2026 SHSMD Leadership Excellence Award Recipients

Lisa Crockett, MBA, DBA, was Vice President, System Strategy & Planning at Providence, the third largest health system in the United States. Lisa passed away on Nov. 25, 2025, after a long career in health care strategy and years of dedication and service to SHSMD. She was at Providence for 25 years, serving in progressive leadership roles with the latest having Lisa lead the development of the system-wide strategic plan and metrics, certificate of need efforts, and other strategic thought leadership and development priorities.

During her career, Lisa earned more than a dozen national and international honors for her work, as well as other accolades within Providence. She served on the SHSMD Advisory Board and several other volunteer committees. She was also a recipient of the 2016 SHSMD Rising Star Award.

Lisa earned a master’s degree in business administration from Norwich University and a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool. She served on the Norwich University Board of Fellows – College of Graduate & Continuing Studies and the Norwich University Partridge Society Board of Directors.

Suzanne Bharati Hendery has more than 30 years of experience as a healthcare executive specializing in listening to and engaging key stakeholders to create engaging communications plans and exceptional experiences that delight customers and transform organizations. She is a nationally recognized leader in successfully implementing teams focused on customer-centered, enterprise-wide digital and branding campaigns to build preference, loyalty and drive revenue and growth.

Suzanne’s extensive career includes ascending marketing positions – over a 26 year span at Baystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she began as an entry level marketing associate and finished as vice president of marketing and public affairs, to ten years as Chief Marketing, Communications and Customer Officer at Renown Health in Reno, Nevada.

Suzanne is a guest lecturer at Harvard University, A.P.R. Accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, and served two terms on the SHSMD Advisory Board, along with several other volunteer roles. She was selected as “Marketing Person of the Year” by the Healthcare and IT Marketing Community and is a member of the editorial advisory board of Strategic Health Care Marketing. Suzanne and her teams have won numerous international and national awards for their outstanding contributions and best practices in healthcare marketing, branding, patient experience and community engagement programs.

Suzanne earned a master’s degree in marketing communications from the University of Connecticut.
 

Holly A. Sullivan is an accomplished healthcare executive known for translating strategy into measurable organizational impact. As Corewell Health’s Senior Vice President of Brand, Communications, Marketing and Consumer Experience, she is guided by the belief that a brand is more than a logo or marketing campaign; it’s a promise that must be consistently delivered through every interaction with patients, team members and communities. She has played a central role in aligning culture, communications and experience to advance Corewell Health’s commitment to making health better.
Holly uses her 25-plus years of leadership experience in healthcare strategy, business development, marketing, finance, consulting and organizational transformation to connect vision with execution and align stakeholders around common goals. She is recognized for enterprise strategies that strengthen reputation, deepen loyalty, enhance experience and support growth. She leads with integrity, empathy and collaboration that empowers teams to do their best work and achieve meaningful results.
Holly served two terms on the SHSMD Advisory Board.