-
04/06/2026
Brad Nitschke, JD, was named Parkland Health’s Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in March 2026, and leads a team of attorneys and legal, risk management, and records information management professionals who support the life-giving health care Parkland provides. Nitschke joined Parkland in August 2021 as Associate General Counsel for Operations and Regulatory matters. Prior to Parkland, Nitschke was a trial and investigations partner at a Texas-based law firm. His private legal practice focused on ...
-
05/27/2025
Mike Lane, MD, MBA, MPHS, MSc, CPPS, FIDSA, is Senior Vice President, Chief Quality & Safety Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer at Parkland Health. In this role, Dr. Lane leads the strategic direction and operational management of Parkland’s quality and safety programs including patient safety, clinical risk management, regulatory and accreditation, infection prevention, performance improvement, quality analytics and reporting. Dr. Lane is a board certified infectious diseases physician. He...
-
05/27/2025
Melanie Benitez Roberts, CHC, CHPC, CHRC, is the Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer at Parkland Health. Parkland has been serving the Dallas community for more than 128 years as one of the largest public hospital systems in the country. The hospital averages more than 1 million patient visits annually. Services include a Level I Trauma Center, the only verified burn center in North Texas and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The system also includes 20 community-based clinics, including primary...
-
05/27/2025
Michael Malaise, DSc, has worked at Parkland Health since 2012. In this role as Senior Vice President of Communications and External Relations, he oversees Parkland’s corporate communications, community relations, government relations and marketing functions. He is also the executive sponsor of Parkland’s Health Equity Strategic Plan Initiative. Prior to working at Parkland, Mike worked for Purple Strategies, a bi-partisan public affairs firm that specializes in communications, issue advocacy and brand ...
-
05/27/2025
Michael A. Horne, EdD, MPP, was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Parkland Health Foundation in August 2019. Parkland Health Foundation secures substantial philanthropic capital to advance Parkland Health’s strategic focus on improving Dallas County residents’ wellness. Prior to joining Parkland, he served as Superintendent and CEO of KIPP Dallas-Fort Worth, a nationally recognized kindergarten through twelfth grade public charter school system. Dr. Horne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree fro...
-
05/27/2025
Jessica J. Hernandez, MHA, CCHW has three decades of leadership experience in healthcare, specifically medical practice management and comprehensive community-based care. She has been with Parkland Health since 1995 when she began as an Administrative Resident. She currently serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Health Equity Officer at Parkland Health and is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at improving access to healthcare and advancing patient ou...
-
01/10/2025
Brett Moran, MD, is the Chief Health Officer at Parkland Health where he leads Clinical Strategic Development, Digital Health, Research, Innovation, Clinician Well-being, and Value initiatives. His strategic vision focuses on transforming healthcare delivery through technology and process improvement, with particular emphasis on serving vulnerable populations. He previously served as SVP, Associate Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Medical Information Officer, where he established and led the Clinical In...
-
02/18/2022
Donna Richardson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is Parkland’s Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive. Dr. Richardson is an accomplished nursing leader holding positions during her career including nurse manager, director, Associate Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Nursing Officer. She holds a BSN from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, an MSN from the University of Texas at Tyler, and a DNP from Texas Christian University. She completed the Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellows Program...
-
01/07/2022
Edmundo Castañeda, FACHE, was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2022. Prior to joining Parkland, Castañeda worked for Dignity Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, in the greater Sacramento, CA, area. There he served as President of Mercy General Hospital and Woodland Memorial Hospital. From 2015-2017, he was responsible for Mercy General Hospital and Mercy Hospital of Folsom. Before joining Dignity Health in 2012, Castañeda served as Chief Executive Officer at Te...
-
12/03/2021
Joseph Chang, MD, MBA, FACOG, is the Chief Medical Officer at Parkland and a member of the Obstetrics and Gynecology faculty at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Chang earned his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine including completing his OB/GYN residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital, and his Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University....