Apex Leadership Institute exists to improve the patient experience in U.S. hospitals by developing the next generation of healthcare leaders — starting with helping you get through the door. We believe the biggest barrier to exceptional patient care isn't clinical skill. It's unprepared leadership. We're here to change that, one career at a time — starting with yours.
Jonathan Sachs is the founder of Apex Leadership Institute. His experience spans senior health care administration, patient experience transformation, government leadership, executive coaching, and university education — a rare combination that positions Apex uniquely at the intersection of leadership development, health care operations, and frontline patient care.
Jonathan has served in senior leadership roles across complex health care organizations, including as a hospital Chief Experience Officer and Vice President of Experience Transformation. He has led patient experience strategy, coached nurse and operational leaders, built new departments, supported cultural transformation, and helped organizations connect leadership behavior to measurable improvements in care delivery. Earlier in his career, he earned eight promotions in ten years and reached the C-Suite by age 31, giving him firsthand insight into what it takes to grow from an emerging leader into an executive.
His belief in patient experience is deeply personal. Jonathan's parents were married at their local community hospital so his dying grandmother could be present at the wedding. That family experience shaped a lifelong conviction: patient experience is not a “nice-to-have.” It is part of the plan of care. Recently, Jonathan delivered a TedX talk on the subject at Johns Hopkins University.
After serving as a hospital Chief Experience Officer, Jonathan saw firsthand that one of the biggest barriers to improving patient experience was not a lack of compassion from frontline staff. It was a lack of preparation, knowledge, and leadership development for the people closest to the work. Managers, directors, and emerging leaders were often expected to improve culture, communication, service, safety, and performance without ever being given the practical leadership tools to do so.
Jonathan built Apex Leadership Institute from the ground up to close that gap.
Through Apex, he brings together the perspective of a health care executive, the discipline of an operations leader, the skillset of a professional coach, and the teaching experience of a university educator. He has coached and taught leaders through institutions including Georgetown University, Villanova University, the University of Maryland, and UMBC, and he holds credentials including an MBA, FACHE, and PCC certification from the International Coaching Federation.
Apex exists because health care cannot deliver exceptional patient experience without exceptional leadership. Jonathan's mission is to help organizations prepare the next generation of health care leaders before they are overwhelmed, burned out, or asked to lead without a map.
Apex's Board of Advisors are here to help you build the network you need to get on the path to senior leadership. They're current operators, executives, and practitioners who have been in the rooms you're trying to get into — and they joined Apex because they believe in opening those doors for the next generation.
DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED OPERATIONS, MEDSTAR FRANKLIN SQUARE MEDICAL CENTER
Jeffrey holds an MHA and built his career the same way you're trying to build yours — without a fellowship. He's now a Sr. Director at MedStar, where he leads operational excellence and strategic growth across clinical and administrative teams. He knows what it takes to get hired, get promoted, and build a career in health system operations from the inside.
CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER & VICE PRESIDENT, LIFEBRIDGE HEALTH
Joan brings over 30 years of healthcare experience to transforming health systems and culture around patient care. She serves as Chief Experience Officer and VP at LifeBridge Health, a regional healthcare system in northwest Baltimore, where she leads initiatives spanning executive rounding, physician communication coaching, and HCAHPS/patient experience improvement.
Vice President / Chief Operating Officer, Howard University Hospital
Jeffrey runs daily operations and clinical services at a 452-bed academic medical center in Washington, D.C. He started his career as a nurse and worked his way into the C-suite — which means he understands the path from the front line to the executive floor better than almost anyone. If you want to know what it actually takes to lead in a complex health system, Jeffrey has lived it.
Executive Vice President & CFO, MultiCare Health System
James is an Executive Vice President and CFO at MultiCare, a major health system in Washington State. With more than 30 years of healthcare finance and executive leadership experience across systems in Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, and Illinois. He has held board and leadership roles with HFMA at the national level. If you want to understand how health systems make decisions — including hiring decisions — James has been in that seat for three decades.
System Director of Patient Experience, Luminis Health
Kali is a System Director of Patient Experience at Luminis Health, where she leads enterprise experience strategy, patient relations, and culture transformation across adult and pediatric care settings. She began her career in hospitality, then brought that service mindset into healthcare to build cultures where patients and caregivers thrive. She is passionate about developing mission-driven leaders and mentoring the next generation of healthcare administrators.
Director, Patient and Family Relations, Holy Cross Health
Dave leads patient experience and advocacy at Holy Cross, a two-hospital health system serving Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. Before healthcare, he was a U.S. Marine Corps officer, a housing advocate, and a government consultant — which means he brings a perspective on leadership that most administrators never encounter. Dave understands how the best leaders are built, not just hired.
Improving the patient experience starts with leadership. We work with tomorrow's health care leaders who want to transform the system to better serve patients. Your development is the reason Apex exists. Getting you prepared, connected, and positioned isn't just good for your career, it's good for every patient who will ever be in your care.
