VISN 16

• Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical CenterHouston, Texas
• Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care SystemNew Orleans, Louisiana
• Alexandria Veterans Health Care SystemPineville, Louisiana
• Overton Brooks VA Medical CenterShreveport, Louisiana
• Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare SystemLittle Rock, Arkansas
• Veterans Health Care System of the OzarksFayetteville, Arkansas
• G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical CenterJackson, Mississippi
• Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care SystemBiloxi, Mississippi

Our Leadership

• Dr. Skye McDougall

  Dr. Skye McDougall

  Network Director

  

  Dr. McDougall was appointed Network Director of the South Central VA Health Care Network (VISN
  16) in January 2016. As the Network Director, she oversees operations in all or portions of 8 states
  (Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma). More than
  600k enrolled Veterans receive their care through an integrated system of 8 VA Medical Centers,
  62 sites of care, and 3 mobile clinics. The healthcare facilities in V16 range from highly affiliated
  complex tertiary care medical centers to less complex medical centers.

  Before her appointment as Network Director, Dr. McDougall was the V22 Network Chief Medical
  Officer. In that role, she was responsible for all matters of clinical practice, clinical program
  deployment, clinical operations, academic affiliations and research across the multiple medical
  centers and outpatient clinics in the network. Dr. McDougall has also served as Interim Medical
  Center Director at the VA New Mexico and the VA Long Beach Health Care Systems. She was the
  Associate Director for Research in the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the VA
  Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System where she studied age-related bone and joint disease from
  1990 to 2003. Dr. McDougall received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the
  University of California, Berkeley in Biochemistry and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at
  the University of California, Los Angeles

  Network Director

  

• Shannon Novotny

  Shannon Novotny

  Deputy Network Director

  

  In his current role as Deputy Network Director and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Novotny is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of a network of hospitals in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas. Mr. Novotny directly supports the Network CEO, is directly responsible for the daily operations of a healthcare system with an annual budget in excess of $6 billion, and manages all financial, human, and capital resources throughout the region. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Novotny served as Chief Operating Officer for the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. As the Chief Operating Officer of one of the most complex VA Medical Centers in the country, Mr. Novotny was responsible for managing an annual operating budget in excess of $300M and managing all Medical Center financial, human, and capital resources.

  Prior to Mr. Novotny’s appointment as Deputy Network Director and Chief Operating Officer, he served as Acting Associate Director for Operations at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, and Strategic Planning and Business Development Manager at the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network. Mr. Novotny also worked as Special Assistant to the Director, Chief Education Officer, and Clinical Service Administrator at Medical Centers in Oklahoma and Florida.

  Mr. Novotny is a seasoned hospital administrator with a proven track record of implementing large scale organizational change. He personally led Medical Centers and regional VHA headquarters through multiple financial challenges and national disasters. Mr. Novotny spearheaded efforts to evaluate, design, and deploy new Baldrige based governing structures and served as the VISN team leader on C.A.R.E.S. Strategies. Mr. Novotny has chaired and/or served on numerous VISN and National committees addressing concerns such as Strategic Planning, Workforce Development, Human Resources, Finance, Emergency Management, and Business Process Development.

  As a previous educator, Mr. Novotny is committed to helping others develop personally and professionally. Mr. Novotny achieved the VA’s highest coach/mentor status and earned Fellow certification from the VHA’s Healthcare Talent Management Office. He served as content developer, coach, mentor, and preceptor in both VISN Leadership Development Programs and national training programs. Mr. Novotny has increased diversity and partnership by leading efforts to increase academic affiliation with minority institutions, developed career ladder positions, and partnered with local schools to coach, develop, and retain minority students.

  Mr. Novotny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of the Healthcare Leadership Institute, the Interagency Institute for Federal Healthcare Executives, and the Executive Career Field Development Program. He is also a certified healthcare executive and Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

  Deputy Network Director

  

• Dr. John Areno

  Chief Medical Officer

  

• Dr. Loretta Eleuterius

  Chief Nursing Officer

  

• Bonnie Kilpatrick

  Quality Management Officer

  

• Monica Mylar

  Chief Financial Officer

  

• Michael Palmier

  Chief, Human Resources Officer