Alumni/ae Spotlight

Michelle Hereford, RN, FACHE (MSHA ‘02)
Chief Executive Officer, Kindred Hospital Richmond

Mrs. Michelle Hereford serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Kindred Hospital Richmond.  As the CEO of this new facility, Mrs. Hereford’s initial responsibilities included completing the construction of the building,  recruiting the leadership and medical staff team, and developing an organizational structure.  Her responsibilities also include planning, managing, directing, coordinating and controlling the overall operation of this Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH).  Prior to joining Kindred, she served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital.  Mrs. Hereford improved quality performance measures, patient satisfaction scores, turnover rates, employee satisfaction scores as well as implemented a Magnet Shared Governance Structure.

Prior to joining the Bon Secours team, Mrs. Hereford worked within the Sentara Healthcare System for ten years.  In this organization she served in various roles including the Director of Cardiovascular Services at Sentara Careplex Hospital; Cardiopulmonary Manager and Protocol Coordinator at Sentara Hampton General Hospital; and Registered Nurse/Charge Nurse at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.  Prior to beginning her health services career as a Williamsburg Community Hospital Registered Nurse, Mrs. Hereford performed as a legal secretary and paralegal in her home state of New York.

Mrs. Hereford is a Diploma graduate from the Riverside School of Professional Nursing.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from the Medical College of Virginia and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She is a wife of 18 years and the mother of 2 children.  In her spare time, she enjoys a leisure jog, reading, watching sports, and spending time with her family.  Mrs. Hereford is a member of several professional organizations such as American College of Healthcare Executives, Jack & Jill of America, National Association of Health Services Executives, National Black Nurses Association, Urban League/Young Professionals, Virginia Nurses Association, and the Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives.  Some of her accomplishments include the 2006 Regent’s Early Healthcare Executive Award and the founding Virginia Chapter President of the National Association of Health Service Executives.

Her advice to current students --- “Consider every experience, position held, and interaction to be an opportunity to learn and grow.  One would be amazed how my roles as a secretary and a paralegal have helped me serve in various roles within the healthcare field.”