(Syracuse, NY – May 2014) M. Kate Rolf, MBA, CHCE, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, VNA Homecare, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare executives.
“The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and chief executive officer of AHCE. “By becoming an AHCE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders demonstrate a commitment to excellence in serving their patients and their community.”
Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development, and only 9,100 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development, and undergo recertification every three years.
With more than 15 years of leadership experience, Rolf was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of VNA Homecare in 2011. She holds a New York State Nursing Home Administrator License as well as a Home Care Executive Certification (CHCE). She is also an active member of several community organizations, including the Board of Directors of the Home Care Association of New York State, where she currently serves as treasurer, and the Medicaid Redesign Team’s Managed Long Term Care Plan Work Group.
Prior to joining VNA Homecare, Rolf served as Executive Director of Home Care Services at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica, New York.
“To achieve this status is an accomplishment and an honor,” Rolf said. “I am privileged to use the FACHE designation, and I look forward to working with my FACHE peers to improve health care in our community.”