Our Leadership
President and CEO Diane Cecchettini, RN, joined MultiCare in 1989. She became MultiCare’s first woman and first nurse CEO in 1999. She has played a pivotal role in many organizational initiatives focused on providing the highest quality of care to patients throughout MultiCare. Diane previously worked for Sutter Health System in Sacramento, California, and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. In 1993 she retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force Reserve, having served 21 years as a flight nurse in aeromedical evacuation. Diane earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Utah. She is currently serving in her second term as Chair of the Governing Board of the Washington State Hospital Association.
Senior Vice President of Community Services Lois I. Bernstein joined MultiCare in 1998. Prior to joining MultiCare, she worked in similar positions at Scripps Health and Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego and University of California, San Diego Medical Center. Lois received her Bachelor of the Arts in Communications from Michigan State University and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation from San Diego State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine. She serves on the executive committee of the Board of the Point Defiance Zoological Society.
Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Florence Chang joined MultiCare Health System in 2006. She came to MultiCare from Dearborn Advisors, LLC, where she served as senior vice president and partner. She has 20 years of health care information technology experience. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Technology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She is a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) and holds an American Society of Clinical Pathologists License (ASCP). She also holds a Masters of Business Administration from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Florence volunteers with the Tacoma Symphony and is a vocal conductor with the Seattle Christian Assembly.
Senior Vice President of Human Potential Sarah M. Horsman joined MultiCare in 2002. Her experiences in organizational effectiveness and human resources include senior management positions with the Allina Health System in Minneapolis; Bridge Medical, Inc., in Solana Beach, California; and the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Creighton University and a Master of Arts degree in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Minnesota. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Organization Development from Pepperdine University. Sarah serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Tacoma & Pierce County.
Good Samaritan President John Long joined MultiCare in 2003 as strategy executive. He became Good Samaritan president in October 2006. He has more than 35 years of health care leadership experience. He served as executive vice president and chief operations officer for Group Health Cooperative, president and chief executive officer at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, and administrator of St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Yakima, Washington. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from Drake University and a Master of Hospital Administration from Columbia University. He is a life fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for several organizations in the community, including Bank of Tacoma, Emergency Food Network and Washington Health Foundation.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel Erik Rasmussen joined MultiCare in 1986. He came to MultiCare from the Garvey Schubert and Barer law firm in Seattle. He also served as a law clerk for the Hon. Herbert Swanson of the Washington State Court of Appeals. Erik received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in economics from the College of William & Mary in Virginia and a Juris Doctoris from the University of Virginia School of Law and is admitted to practice law in Washington State. Erik serves on the United Way Healthcare Access Committee and in other community organizations.
Vice President of Medical Affairs for Acute Care Lester Reed, MD, first came to MultiCare in 2000 as associate medical director of the MultiCare Medical Group, where he eventually became medical director. He left MultiCare in 2004 to become a clinical director for a public health agency in New Zealand and returned to MultiCare in 2005. Dr. Reed was promoted to vice president of medical affairs in 2007. He received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky and completed his internal medicine residency and an endocrinology and metabolism fellowship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He is a published scholar, teacher, and practitioner. He has held positions with Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Madigan Army Medical Center. He has served as the U.S. representative to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, as a member of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Reed currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Tacoma-Pierce County Tier 3 Pandemic Flu Response Task Force.
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Vince Schmitz joined MultiCare Health System in 2001. In his 35 years of experience in health care, Vince has served in a variety of finance leadership positions in California and Washington. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Business Administration from California State University, Sacramento. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), with Diplomate status. In early 2007, the Puget Sound Business Journal named him chief financial officer of the year in the category of large, non-profit organization. Vince also serves on the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board, the board of the University of Washington-Tacoma Milgard School of Business and the Premera Hospital Advisory Board.
Senior Vice President, MultiCare Medical Associates, William H. “Smokey” Stover, MD, started with MultiCare in 1996 as medical director of the south King County portion of the MultiCare Medical Group. He became vice president of the medical group in March 2003 and MultiCare Medical Associates in 2005. Smokey spent 17 years in private practice in Montana and Oregon and later became medical director of the Glen Ellyn Clinic near Chicago. He founded the Southern Oregon Coast Independent Practitioners Association in 1994 and served as the group’s first medical director. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Georgetown University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Dr. Stover received his Doctor of Medicine Degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and completed a pediatric residency at the University of Arizona. He is board certified in pediatrics and is a member of the American College of Physician Executives and the Medical Group Management Association. Locally, Dr. Stover is a member of the Puget Sound Health Alliance and Pierce County Medical Society.
Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive Jo Ellen Vanatta, RN, has worked at MultiCare since 2001 as administrator of Allenmore Hospital. She was named interim chief nurse executive in 2006 and appointed permanently to the position in 2007. Jo Ellen has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Louis University and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She served in nursing leadership roles throughout a 30-year military career. Jo Ellen serves on the School of Nursing Advisory Boards for Pierce College and Tacoma Community College. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Pacific Lutheran University and serves on the Madigan Foundation Board.