Pleasants will start her new position on February 1, following her retirement after many years as the vice president of supply chain at Duke Health. Her supply chain career has spanned more than three decades and in addition to her many accomplishments at Duke, she has led supply chain teams at both Vanderbilt University and University of Rochester.
As an SMI founder, long-serving member on the Board of Directors, Board Chair- Elect and current Chairman of the Board she is a highly visible member of the SMI community and also was inducted into the Bellwether League Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership in 2015. She brings extensive knowledge, experience, and purpose to lead the next chapter of SMI.
Hughes has held the position of executive director of SMI for 16 years after a long-standing career in healthcare. Under his leadership, vision, and dedication, SMI has grown to more than 130 member organizations, which represent the nation’s top providers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and innovators, like Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Abbott, Kaiser Permanente, Ascension and Amazon.
Hughes began on the front lines of hospital administration before founding Concepts in Healthcare, a healthcare supply chain consultancy, and after the sale of this company to BD, he ultimately became the vice president of BD Healthcare & Consulting Services. He is recognized for pioneering new approaches for provider-supplier relationships and has been a respected mentor, innovator, advisor, and leader to many in the healthcare supply chain industry. Hughes is the recipient of AHRMM’s George R. Gossett Leadership Award and was inducted into the Bellwether League Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership in 2021.
