Barbara Kennedy

Chief Executive Officer at Laguna Treatment Hospital

Barbara Kennedy, MHA, FACHE, LSSGB, has an unwavering and long-standing commitment to improving the health status of diverse communities and of those during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. Barbara has more than 25 years of successful senior healthcare leadership experience, which includes serving as President and CEO of Kennedy Health Strategies Group, providing consulting services to health care systems and as President and CEO of both North County Health Services in San Diego and Northern Arizona Healthcare. Barbara also serves as an Advisory Board Member of Virtual Me, a telehealth start-up company. Further, she has a long history of healthcare advocacy at the state and federal level, focusing on the mental healthcare, the underserved, and the medically vulnerable. Barbara is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona in Accounting and Finance and her Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from California College of Health Sciences in San Diego. She also served as an adjunct professor of health sciences at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon and is the author of numerous healthcare articles and has engaged in speaking engagements across the country under her former name of Barbara Dember. Kennedy also holds a certification as a Lean Six-Sigma Green Belt.Read More