AUPHA’s President & Chief Executive Officer Lydia Middleton announced that she will be stepping down from her post after 9 years leading the organization. Since joining AUPHA in 1996, Lydia has served as its Director of Development, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and finally CEO. She also served for 2 years as the VP & COO of ACEHSA, the predecessor to the Commission on Education of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). Lydia was named by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 most powerful people in healthcare in 2004.
Since joining AUPHA, Lydia has played a major role in transforming AUPHA from a consortium of program directors into a global collaboration of faculty and program leaders engaged in preparing the best and brightest talent for the field of healthcare management. Since taking over the leadership role in 2004, Lydia and her extraordinary staff have grown AUPHA membership as well as revenue by more than 50%. Under her leadership the Association has launched several cutting edge initiatives such as the centralized application service (HAMPCAS), a program benchmarking platform (BEHM), and an online network of more than 2,000 faculty and program leaders sharing ideas and tools to improve healthcare management education.
Prior to joining AUPHA, Lydia was a development professional with the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross. In that role she worked with local chapters to develop fundraising capacity, trained Boards in non-profit governance, and supported fundraising efforts during major disasters. She has also worked with the Academy for Educational Development in Washington where she supported international development projects in Latin America and Africa.
In announcing Lydia's decision, Sharon Schweikhart, chair of the AUPHA board said, "As a board member, I can attest to the many ways that health administration programs across the country have benefitted by Lydia’s energetic and strategic leadership of AUPHA. I know that Lydia’s inviting personal style has expanded the base of faculty who participate in AUPHA programs."
Steve Loebs, former Board Chair and long-time member of AUPHA said, “Lydia has had a super run at AUPHA throughout her work with undergraduate and graduate programs. She has created a huge legacy through her leadership and personal warmth to make AUPHA more accessible and transparent. She deserves the thunderous applause and appreciation which she surely will receive.”
Bill Dwyer, formerly of Abbbott Laboratories and now an idependent consultant and member of the AUPHA Foundation Board said, “She brought consistency and stability to the Association at a time of intense turbulence.”
“The shoes that she will leave to be filled are ginormous," said Dennis Shea, Department Head at Pennsylvania Sate University. "Having seen AUPHA pre-Lydia and post-Lydia, I can attest to the enormous difference you have made in helping all of us make this a stronger group--better able to teach our students and improve our field. As a department head, I know that the "herding cats" metaphor doesn't even begin to capture the complexity of getting faculty to work together. To watch her do such a task at a distance with few resources save her own skill and talent has been a real lesson in leadership. I hope we can find someone with just a smidgen of those skills and talents."
Lydia believes she, “will be leaving AUPHA at a time when it is on an upward trajectory with tremendous potential for continued impact and influence in the field. I have every confidence that AUPHA will continue to grow and thrive under new leadership.”
The Board will be recruiting a successor who will build on the solid foundation that Lydia and her staff have established during her seventeen-year tenure. Over the next month, they will be laying the groundwork for a search for AUPHA’s new CEO. The Board welcomes input from members as they define the requirements and expectations for the next leader of AUPHA. They will be reaching out to the membership to help identify candidates for this critical position. Should you wish to contact the Board directly, their email addresses are available on the AUPHA website.