John Spain, Executive Vice President, CHair of the Board
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
John Spain is executive vice president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, where he oversees all the long-term community projects. His department's current projects include master plans for the Baton Rouge lakes and for the Health District, as well as commuter rail between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, improved services for people with autism and rebuilding the inner city. He was managing director of the Powell Group, a private company with radio stations, commercial timber, rice milling and real estate assets. John worked at WBRZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baton Rouge for 23 years. He served in various capacities including investigative reporter, news director and station manager.
charles L. “chuck'“ Spicer, FACHE, Market president
Our Lady of the Lake Health
Charles L. “Chuck” Spicer, Jr., FACHE, joined Our Lady of the Lake as Market President in October 2022. Our Lady of the Lake is sponsored by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a part of its Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Spicer previously served as President and CEO of Oklahoma University Medicine, a health system that encompasses OU Medical Center, The Children’s Hospital, OU Medical Center Edmond and Breast Health Network. Spicer worked at OU Medicine for 17 years, where he also served as CEO of The Children’s Hospital for five years and chief operating officer for OU Medical Center for two years before assuming his role as CEO of the health system. Spicer brings with him close to 30 years of knowledge and experience in the field of healthcare administration and has a deep understanding of the emerging healthcare needs of a flagship medical center as well as a growing outpatient and physician clinic footprint. He has a strong commitment to the areas he serves and has been active in his community, serving on the boards of United Way of Central Oklahoma, Ronald McDonald House and Oklahoma Hospital Association.
Edgardo Tenreiro, President & CEO
Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Edgardo Tenreiro serves as acting CEO for Baton Rouge General/General Health System. As BRG’s executive vice president and COO for six years, Tenreiro managed all clinical, physician relations, finance and quality management for the two-hospital system. During his tenure at BRG, Tenreiro has implemented major initiatives such as Lean Six Sigma, Quality Improvement, balanced scorecard, talent management, labor productivity, antibiotic stewardship, palliative care, geriatric psychiatry, pediatric urgent care, breast center, cardiology tower, an operating room expansion, a hybrid suite, robotic surgery and a 64-bed expansion. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Notre Dame
Steven Udvarhelyi, MD, President & CEO
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Dr. Steven Udvarhelyi joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana as president and chief executive officer in 2016. He is a board-certified internist and has more than 25 years of experience in the health insurance industry. Before joining Blue Cross, he was worked for Independence Blue Cross (IBC) in Philadelphia for almost 20 years, most recently serving as executive vice president, health services and chief strategy officer. He earned an A.B. degree from Harvard College, an M.D. degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Master of Science degree in Health Services Administration from the Harvard School of Public Health. His board service includes the Devereux Foundation, NaviNet, Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and Tandigm Health, NCQA and America’s Health Insurance Plans.
jonas fontenot, phd, mba, ceo
mary bird perkins cancer center
Dr. Jonas Fontenot is at the helm of Louisiana’s premier oncology organization, focusing 100 percent on cancer care. Having previously served as Mary Bird Perkins’ chief operating officer and Dr. Charles M. Smith chief of physics, Dr. Fontenot seamlessly blends his mastery of medical physics with his extensive business and corporate management acumen to advance the organization’s mission to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer. Dr. Fontenot provides invaluable leadership in guiding the organization through increased expansion across Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi, launching innovative partnerships and ushering in leading-edge expertise and technology.
Chuck Daigle, ceo
ochsner Baton Rouge and Ochsner CHRISTUS health centers, lake charles
Chuck is responsible for overseeing the healthcare delivery system in the Baton Rouge region and coordinating activities with CHRISTUS in Lake Charles. His operational responsibility includes Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge, Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove, Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge and numerous health centers throughout the region. Chuck has administrative responsibility for partner relationships, including Louisiana Women's Healthcare. Chuck brings more than 27 years of experience in healthcare management and health insurance, including roles as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Willis Knighton Health System in Shreveport, and as vice president of management and professional services at Our Lake of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Chuck earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees of business administration from LSU.
John Kirwan, PhD, Executive Director
LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Dr. John Kirwan joined Pennington Biomedical on January 1, 2018, and has nearly 30 years of research, teaching and service experience in diabetes and obesity. He most recently served as the Director of the Metabolic Translational Research Center and professor of molecular medicine at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition, he is a professor of physiology and nutrition at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. Dr. Kirwan has won two National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards during his career, the National Research Training Award (1989) and the National Research Service FIRST Award (1995). He is an active member of the American Diabetes Association, the Obesity Society, and the American College of Sports Medicine.
RENE RAGAS, President and CEO
Woman's Hospital
Rene Ragas is a Louisiana native with more than two decades of experience as a healthcare executive in the Baton Rouge area and surrounding regions. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he previously served as Northshore Market President for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL) Health System. Additionally, he had executive oversight of Our Lady of the Angels Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital, and Our Lady of the Lake Pontchartrain Surgery Center, and provided oversight to a network of more than 60 primary care and specialty physicians in the Northshore region. Ragas earned a degree in biology from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1996 prior to completing a master’s degree in healthcare administration at Tulane University in 2000. He serves on the Board of Directors of Louisiana Hospital Association and Baton Rouge Area Chamber. He is a graduate of Leadership Baton Rouge and Leadership Louisiana, and actively volunteers with the Louisiana Special Olympics.