The Top 25 2018 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market has been announced by CEO Connection, the only membership organization exclusively for mid-market CEOs. This list recognizes the top 25 women in the U.S. based on their ability to influence change, innovation, and standards for excellence in companies with annual sales between $100 million and $3 billion.
 
For the second consecutive year, Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, FACHE, President and CEO of Navicent Health has been included on CEO Connection’s listing. Nationally renowned for her strategic initiatives to improve access to healthcare and affect change within the industry, Dr. Saunders has over 45 years of hospital administrative and clinical experience.
 
An executive cofounder of Stratus Healthcare, a collaborative partnership of both urban and rural healthcare providers, she remains focused on ensuring that healthcare remains local. Dr. Saunders has led efforts to ensure local hospitals achieve and successfully sustain delivery of outstanding care while continuing to navigate the evolving industry landscape. Dr. Saunders has worked tirelessly to protect access to healthcare in rural areas, ensuring all patients, especially those in vulnerable communities, have the right access to the right care at the right time and at the right cost. She is respected by her colleagues for her forward-thinking approach in the innovation space. She constantly encourages people to pursue innovative solutions by disrupting the current space to make way for the future state.
 
“We at Navicent Health are honored to have our CEO, Dr. Saunders, continually recognized nationally among CEOs for her dedication to innovation and her ability to influence change within the industry. We are so pleased with the work she has done for our community, our region, and the industry as a whole,” said Starr Purdue, Chair of Navicent Health’s Board of Directors.
 
"We are honored to be able to recognize such a prestigious group of women who have truly made an impact on their company and have given back to their community," says Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEO Connection. "We have been recognizing CEOs through our Mid-Market 500 and Mid-Market 1000 lists as well as the Most Influential Women’s List and we are pleased to share this new select group with the business community.”
 
Honorees will be recognized at the 2018 Mid-Market Convention, September 23-25, in Philadelphia. Referred to as the "Davos for the Mid-Market," this exclusive global gathering brings together the leadership of the mid-market top business experts and senior government officials to help each other and change the world.