Sloan Women in Healthcare Leadership Symposium

Nancy M. Schlichting is retired Chief Executive Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), a nationally recognized $5 billion health care organization with 27,000 employees and recipient of the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  She is credited with leading the health system through a dramatic financial turnaround and for award-winning patient safety, customer service and diversity initiatives.

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Schlichting joined HFHS in 1998 and was named President and CEO of the System in 2003.  Retiring in 2017, her career in health care administration spans over 35 years of experience in senior level executive positions.

Schlichting serves on several national and community boards including The Kresge Foundation, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Duke University Health System, and Ardent Health Services.  Nancy is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the International Women’s Forum.  In June, 2015, Schlichting was appointed by President Obama to chair the Commission on Care, tasked to examine veterans’ access to Department of Veterans Affairs health care and to examine how best to organize the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and deliver health care to veterans during the next 20 years.   The Commission Report was completed in July, 2016 and Nancy testified before both the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs in September, 2016.

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Among the many awards received, Schlichting was honored as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine, as well as named to the Top 25 Women in Healthcare.  

 

Author of the acclaimed book, Unconventional Leadership, Schlichting is a highly regarded expert and accomplished speaker on strategic leadership, quality, cultural transformation, community engagement, innovation, and diversity.

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Schlichting received her A.B. in Public Policy Studies, Magna Cum Laude from Duke University and her M.B.A. from Cornell University.  She has also been the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees from Walsh College, Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan University.