EP. 6 Have a strategy when you’re the only woman at the big boys’ table. You deserve to be there, and you deserve to be heard.
Laurie McGraw is speaking with Inspiring Woman Joanne Burns an accomplished C suite executive and board member. She didn’t get where she is today by being silent, and when she talks, she has something she wants to say.
Joanne Burns is a Board and C-suite healthcare, business, and technology leader with strategic, operational and governance experience at companies ranging from Fortune 500 to early-stage start-ups.
Joanne’s leadership roles include Corporate Director, Committee Chair, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Information Officer. Director experience includes Chair of Compensation Committee and Member of Audit and Finance Committees. Operational experience includes launching start-up businesses, building executive and operational teams, turning around struggling business lines, defining and executing processes for market entry and exit, and reviewing/approving acquisition and divestiture targets. A seasoned operator with unique ability to define strategy, linking mission to outcomes through clearly defined plan and execution.
An experienced board professional, Joanne currently serves as a Corporate Director of ATI Physical Therapy (Audit, Compensation), a $600M PE-backed Physical Therapy Services company going public in June 2021; Corporate Director of Availity (Compensation [Chair], Finance), a $300M, PE-backed healthcare technology company; Chair of the Board for SNOMED, an international, not-for-profit healthcare standards organization; Corporate Director of Innara Health, a Series A funded health care device start-up; and Advisory Board member for the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering at Purdue University.
Former Chief Strategy Officer for Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq: CERN). Worked with Cerner’s CEO, defining corporate strategy and plans. Served as internal consultant to operations and business units to bring operational, technical and industry expertise improving execution, delivery and growth plans. Assumed operational responsibility to turnaround struggling $200M P&L securing additional $500M bookings, while reducing expense resulting in 52% operating margin in 18 months.
Led a public/private joint venture between Cerner and the University of Missouri. As Chief Information Officer of MU Health Care had responsibility for strategic direction and operational execution for information technology including cybersecurity. As Executive Director of the Tiger Institute responsible for joint venture startup focused on new product development. Brought several new products to market, managing through the product lifecycle resulting in divestiture, ongoing ownership or market exit.
As a Corporate Director, provide guidance and governance to the executive team. Serve as a mentor to CEOs; recognized for approachability and ability to navigate challenges and propose innovative solutions. Lend expertise where needed outside of standing Board meetings.
Joanne is recognized as a leader in the healthcare IT industry through authorship, lectures, presentations, and awards including Women to Watch in Health IT 2020, American College of Healthcare Executives Fellowship, HIMSS Fellowship, Most Powerful Women in Health IT, and The Wharton School and Purdue University guest lectures.
Community involvement includes President of the Board of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.
You can follow Joanne Burns on LinkedIn.
Read the transcript here.
