UM BWMC's Executive Team

Kathleen McCollum
President and Chief Executive Officer

Ms. McCollum serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC), a member of the University of Maryland Medical System.  She started her career at the University of Maryland Medical Center in strategic planning.  She then joined UM BWMC as Vice President and Executive Director of the Tate Cancer Center, an affiliate of the UM Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center.  She was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Integration, with oversight for operations, nursing, local HR and strategic planning.

Ms. McCollum holds a bachelor's degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Health Science degree in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. A resident of Anne Arundel County, Ms. McCollum is active in the community, having served on boards or volunteered for several community organizations, including Hospice of the Chesapeake, Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation, BWI Business Partnership and Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

 

Kathy Burk
Vice President and Executive Director of the BWMC Foundation

Kathy Burk is Vice President/Executive Director of the Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation, where she leads philanthropic and community awareness efforts to support the mission of UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center. She is responsible for both the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the Foundation. Kathy joined UM BWMC in 2017, with more than 25 years of experience in the fundraising, business development, and marketing fields. Before joining UM BWMC, she held chapter senior leadership and development positions for two national non-profit health care organizations, and served as a consultant providing marketing, business development, and event planning services for national and local businesses and non-profits.

Active in the community, she serves on the Fort Meade Alliance Board, was a past member of the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run Greater Chesapeake and Touching Lives with Comfort, and volunteers for a variety of non-profit organizations in the region. She is a 2018 recipient of the YWCA TWIN Award. Kathy holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications/Public Relations from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, and resides in Annapolis, MD.

 

Diane Croghan
Vice President of Community Engagement and Chief of Staff

Diane Croghan joined UM BWMC in 2021 as the Vice President of Community Engagement and Chief of Staff. She is an experienced strategic advisor, having held senior positions in multiple branches of government. Most recently Ms. Croghan served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing and managing the human services portfolio of state executive departments. She also served as a key strategic adviser and statewide operational leader for the State of Maryland's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining the Hogan Administration, Ms. Croghan served as Chief of Staff to the Anne Arundel County Executive from 2014 – 2018 where she managed County government and was a senior advisor to the County Executive. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions in both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly, designing and implementing legislative initiatives and strategies with the goal of advancing caucus priorities. Ms. Croghan serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Annapolis and Anne Arundel YWCA, and on the Board of Directors for RISE for Autism, and the External Advisory Board for the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland College Park.

 

Kristin Feliciano
Sr. Vice President, Strategy

Kristin Feliciano joined UM BWMC as Senior Vice President of Strategy in 2022. She is a healthcare strategist, business development and operations leader who designs and executes comprehensive, future-focused strategic initiatives. Kristin most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer at Holy Cross Health, a member of Trinity Health, in Montgomery County, Maryland where she was the accountable executive and responsible leader for the development, monitoring and execution of the Health System strategic priorities, including long-range planning, new business development, programmatic alignment, analytics, and physician and consumer engagement. Kristin spent over a decade at University of Maryland Medical Center where she had the opportunity to work across many clinical services areas and partner with leaders at the School of Medicine and other UMMS member organizations, focusing on growth and clinical program development. 

Kristin received her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University and obtained her Master of Healthcare Administration degree in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She most recently served on the Finance Committee of the board for Nexus Montgomery and previously served on the section for Maternal and Child Health Board of the American Hospital Association.

 

Deborah Hall, MSN, MBA, RN, CCNS, FACHE
Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety

Ms. Hall received her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Monmouth University, a Master's in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care from Widener University and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Eastern University. She holds a national advanced practice certification through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Acute and Critical Care for the Adult and a Fellowship of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Ms. Hall came to UM BWMC in 2014 and served as director of acute care nursing. She was named Vice President in 2016. She provides direction for the following programs: the Care Management Program - to ensure appropriate utilization of resources consistent with the highest quality patient care; the Performance Improvement Program - to continually improve patient care; the Infection Prevention Program - to provide a safe and healthy environment for patients, staff, and visitors; and, the Patient Safety Program – to deliver safe patient care.

 

Jason Heavner, MD, FCCP 
Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Heavner serves as Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer of UM BWMC, where he is responsible for UM Baltimore Washington Medical Group, Medical Staff Services, medical and graduate medical education and research oversight. He is a practicing pulmonologist and critical care physician at UM BWMC.

After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Heavner completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital followed by a fellowship in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at Yale University. He remained on faculty at the Yale School of Medicine until joining the team at UM BWMC in 2016. Prior to becoming the Associate Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Heavner served as the Chair of the Pulmonary & Critical Care department, Associate Chair of Medicine and the Medical Director of Quality at UM BWMC. He has received certification in Lean Healthcare from the University of Michigan College of Engineering Integrative Systems and Design, and he has been elected as a Fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians.

 

David Hunt, RN, MSN, MBA 
Sr. Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer

Mr. Hunt joined UM BWMC in 2020. Mr. Hunt previously served as Vice President for Patient Access and Emergency Services at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). During his 12 year tenure at UMMC, he led the creation, design and opening of the new University of Maryland Urgent Care Center as well as served as the Interim Chief Nursing Officer at UMMC Midtown Campus. Prior to his role with the University of Maryland Medical Center, he served as the Peri-operative Safety Officer and clinical nurse at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Mr. Hunt is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, receiving his bachelor and master's degree from the School of Nursing and his MBA from the Carey Business School.

 

Brian Lynch
Vice President, Human Resources

Mr. Lynch joined UM BWMC as Vice President of Human Resources in 2018. Prior to this, Mr. Lynch served as the Director of Human Resources for Bon Secours Health System, Inc. In this role, he served as the strategic human resources leader responsible for helping the organization achieve its strategic and operational objectives. He provided strategic leadership and served as an internal consultant to executive and line management and was responsible for human resources operations and employee occupational health services. Mr. Lynch has over 20 years of progressive human resources experience in employee and labor relations, leadership development, staffing, talent management, compensation, compliance, benefits and organizational development.

Mr. Lynch earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Ohio University where he majored in Human Resources Management. He also obtained a Master's degree in Organizational Development from Capella University.

 

Brett McCone
Sr. Vice President, Finance 

Brett McCone joined UM BWMC as the Senior Vice President, Finance in 2024. Brett has extensive experience in health care financial management, reimbursement, health policy and advocacy, Prior to joining UM BWMC, he spent nine years at the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA), serving as the Senior Vice President, Health Care Payment. In this capacity, Brett led MHA’s financial advocacy work before the Health Services Cost Review Commission and addressed important issues before the Maryland Health Care Commission, the Maryland Department of Health, and the Maryland General Assembly. Prior to joining MHA, Brett was a managing director in KPMG LLP’s Healthcare Advisory Services practice. At KPMG, Brett led major consulting engagements with some of the largest health care providers in the mid-Atlantic.

Brett holds a bachelor's degree and a Master of Health Science degree in Health Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University, previously serving on the governing body of the University’s Alumni Association. A long-time member of the Health Care Financial Management Association, he is regional executive for 2023-2024 and was previously the Maryland Chapter President. Brett serves as the committee secretary for Boy Scout Troop 450 in Severna Park and is an active member at Severna Park United Methodist Church. 

Rebecca Paesch
Vice President, Physician Services

Ms. Paesch joined UM BWMC in 1997. Prior to assuming her role as Vice President, she served as Senior Director of Business Development and Physician Enterprise. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Salisbury University and obtained her Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration from University of Maryland University College. She has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry.

Ms. Paesch has an extensive background in physician recruitment, relations and retention; practice management oversight; and business development. She is a member of the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management and the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.

 

Neel Vibhakar, MD, MBA, FACEP
Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer