WellLink and The Healthcare Council Announce Board Appointments
WellLink and its affiliate, The Healthcare Council, today announced board appointments that mark an exciting new chapter, strengthening leadership alignment and accelerating collaboration to advance healthcare innovation and impact and reinforce WellLink’s presence as a national association.
WellLink’s Board of Directors has elected Rolf K. Haarstad, AIA, LEED AP, ACHE, Chair of The Healthcare Council, and Kathleen Chavanu Gorman, MSN, RN, FAAN, Immediate Past Board Chair of The Healthcare Council, to its board of directors. In parallel, The Healthcare Council has elected to its Board of Directors Brian Lane, MSHSM, FACHE, FHIMSS, FACHDM, President and CEO of WellLink and The Healthcare Council, and Jill Dietrich Mellon, JD, FACHE, Chair of the WellLink Board of Directors.
“These appointments underscore the strength of our partnership and the shared values that brought our organizations together,” said Lane. “By welcoming accomplished leaders from The Healthcare Council to the WellLink Board, and by contributing WellLink leadership, including our Board Chair Jill Dietrich Mellon, an exceptional and highly respected healthcare leader, to the Council’s Board, we are deepening collaboration in ways that will benefit hospitals, healthcare organizations, and the communities they serve.”
The reciprocal appointments were unanimously approved by the respective Governance and Nominating Committees of each organization, highlighting the continued evolution of the affiliation and the opportunity to align leadership, strategy, and impact. For members and partners of WellLink and The Healthcare Council, the affiliation and leadership alignment unlock access to an expanded network and enhanced resources, further elevating the value of membership.
WellLink’s Board of Directors supports hospital and healthcare advocacy and collaboration efforts by focusing on initiatives that strengthen healthcare delivery and community well-being. Board members also help guide WellLink’s subsidiaries, WellLink Health Alliance, WellLink Group Purchasing, and WellLink Innovations.
Founded in 1946, The Healthcare Council brings together healthcare providers, educational institutions, and related organizations to foster collaboration and shared problem-solving across the Mid-Atlantic region. Through a collective, regional approach, the Council continues to strengthen the healthcare community and support sustainable, high-quality care.
On Feb. 12, WellLink and The Healthcare Council announced a merger between the two organizations, which brings them together into a single corporate structure under Lane’s leadership and establishes WellLink as a national healthcare association representing over 800 facilities in 10 states. The affiliation also combines the group purchasing organization (GPO) ShareSource, a subsidiary of The Healthcare Council, with WellLink GPO, creating a purchasing collaborative that encompasses more than 32,500 member locations across all 50 states.
Learn more about the value of WellLink Health Alliance membership here and inquire how your organization can save on the goods and services you purchase by joining WellLink GPO.
About the New WellLink Board Members
Rolf K. Haarstad AIA, LEED AP, ACHE is a Partner, Healthcare Practice Leader and Thought Leader for Grace Design Studios. In his role, he continues to build on the firm's substantial portfolio through client development, design and branding. Haarstad brings more than 45 years of experience to his position and has led the design and delivery of major facilities across the Mid-Atlantic region, earning recognition from AIA Maryland, the Baltimore Chapter of AIA, ASLA Maryland, and AIA Minnesota. His work has been featured in publications including Architectural Record, Healthcare Design, and Architecture Minnesota. Haarstad previously served as Chairman of the Board of Western Maryland Health System and, following its 2019 merger with UPMC, as Chairman of UPMC Western Maryland. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the Maryland Hospital Association.
Kathleen Chavanu Gorman, MSN, RN, FAAN is a nationally recognized healthcare executive with a distinguished career advancing patient safety, quality, and clinical operations to improve outcomes for children and families. She most recently served as Executive Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Operating Officer at Children’s National Hospital, following senior leadership roles at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Gorman has served on numerous national boards and committees, including the National Quality Forum, The Leapfrog Group, Children’s Hospital Association, American Hospital Association, the Institute of Medicine, and Virginia State Board of Health. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she currently serves on several boards including The Healthcare Council and ShareSource of the Mid-Atlantic Region as past chair, the The DAISY Foundation, St. Christopher’s Children’s Hospital, and the Advisory Board of the Children’s Hospital’s Neonatal Consortium, and she leads the Models of Care Taskforce for the Academy of Nursing.
About the New Healthcare Council Board Members
Brian Lane, MSHSM, FACHE, FHIMSS, FACHDM, CPHIMS is President and CEO of WellLink and The Healthcare Council. Since joining WellLink in 2019, he has led the development of a new mission, vision, and strategic plan focused on partnership, innovation, and sustainable growth. Under his leadership, WellLink has grown into a national association representing over 800 facilities in 10 states and has earned more than two dozen local and national workforce awards, including Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in 2021 and 2023 and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Health Care in 2024. Lane has more than 30 years of experience across healthcare, technology, consulting, and Fortune 500 organizations and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, HIMSS and ACHDM.
Jill Dietrich Mellon, JD, FACHE, has served as Executive Director and CEO of the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System since 2019, overseeing care for more than 140,000 Veterans across 18 locations in 21 counties. She previously served as Director and CEO of the Dayton VA Medical Center and held senior leadership roles within VA healthcare systems nationwide. Dietrich Mellon holds degrees from Indiana University and Case Western Reserve University, is board-certified in healthcare management, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She has received numerous leadership honors, including Crain’s Cleveland Business Women of Note and Smart Business’s 2024 Northeast Ohio Smart 50 Honoree.
