Renda Burkhart Named Board Chair at The University of Tennessee Medical Center

The board of directors of University Health System, Inc. (UHS), which operates The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn., elected Renda Burkhart as its new board chair. Burkhart, a respected business leader and financial expert, takes over the role immediately, replacing William S. “Bill” Rukeyser, who recently retired after nine years in the voluntary role.

Burkhart is founder and president of Burkhart & Company, P.C., a Certified Public Accounting firm that offers financial advisory as well as accounting and tax consulting and compliance to a select clientele including entrepreneurs and their businesses, high net worth individuals and family offices. Previously Burkhart was a manager in the tax division of Arthur Andersen & Company, serving national and multi-national manufacturing corporations, banks and complex individuals.

“UT Medical Center has grown rapidly in capacity, the scope of our services, and our national reputation for patient care,” said Rukeyser. “Renda Burkhart’s deep knowledge of our finances and operations, and her passionate concern for our patients, ensures that the best is yet to come.”

Burkhart served as chair of the board’s Finance Committee for many years prior to becoming board chair. She guided and advised the CEO, chief financial officer, senior leadership team, medical staff and many others throughout the organization. Her oversight of key components of the medical center’s fiscal governance led to significant enhancements throughout the years of the medical center’s financial standing as well as its operational efficiency and effectiveness.

The board and UHS were both created August 1, 1999, the day the medical center became independent of the University of Tennessee system. Rukeyser and Burkhart are both inaugural members of the UHS board.

“Bill has held an unwavering commitment to UHS and its many constituents, never losing sight of its mission.” said Burkhart. “He has carried the banner for quality patient care and has insisted that UHS belongs to our broad community for its welfare.

During his time as a board member and then as Chair of the Board, Bill has consistently challenged UHS to apply best practices and rise to be a national leader in health care.

I know firsthand how his wisdom, influence and eloquent statesmanship have combined to make a significant difference in propelling UHS to new heights.  Now this thriving, complex organization is poised to deliver healthcare to our region in ways that were simply unimaginable before.”

“Bill brought tremendous knowledge and vision to the role of board chair and became a tremendous advocate for the medical center and our patients throughout the years,” said Joe Landsman, president and CEO of The

University of Tennessee Medical Center. “Bill’s service to our community will be greatly missed. We know with Renda’s extensive knowledge of every aspect of the medical center, she will be an outstanding leader and advance our organization in many ways on behalf of the patients we serve.”

Rukeyser, an internationally known financial journalist and business leader, was the founding managing editor of Money magazine and managing editor of Fortune. Now an editorial consultant and freelance editor, Rukeyser served as editorial director of Corporate Board Management magazine from its founding in 1998 until 2009. Previously CEO of Whittle Books, editor-in-chief of Whittle Communications, corporate director of international business development for Time Inc., a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, a contributing editor of CNN Financial News and a personal finance commentator for ABC television and CBS radio.

Landsman said the transition in board leadership is proving to be seamless, as Burkhart and Rukeyser worked closely together on the board for so many years. As members of the liaison committee of the UT Board of Trustees, both also worked in the 1990s with the UT Board and medical center leadership to create independence for the medical center. The separation from the university, which received approval from the state legislature, allowed the medical center to become more competitive in the challenging health care environment.

During their tenure on the board, Rukeyser and Burkhart, along with inaugural board chair Bernard Bernstein, led the medical center through an increase of hundreds of additional staffed beds, construction of the Heart Hospital, Cancer Institute and Heart Lung Vascular Institute, creation of regional health centers in Sevierville and Lenoir City and the creation of four urgent care clinics. They guided the organization through a recession and now a global pandemic, while maintaining award-winning care for the community. They helped significantly grow annual revenue for UHS, which allows the medical center to continue to advance and strengthen patient care for its patients.