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TGH North Executive Biographies

              Headshot of Steve Short

STEVE SHORT
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND MARKET PRESIDENT

Steve Short is the Executive Vice President and Market President of TGH North and a seasoned health care executive and leader. Short brings over two decades of experience with Tampa General into his current role, having spent 20 years managing the financial health of the organization as an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and then leading the operations of Tampa General’s provider network and advising on special projects across the system.

Prior to joining the TGH team in 2000, Short served as Assistant Vice President of Finance at the University of Louisville Hospital, where he eventually took on the role of Vice President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining the health care industry, he worked as a staff accountant for the State of Arizona. Short began his career with Humana in San Antonio, Texas.

Short is a graduate of Arizona State University and received a Bachelor of Science in accounting. He also received his Master of Business Administration from Indiana University in 2000.

 

ROBERT GINN, JR.
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT, TGH BROOKSVILLE AND TGH SPRING HILL

Robert “Bobby” Ginn, Jr. is the Senior Vice President and President of TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill, formerly Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill, two 120-plus bed acute care hospitals serving the residents of Hernando County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. He previously served as the interim Chief Executive Officer of Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill until TGH’s acquisition of Bravera Health at the end of November 2023.

In his current role, Ginn is responsible for providing operational direction and oversight of the TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill leadership team and collaborating with the hospital team members and physicians and TGH North and TGH leadership to achieve financial, patient care, quality and strategic goals.

From 2004 to 2023, Ginn worked in several leadership roles for Community Health System (CHS), the parent company of Bravera Health. From 2010 to 2023, he served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a 180-licensed bed, for-profit acute care facility with 1,100 team members. Prior to that, Ginn was the Chief Executive Officer for L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital, a 72-licensed bed, for-profit acute care facility with 180 team members in Greenville, Alabama. Before joining CHS, Ginn worked for the Baptist Healthcare System

Ginn holds a Bachelor of Science in biology, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in healthcare administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham. He is the past Board Chairman for the National Children Advocacy Center and currently serves on several national and regional community and professional service organizations.

Ginn has been married to his wife, Paras, for nearly a quarter century, and he is the proud father to two children.

LINDA STOCKTON
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT, TGH CRYSTAL RIVER

Linda Stockton is the Senior Vice President and President of TGH Crystal River, formerly Bravera Health Seven Rivers, a 128-bed acute care hospital serving residents of Citrus County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. Stockton served as the CEO of Bravera Health Seven Rivers from April 2018 until TGH acquired Bravera Health at the end of November 2023. She has more than 30 years of health care experience, including leadership positions in hospitals in both California and Florida.

Stockton is a Certified Public Accountant and holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in accounting from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. With a background in finance, she spent more than 17 years as a chief financial officer in health care and possesses a passion for both hospital operations and collaborating with team members and physicians to strengthen patient care.

Stockton was recognized as a Healthcare Hero for 2022 in Administrative Excellence, awarded by the Citrus County Chronicle. She is a member of the Crystal River Rotary and Chamber of Commerce, also serving on the Citrus County Opioid Task Force. She has been married to her husband, Don, for over 40 years and has two grown children and three grandchildren.

CHRIS BENSON
VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, TGH CRYSTAL RIVER

Chris Benson is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of TGH Crystal River, formerly Bravera Health Seven Rivers, a 128-bed acute care hospital serving residents of Citrus County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. Benson was CFO of Bravera Health Seven Rivers until the TGH acquisition of Bravera at the end of November 2023 and had been with Community Health Systems (CHS), the parent company of Bravera Health, since 2004.

Benson began his career at CHS working in the corporate office in Tennessee and then held several financial leadership roles at CHS facilities in Alabama before moving to Florida to join the team at Seven Rivers. He has held hospital financial leadership roles for the nearly twenty years, starting as a Director of Finance, and has been in CFO positions since 2015.

Benson holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University. He started his accounting career as a statutory accountant for a major multinational finance and insurance company for five years before making the transition to health care.
Benson has focused much of his professional career on the financial health of hospitals in smaller communities. He believes that a community with a hospital is a healthier one, especially those smaller communities where health care would be out of reach for many without their local hospitals.

Benson has been married to his wife, Lauren, for over a quarter century and is the proud father of three daughters.

THOMAS LAWHORNE
VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Thomas Lawhorne is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill, formerly Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill, two 120-plus bed acute care hospitals serving the residents of Hernando County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. Before assuming this role in December of 2023, he was the CFO of Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill.

Lawhorne began his hospital finance career right out of college at Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, North Carolina, and then served as the Controller of HCA's Davis Community Hospital in Statesville, North Carolina. He advanced to his first hospital CFO position at HCA's Spring View Hospital in Lebanon, Kentucky before assuming a dual Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer role at HCA's Pulaski Community Hospital in Pulaski, Virginia, where he served for 14 years. Prior to joining Bravera Health, Lawhorne was the CFO of HCA's Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, Florida for 11 years.

Lawhorne holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina. He and his wife, Andrea, have been married for more than 30 years and he is the proud father of two children.

 

MARCI OLINGER
VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF NURSING OFFICER, TGH CRYSTAL RIVER

Marci Olinger is the Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of TGH Crystal River, formerly Bravera Health Seven Rivers (BHSR), a 128-bed acute care hospital serving residents of Citrus County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. Olinger joined Bravera Health Seven Rivers as its Chief Nursing Officer in August 2021. Throughout her career, she has been focused on providing high-quality care, developing a culture of safety and providing strong and effective leadership to her team.

In her role as Vice President and CNO, Olinger is accountable for the nursing practice in all nursing service areas, including all nursing inpatient units, emergency departments, ambulatory and procedural areas, respiratory therapy, laboratory services, nursing education and patient experience. She spent 27 years — 17 of those in leadership positions — working with Community Health Systems (CHS), the parent company of Bravera Health.

Before joining Seven Rivers, Olinger served as Chief Nursing Officer of The Orthopedic Hospital of Lutheran Health Network in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her focus was on quality patient care and safety. During her tenure, the hospital received numerous awards and recognition in safety, quality and patient experience, including America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery, Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Orthopedic Services, and The Joint Commission Top Performer in Key Quality Measures.

Olinger holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Purdue Fort Wayne and a Master of Science in Nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University. She was a member of the Northeast Indiana Organization of Nurse Leaders, where she served as the organization’s past president. Olinger is currently an active member of the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce and serves on its Board of Directors. Olinger’s community involvement also includes the Citrus County Coastal Conservation Association, Citrus County Opioid Task Force, and Citrus County Healthcare Prosperity Initiative.



ERIC MERKLEY
VICE PRESIDENT OF HOSPITAL OPERATIONS, TGH BROOKSVILLE AND TGH SPRING HILL

Eric Merkley is the Vice President of Hospital Operations of TGH Brooksville and TGH Spring Hill, formerly Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill, two 120-plus bed acute care hospitals serving the residents of Hernando County and part of TGH North and the Tampa General Hospital health system. Before assuming this role in December of 2023, he was the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Bravera Health Brooksville and Bravera Health Spring Hill.

Before joining Bravera, Merkley oversaw the operations of St. Mary’s Hospital in Illinois, a 220-bed facility. He transitioned into this role after completing a two-year administrative fellowship with St. Mary’s, where he worked on system-wide projects ranging from operations to finance to supply chain and quality. Prior to joining St. Mary’s, Merkley worked in health care finance and various other operational roles throughout facilities in the Mountain West, including a large medical group and MountainStar Healthcare, a division of HCA Healthcare.

Merkley and his wife, Chau, are the proud parents of three children.