• Atlanta VA Health Care SystemDecatur, Georgia
• VA Augusta Health Care SystemAugusta, Georgia
• Birmingham VA Health Care SystemBirmingham, Alabama
• VA Central Alabama Health Care SystemMontgomery/Tuskegee, Alabama
• Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care SystemCharleston, South Carolina
• Columbia VA Health Care SystemColumbia, South Carolina
• VA Dublin Healthcare SystemDublin, Georgia
• VA Tuscaloosa Healthcare SystemTuscaloosa, Alabama

Our Leadership

• Dr. David M. Walker

  Dr. David M. Walker

  Network Director

  

  Dr. David M. Walker was appointed the Network Director for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7), Duluth, GA, effective July 2021. Before his appointment, he was the Interim Network Director for the VA MidSouth Healthcare Network (VISN 9) since January 2021 and the Director for the GV (Sonny) Montgomery Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics (GVMVAMC) in Jackson, MS, since December 2015.

  As Director of the VA Southeast Network, Dr. Walker oversees the third-largest Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) with an allocated budget of $7.9 billion for FY24. In this role, he leads over 21,500 employees, eight healthcare systems comprised of 12 Medical Centers, and 62 Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, providing coverage for nearly 1.3 million Veterans. VA Southeast Network serves 25 Congressional Districts, 13 Vet Centers, eight State Veterans Homes, three VBA Regional Offices, seven National Cemeteries, and three State Veteran Cemeteries.

  Dr. Walker is board certified in Psychiatry and is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has also served as president of the Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association. Dr. Walker graduated from the military medical school, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and completed a United States Air Force (USAF)/civilian psychiatry training program and a subsequent forensic psychiatry fellowship training program at the University of South Carolina. As a USAF forensic psychiatrist, he helped reestablish the service-wide Wilford Hall Medical Center Air Force Forensic Psychiatry Evaluation Service.

  After completing his military service, he served as Clinical Director of Forensic Services for Georgia’s only maximum-security forensic hospital. Dr. Walker also has publications related to military psychiatric topics, including a book chapter published in 2020 on Fitness for Duty in the US Military. From 2001 to 2010, Dr. Walker served five times as a board examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. In 2019 Dr. Walker presented at the VA TEDx event on changing culture through commitment management.

  Dr. Walker completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, in 1987, a Doctor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, in 1991, and a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) in 2012 at the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

  Network Director

  

• Ms. Benita Miller

  Ms. Benita Miller

  Deputy Network Director

  

  Ms. Benita Miller was appointed Deputy Network Director for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) in September 2019. Ms. Miller oversees financial, capital, and planning resources in her role.

  Ms. Miller served as Chief Operating Officer/Associate Director at the Hampton, Virginia, VA Medical Center from July 2010 to September 2013. In this role, Ms. Miller directed strategic and administrative operations for a $270 million operational budget in a facility serving over 40,000 Veterans. Ms. Miller served as Interim Medical Center Director at the Hampton VAMC from June 2012 to January 2013.

  Ms. Miller served as the Chief Benefits Officer for the Veterans Health Administration from September 2013 to January 2016. Ms. Miller began her career with the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1998. During her tenure with VA, she has held positions in various capacities, including Clinical Social Worker, Administrative Officer for Primary Care and Sub-Specialty Medicine, Advanced Clinical Access Coordinator, Executive Assistant to the Director, and VISN Health System Specialist. Ms. Miller also served as the Administrator of the Waco, Texas, VA Medical Center, where she managed regulatory compliance, fiscal operations, and significant capital structure improvements.

  Ms. Miller received a Bachelor of Social Work from South Carolina State University, a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Health Administration from Baylor University. Ms. Miller is Board Certified as a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE). She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker – Clinical Practice. Ms. Miller graduated from the VA Health Care Leadership Institute and the VA Executive Career Field Candidate Development Program. Ms. Miller is a member of the VHA Healthcare Leadership Development Advisory board. She is a recipient of the 2015 ACHE Regent’s Senior Healthcare Leader Award. Ms. Miller is a 2019 graduate of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management’s Senior Executive Assessment Program.

  Deputy Network Director

  

• Dr. Susan Roberts

  Dr. Susan Roberts

  Chief Medical Officer

  

  As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roberts is responsible for providing clinical expertise and oversight to support exceptional healthcare quality and delivery in the VA Southeast Network which includes 1.2 million Veterans throughout 244 counties, including eight health care systems across Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.

  In her previous experience as the Deputy Executive Director for the VHA Office of Quality Management (OQM), Dr. Roberts directly supervised the OQM national program offices which provide technical expertise, guidance, and oversight in areas foundational to healthcare excellence including external accreditation, credentialing and privileging, medical-legal risk management, evidence-based practice, and continuous process improvement through the National Improvement Office. Her leadership in this role was instrumental to the success of several national projects including co-lead for the establishment of the recurring VISN Quality and Patient Safety (QPS) Engagements, co-lead for the OPPE/FPPE Awareness to Action Campaign, and development of the EHRM Quality and Patient Safety Professionals Orientation Guidebook.

  As the Chief of Staff at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Dr. Roberts was instrumental in supporting the facility’s transformation from a “high risk” facility in 2017 to one of 18 VHA High Reliability Organization pilot sites in 2019. Additionally, she led a safe and successful medical center response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Dr. Roberts is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

  CAREER CHRONOLOGY:

  2024—Present Chief Medical Officer, VA Southeast Network (VISN 7)

  2021—2024 Deputy Executive Director, VHA Office of Quality Management

  2016 – 2021 Chief of Staff, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS

  2014 – 2016 Deputy Chief of Staff, Gulf Coast VA Health Care System, Biloxi, MS

  2011 – 2014 Clinic Practice Manager, Bend CBOC, VA Portland HCS, Portland, OR

  EDUCATION:

  2016 Masters of Business Administration, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR

  2001 Masters of Public Health, Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY

  1994 Doctorate of Osteopathy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA

  1989 Bachelor of Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

  Chief Medical Officer

  

• Ms. R. Shuron Hunter

  Ms. R. Shuron Hunter

  Chief Operating Officer

  

  Ms. R. Shuron Hunter, MSHA, VHA-CM, was appointed Chief Operating Officer for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) in October 2019. Ms. Hunter began her career with the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2001 as an Administrative Resident.  During her tenure, she has held positions with increasing responsibility, including Administrative Officer for Mental Health, Administrative Officer for Surgery, Facility Planner, Health System Specialist, and Associate Director.  Due to Ms. Hunter’s noted ability to effectively lead staff while increasing performance, she has served as Interim Chief of Mental Health, Interim Chief of Engineering, and Interim Assistant Director. 

  Ms. Hunter received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tuskegee University, a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Ms. Hunter is a VHA Certified Mentor and a Network Executive Healthcare Leadership Institute graduate.  Ms. Hunter is also a 2019 graduate of the U. S. Office of Personnel Management’s Senior Executive Assessment Program.

  Chief Operating Officer

  

• Ms. Annette Wyatt

  Ms. Annette Wyatt

  Quality Management Officer

  

  Ms. Annette Wyatt, RN, was appointed Quality Management Officer for the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7) in January 2021. In this role, she leads and oversees all quality-related operations across the network and ensures the network’s eight healthcare systems provide safe, high-quality care.

  Ms. Wyatt is a results-driven senior healthcare professional who began her career as a registered nurse at the Birmingham VA Medical Center in 1991. Her more than 30 years of progressive, diverse leadership experience at Birmingham includes serving as the Assistant Medical Center Director, Director of Quality Management, Primary Care Director, Interim Chief of the Blind Rehabilitation Center, Business Management Liaison Case Manager, Medicine-Surgical Case Manager, Transplant Coordinator, a certified Emergency Department trauma nurse, and a staff nurse for many of the inpatient units.

  Ms. Wyatt received an Associate Degree from Jefferson State Community College in 1989, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 1991, and a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Troy University in 1997. In 1998, she received the Secretary Veteran Affairs Hands and Heart Award. Ms. Wyatt completed the Network Executive Health Care Leadership Institute 2011. She is certified in Health Care Data Analytics and is a VHA certified Mentor.

  Quality Management Officer

  

• Ms. Latrouna L. Tobias

  Ms. Latrouna L. Tobias

  Chief Nursing Officer

  

  Ms. Latrouna L. Tobias, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, was appointed Chief Nursing Officer for VA Southeast Network (VISN 7), effective July 17, 2022.  Ms. Tobias was born and raised in Liberty, MS. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Jackson State University (1998), Associate in Applied Sciences from Hinds Community College/Allied Health (2001), and master’s degree in Nursing Science from the University of Phoenix (2010). She is board certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC) and is a member of the Mississippi Nurses Association and the American Nurse Association.

  Ms. Tobias began her career as a registered nurse 21 years ago. She worked as a Student Nurse Technician at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC from 2000-2001. Ms. Tobias provided Baptist Medical Center, Jackson, MS, with six years of quality service as a staff nurse assigned to Medical-Surgical and ICU care. In August 2007, Ms. Tobias rejoined the VA family as a staff nurse in the Surgical ICU.

  Before being appointed the VISN 7 Chief Nursing Officer, Ms. Tobias was the Deputy Associate Director of Patient Care Services (DADPCS) for the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC. During her 15-year tenure with the Jackson VAMC, she served as Nurse Manager as the Chief Nurse Ambulatory & Clinical Support Services, providing oversight for the Emergency Department, Primary Care, Outpatient Specialty Clinics, Clinical Call Center, Dialysis, and various National programs such as Health Promotion Disease Prevention, Safe Patient Handling, External Peer Review Program, Transition and Care Management Program, and the Interprofessional Pressure Injury Program. She provided provisional oversight for the medical center’s 33-bed Medical-Surgical/Telemetry/Oncology Unit.  As an executive consultant, Ms. Tobias served a 120-day detail assignment in Care in the Community. Without a nurse executive, Ms. Tobias served as the Acting Associate Director, Patient Care Services for the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC from May-November 2021.

  Ms. Tobias serves as a coach and mentor. She attended the virtual FY21 VHA New Executive (NExT) Training Program. Ms. Tobias represented the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VAMC at the 2019 National High-Reliability Organization (HRO) Conference resulting in the development of a Care Coordination Team in Primary Care that provides quality care to non-enrollees during the transitional period from the community back to VA for immediate healthcare needs.

  Chief Nursing Officer