Oklahoma Hospital Association Names Patti Davis as President

The Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) board of directors has named Patti Davis president, effective Sept. 5. Davis replaces Craig W. Jones, who will retire Aug. 31 after 21 years leading OHA. Davis is only the fourth executive to lead the organization in its 99-year history.
We are excited about the selection of Patti to lead the OHA as we enter our 100th year of the association,” said David Whitaker, FACHE, OHA board chairman, chief administrative officer, Mercy-West Community. “Her experience in both small, rural hospitals and large, urban medical centers, as well as her past experience on the OHA staff will be a tremendous asset as we continue our important work strengthening hospitals across the state.”
Jimmy Leopard, FACHE, chair of the search committee and CEO, Wagoner Community Hospital, said “After an extensive nationwide search, Patti emerged as the best possible candidate to lead the organization. As both an OHA member and as OHA staff, Patti has been instrumental in a number of key OHA advocacy initiatives and we look forward to working with her as hospitals in Oklahoma face many challenges.”
“I am humbled to be selected for this position and I’m ready to get to work taking on the important role of leading the association into our next 100 years,” Davis said. “Every day, Oklahomans depend on our members’ services, and we must work to ensure the highest quality care is available to those who need it.”
Davis comes to OHA from OU Medicine, where she has served as senior vice president of external affairs, and prior to that, senior vice president of strategy and business development since 2013. She was executive vice president at the Oklahoma Hospital Association from 2001 to 2013, where she coordinated operations and special projects and led advocacy efforts on state and federal issues. She was OHA vice president, government relations from 1996 to 2001.
Before joining the OHA staff in 1996, Davis was CEO of Carnegie Tri-County Municipal Hospital. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Davis will complete her Master of Legal Studies in Healthcare Law degree at OU this fall.
While in Carnegie, Davis served as chairman of the OHA board of directors and received the association’s highest award, the W. Cleveland Rodgers Distinguished Service Award. She has also served on the Rural Health Association of Oklahoma board, the Medical Advisory Committee of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and the Trauma Advisory Council for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Davis is a resident of Norman, Okla.