Garrett Arneson, MHS, BSN, RN, NHA, FACHE

CEO of Acuity Hospital of Southern New Jersey

Garrett Arneson is a successful Senior Healthcare Operations Executive with over 20 years’ experience as a CEO. He is currently the CEO of a specialty hospital in Southern New Jersey. Garrett’s leadership focus in his career has been primarily in small, specialty hospitals which allow him to utilize his Nursing background while maintaining expertise in a variety of leadership areas. He has held hospital CEO positions in Colorado and Pennsylvania in both LTACH and Bariatric Surgical Acute Care Hospitals. He has an extensive background in general hospital management, governing board leadership, medical staff recruitment and development, quality and compliance, financial success, customer satisfaction and patient engagement. Garrett actively engages in lifelong learning and recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Compliance from the George Washington University, Washington, DC. He also possesses a Masters Degree in Health Systems from the University of Denver and a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from South Dakota State University. He is a Fellow in the American College of HealthCare Executives.

Connie Cowley

Vice President Quality Services, Inpatient Rehabilitation Division, Select Medical

Connie Cowley, DNP, RN, CPHQ, NE-BC, is the Vice President of Quality Services, Rehabilitation Division at Select Medical with a clinical background in pediatric ortho/neuro rehabilitation, and extensive experience in quality improvement (QI), clinical operations, education, and program implementation.

Connie received her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute for Health Professions. She has a particular interest in the evaluation of training in QI for frontline staff. She is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and a Board Certified Nurse Executive (NE-BC).

Dr. Cowley completed a 2-Year Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Quality Improvement in the Veteran’s Administration Quality Scholars Advanced Fellowship Program (VAQS). As a healthcare quality improvement leader for over 25 years, she has worked to improve quality, safety, outcomes, and patient experience in a wide variety of acute and post-acute settings

Kathleen Peterson

Owner/Director of BrightStar Care Somerset

Ms. Peterson RN,BSN,MSN-Ed has been a nurse for thirty-four years, entering the profession in Arkansas. She holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Master’s Degree in Nursing Education from Seton Hall University. Kathleen believes her nursing education has served as a platform for continued lifelong learning. She has extensive clinical experience across the life continuum in skilled, acute and long term acute care. She has held staff, supervisory, administrative, and educational positions and has been active in spearheading quality improvement initiatives and successful in leading compliance efforts.

Having spent over thirty years as a practicing nurse, she remains passionate about all aspects of her chosen profession, but particularly about upholding an individual’s rights and treating each with dignity and respect, placing their needs, preferences, and wishes at the center of care. Kathleen is an advocate for patient engagement and providing excellent patient experience.

Michelle Miles

CCO/CNO, Dignity Health

A former Navy Nurse and experienced, certified professional in quality (CPHQ), Michelle has excelled in leadership positions for facilities varying in size from small Long Term Acute Care facilities, medium sized for-profit acute care hospitals, large academic medical centers and military health care facilities of all sizes and functions. Having earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing with Master’s degrees in Health Care Administration and Health Studies, she is currently working towards a Doctorate in Health Administration.

Michelle has strong leadership, analytical, project management and presentation skills. Michelle’s strong quality background encompasses focus on patient experience, ongoing readiness with regulatory and survey preparedness and response, and facilitation of performance improvement teams using Lean/Six Sigma principles.