on the changing polices of public health services. She also states she leads with an open-door policy and always views patients as stakeholders and listens closely to the community.

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After a brief pause, the board continues by introducing candidate William Ward. It is mentioned by a board member that he previously worked with DWIHN. Mr. Ward has worked with medical protocol and Detroit public housing system. He has experience in managing staff and relations

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Candidate William Ward is currently executive director for the Kent county mental health authority. When asked about the most important factors of a health system he notes it revolves around delivering quality access to care and secured funding for outreach programs

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Ward also highlights his lengthy career with public systems and speaks of the importance of touch points within communities. For example, placing clinicians at public housing offices to assist citizens. He also believes in optimizing crisis continuum and centers.

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Our final interview is with Brooke Blackwell. A current member of the @DetroitWayneIHN team for the past twelve years. She holds a Masters degree in organizational management and has a passion for behavioral health care and ensuring ease of access.

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Blackwell addresses the crisis of access to care, or lack thereof. She stresses the importance of banding together before the tragedy and joining forces with legislators and schools to ensure information is available to all and youth are being served well.

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Final candidate, Blackwell, expresses a deep care for the citizens and the work done by DWIHN and hopes to help it evolve. When asked about expected challenges she shows concern for the unhoused in approaching weather and staffing shortages within the network.

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Current board members are asked to announce their top two recommendations. All board members state their chosen candidates to be the first two seen: Michael Hunter and James White. Without stated justification

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Besides the chairwomen who mentions she almost chose W. Ward but she chose J. White because he has experience leading large groups. Though it is noted that all candidates have experience with heading large teams and systems.

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During debrief the board is supposed to discuss the interviews and decisions. However, partly through the Zoom broadcast was paused yet the conversations continued so there is about ten minutes of the meeting the public was unable to hear.

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Once the virtual meeting sound returned a member was mid-phrase and the discussion has turnt to submitted further questions for the next round of interviews.

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For the next set of interviews the board is allowing stakeholders and staff to submit questions for the candidates.

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The board has nothing else to cover, as stated. So the floor is open to public comment. Members of the public can address the board for two minutes.

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The only public comment was pre-submitted by F. Clark an employee of Southwest Solutions (@SWSolDetroit) she asked the board, regarding the health network's outreach programs and processes, what will be the biggest enhancements, while taking into account current staff shortages.

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Chairwoman Taueg suggests the question be passed along to Mr. Jody Connally at another time and says they will not answer that question at this moment.

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There are no other public comments so the board quickly adjourns just before 16:30.

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This concludes my coverage of the CEO search committee of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network meeting. The next meeting is to be announced. For more meeting coverage visit Documenters.org

Documenters.org

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If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line. Thanks fellow citizens!

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Transcript and recording

By Noah Kincade 9/27/2024

Agency Information

Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network

www.dwihn.org

(313) 833-2500

See Documenters reporting

“The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network is compassionate and committed to the 75,000 children and adults it serves in Detroit and Wayne County. We understand the immense responsibility we have been given and we go above and beyond in supporting the people we serve and the hundreds of Providers in our System of Care. Our Provider Network supports and serves individuals with serious mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, people with autism, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those with substance use disorder. We are Here to Talk. Here to Help.”