Executive Team - Valleywise Health

You and your family can feel confident knowing that your health care is being managed by people whose number one priority is making sure you're getting the help and treatment you need.

Our Valleywise Health executive leadership team is made up of caring people who are dedicated to making sure you and your family are always getting great health care in the best possible clinics and hospitals. You deserve the greatest care the medical field has to offer, and our leadership team is committed to keeping us engaged with the latest technologies, techniques and tools so that we can give you everything you need and more.

Steve Purves

President and Chief Executive Officer

Steve Purves became President & Chief Executive Officer of Valleywise Health in Phoenix, Arizona in September 2013. Valleywise Health is Arizona’s largest and longest serving public teaching hospital and health care system and includes the Roosevelt Campus- Hospital, the Arizona Burn Center, the Arizona Children’s Center, a Level I Trauma Center, two behavioral health centers and a network of 13 Federally Qualified Health Centers that serve Phoenix and Maricopa County. Valleywise Health has 10 ACGME accredited residency programs with over 350 residents, hundreds of medical student rotations and significant nursing and allied health training programs.

Mr. Purves works with the publicly elected five-member Board of Directors who represent the Maricopa County Special Health Care District, to provide executive leadership for the growth and development of Valleywise Health. Since 2013, Mr. Purves led a $120 million financial turnaround at Valleywise Health and helped secure $935 million in general obligation bonds passed by voter referendum in 2014. These funds will allow Valleywise Health to replace aging facilities and to reinvent its’ care model to better serve the public in the years to come.

Mr. Purves is actively involved in the community as an ambassador for Valleywise Health and in a variety of roles outside his health care duties. He serves on the boards of America’s Essential Hospitals, the Arizona Hospital and Health Care Association, the Arizona State University Health Advisory Board and Health Care Futures Council, Valleywise Health Foundation and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. He was elected Chairman of the Arizona Health and Hospital Association in 2017. He is a member of the regional policy board of the American Hospital Association, and is a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership.

Mr. Purves has over 37 years of service as a health care executive serving in the investor-owned, public, academic and private not-for-profit settings. Prior to joining Valleywise Health, Mr. Purves served 7 years as President & CEO of Munroe Regional Health System, Inc., a public, not-for-profit health care system that serves Marion County and North Central Florida. Prior to that Mr. Purves served 8 years as President & CEO of the Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals in Columbia, South Carolina, a two-hospital regional health system serving the midlands of South Carolina. During his time in South Carolina, he served as Adjunct Professor for the University of South Carolina School of Public Health and Chairman of the South Carolina Hospital Association.

Mr. Purves has numerous awards and honors; including an appointment by the Secretary of the Army to the position of Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for South Carolina in 2001. He was awarded the U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in 2006. He was named one of the top 25 most influential leaders in Phoenix Arizona by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2017. He was the recipient of political advocacy awards from the American Hospital and the Florida Hospital Associations, and in 2013, was honored with the presentation of the “Key to the City” by the mayor of the City of Ocala during his time in Florida

He received his Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and his Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education from Springfield College in Springfield, MA. Purves is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

Purves is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. He and his wife, Mary Anne, have two grown children.

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Sherry Stotler, RN

Chief Nursing Officer/ Vice President, Patient Care Services

Ms. Stotler joined Valleywise Health in 2005 from Barix Clinic of Arizona in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she served as Vice President of Clinical Services. Ms. Stotler earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. Sherry has over 25 years of experience in nursing leadership.

Under Ms. Stotler’s guidance, Valleywise Health implemented key initiatives that have led to many improvements, in patient care.

Ms. Stotler directs all aspects of the nursing division’s planning and development strategies and drives new business development through in-depth analysis of patients’ needs and requirements to promote growth.

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Dr. Michael White

Chief Clinical Officer

Michael White, MD, joined Valleywise Health as Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer (EVP, CCO) in August 2019. In his role, Dr. White works to advance the Mission, Vision and Values of Valleywise Health to improve clinical outcomes, enhance patient experience, and grow key programs. He also serves as a liaison with our partners at District Medical Group and the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance.

Prior to joining Valleywise Health, Dr. White served as Chief Academic Officer at CHI Health in Omaha Nebraska, a non-profit, faith-based health system providing services in 18 states through 101 hospitals, including three academic health centers and major teaching hospitals. Dr. White continues to serve as the Associate Dean for Technology and Informatics at the Creighton University School of Medicine.

Dr. White is a practicing interventional cardiologist. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Creighton University. Dr. White received his medical degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease. He completed a fellowship in interventional cardiology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. White earned his MBA degree from Creighton University in 2019.

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Claire Agnew

Chief Financial Officer

Claire Agnew has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Valleywise Health since December 2020. She is responsible for the development and implementation of financial strategies, operating and capital budgets, revenue cycle, and system of financial reporting and controls that support the mission and goals of Valleywise Health. She has over 25 years of healthcare finance experience in the Valley, having previously held financial leadership roles at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Banner Health, and began her professional career with Arthur Andersen. She joined Valleywise Health in January 2019 as Senior Vice President of Financial Services and was named CFO and Executive Vice President of Financial Services in 2020. Claire is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, a group that has invited her to speak at their national conference multiple times. Claire earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Humboldt State University in Northern California. She received her MBA from the University of California, Berkeley while also earning a Certificate in Health Management through a joint program with the School of Public Health at Berkeley. Claire graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy in May 2022.

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Lia Christiansen

Chief Administrative Officer

Lia Christiansen joined Valleywise Health as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in February 2021. As CAO, she will lead Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Business Development, Ancillary and Support departments and key Care Reimagined projects such as construction of the new medical center. Lia most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for Acute Care for M Health Fairview, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to her role with M Health Fairview, she worked in the HealthEast Care system in St. Paul, Minnesota serving as Vice President for Hospital Operations and as Vice President of Shared Operations. She was named by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as one of the 25 Women to Watch and recognized by Minnesota Physician Magazine as an Exceptional Administrator. Lia holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and a master’s degree in business, communication from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. She was a COO fellow in the Health Management Academy in 2019-2020, is Lean Bronze certified and has training in FEMA incident command.

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