Health Foundation of South Florida (HFSF) President and CEO Dr. Steven E. Marcus recently announced his plans to retire from the Foundation at the end of 2020.

Dr. Marcus joined HFSF in 2000 and since then has overseen the investment of more than $100 million in initiatives to promote a culture of health for residents in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties—programs and efforts that have helped improve the lives of millions South Floridians.
 
Under Dr. Marcus’ guidance, HFSF became South Florida’s leading voice in health philanthropy. In 2016, he received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/National Recreation and Park Association Award for Health Equity, recognizing individuals who successfully implement a systems-change approach to reduce health disparities in their community. That same year, Miami-Dade County received the Robert Wood John Foundation’s Culture of Health prize, and Dr. Marcus played a key role in helping secure the prestigious designation. In 2008, he led the Foundation’s effort to launch a strategic initiative called Healthy Aging, which helped more than 38,000 older adults age strong, and paved the way for the establishment of the Age-Friendly Miami-Dade collaborative. During his tenure, the Foundation also supported the creation of the Live Healthy Community Partnerships initiative to reduce poor health outcomes in the City of Miami Gardens and in the Little Havana neighborhood by engaging community residents to improve selected public health indicators.
 
Most recently, Dr. Marcus ushered in a series of transformative practices that fundamentally changed the Foundation’s approach to philanthropy: he established a collaborative grant-making process in which community organizations work hand-in-hand with Foundation staff to co-develop initiatives, a move that opens the door for more effective and productive partnerships and supports the development of leaders across communities. In addition, he helped to navigate the Foundation’s strategic shift away from the funding of direct service programs toward seeking to change and directly address the entrenched economic and community conditions at the root of health inequities.
 
Prior to joining HFSF, Dr. Marcus served as Executive Vice President of the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation in Miami Beach. He began his fundraising career as a capital campaign consultant for American City Bureau in Chicago, which is also his hometown. He received his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Georgia in Athens, his Masters in Higher Education Student Personnel Administration from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and a B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia.


Kristi Krueger, anchor and health reporter for WPLG Local 10 News in Miami, was recently appointed to the Alzheimer’s Association Southeast Florida Chapter Board of Directors.

Now in her 27th year at WPLG, Krueger has reported extensively on various public health concerns in her time as a journalist, including Alzheimer’s and dementia. She has received numerous awards for her work, including three Emmy Awards, the National Television Academy Silver Circle Award, and the Deborah Natansohn Award for her contributions to women’s health and wellness, among many other accolades.
 
Krueger, who lost her father to dementia in June, said that the heartbreak her family experienced throughout his decline was a driving factor in her decision to get involved with the Alzheimer’s Association.


Diane Psaras, chief human resources (HR) officer for VITAS Healthcare since October 2018, has been promoted to executive vice president at the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care.

She brings more than 25 years of HR management experience to the role and reports to President and Chief Executive Officer Nick Westfall. During her tenure, Psaras has overseen numerous initiatives focused on continuous improvement and excellence in such areas as talent acquisition and retention, education and training, business partnerships, employee relations, benefits, compensation, payroll and HR information systems.
 
Prior to VITAS, Psaras was chief HR officer for Healogics, Inc., senior vice president of HR at Darden Restaurants and global vice president of HR resources at Avery Dennison. She earned a master’s degree in business administration from Rollins College in Orlando, FL, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration Youngstown State University in Youngstown, OH.
 
She is a member of the HR Policy Association, Society for Human Resource Management, Jacksonville Executive Women’s Leadership Forum, and serves as Executive Board Member for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.


Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute announced that FCS Chief Financial Officer Nathan H. Walcker has been named Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2020. Walcker will succeed current Chief Executive Officer Brad Prechtl, MBA, who will retire from FCS, effective July 30, 2020, but continue to serve as a consultant through April 2021.

Walcker joined FCS in August 2019, bringing more than a decade of healthcare, physician services and corporate finance expertise with him to Fort Myers. During his time at FCS, he’s made significant contributions across finance, strategy and operations.
 
After earning his undergraduate degree in Economics from Columbia University in the City of New York, Walcker started his career on the trading floor at Merrill Lynch in New York. He later received his MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and has since held senior positions as an investment banker focused on M&A and strategic advisory for healthcare clients across the globe.


Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney welcomes Jerry Fedele as of counsel to its Healthcare section. Fedele, a healthcare executive and lawyer who served as president and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital from 2008 to 2019, will work with Buchanan’s healthcare and healthcare-related clients to help bridge the gap between their legal and operational needs.

Fedele began his career as a corporate lawyer and also served as counsel for Bayer Corporation at its Pittsburgh-based U.S. headquarters. He subsequently became general counsel for the West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS). Fedele became WPAHS’s CEO in 2003 and served until 2007. In 2008, he took charge of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital and transformed and expanded its services, introduced graduate medical education, and grew community confidence and revenue from $350 million to $550 million as he led the transformation of the hospital to an academic tertiary regional referral medical center.
 
Fedele holds the positions of Executive in Residence and faculty member at Lynn University and serves on the Board of Visitors at the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and a juris doctor from Duquesne University, where he was class valedictorian.