Board of Directors

William J. Colgan

Chair and Treasurer

Bill Colgan is a recognized industry leader with over 30 years of extensive background in healthcare, real estate, and finance matters. As Managing Partner of CHA Partners, LLC, Bill is responsible for business development, strategic planning and financial operations. Bill has directly overseen the expansion of CHA Partners’ portfolio, which currently includes more than three million square feet of properties owned and/or under development, the majority of which are healthcare focused. Among Bill’s many achievements are the acquisition and repurposing of five (5) acute-care hospitals,the development and construction of numerous ambulatory care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and assisted living and long-term care facilities. Bill was selected by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to serve as part of his Healthcare Transition Team, as well as his COVID-19 Task Force to Reopen New Jersey. Bill is President of Metro Real Estate Development Corp., an affiliate of CHA Partners, which handles all of CHA’s construction related activities. In addition to his role as Board Chair, Bill serves as WAUSM’s Managing Director, where he oversees finance matters, government affairs, and strategic partnerships for the Medical School.

Margaret R. Peterson, PhD

Vice-Chair

Dr. Margaret Peterson is a result-oriented executive with extensive leadership experience in strategic planning, fiscal management, physician relations, clinical program development, graduate medical education, physician recruitment, systems redesign, quality performance initiatives, construction & remodel, regulatory compliance, population health, government relations, fund raising, community relations, community benefits, medical group management and academics. Through her many years working in the healthcare field, Dr. Peterson has achieved several significant accomplishments due to her initiative, decisiveness, innovation, perseverance, creative problem solving and relationship building. These accomplishments include several well-known and respected awards and recognitions in healthcare as well as serving as a board member for numerous professional and community service associations.

Joseph P. Baumann, Jr.

Joseph Baumann is a recognized finance, redevelopment, and development attorney within the State of New Jersey. With over 35 years of experience in all aspects of infrastructure, development, and public sector law, Joe’s expertise includes, but is not limited to, public-private partnerships and complex development projects including finance, government incentives, land use, real estate, and procurement. Joe has developed a reputation in New Jersey for guiding clients through the challenges associated with the undertaking of transformative projects complicated by the presence of unaligned stakeholders, deficient infrastructure, environmental difficulties, and multi-layered capital stacks. Joe is currently Chairman of McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, LLC.

Marcus C. Bethel, MD

Marcus Bethel, MD, is a Bahamian citizen who has dedicated his professional and civic career towards healthcare development and improving educational opportunities in the Bahamas. Currently, Dr Bethel is a Consultant Internist and Administrator at the Lucayan Medical Centre In Freeport, Bahamas. Previously, Dr. Bethel served as Minister of Health and Environment and Senator in the Parliament of the Bahamas. He was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International (2010) and has served as President of the Pan American Health Organization (2004) and is a Founding Member of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce.

Marcheta P. Evans, PhD

Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, was appointed 17th president of Bloomfield College, the only New Jersey institution to be recognized as a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) and Hispanic Serving Institution, in June 2019. She made history as both the first woman and first African American president in the College’s 150+ years.

Marcheta has served in transformational leadership roles in higher education for nearly 30 years at both public and private institutions. Twenty-one of those years have been spent at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the seventh largest city in the US, San Antonio, TX.
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Previously Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), Marcheta equentially served as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean at OLLU and Associate Dean and Department Chair at University of Texas at San Antonio. She has served as a faculty member for over 25 years and has the rank of Full Professor. Marcheta is a past President and Fellow of the American Counseling Association, past President of the Association for Creativity in Counseling, and is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. A small sampling of these recognitions includes the Outstanding Multicultural Leadership Award, Yellow Rose of Texas Lifetime Educator Award, and Counselors for Social Justice Ohana Award.
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Marcheta has authored numerous op-eds, articles, and book chapters, focusing on issues of diversity, multiculturalism, women’s issues, and leadership. She has presented over 100 times at the state, regional, national, and international levels addressing topics such as empowerment, multiculturalism, diversity, and leadership. In her international work, Marcheta has traveled extensively, including a length of time in the African country of Malawi where she worked with educators and counselors on literacy initiatives sponsored by USAID.
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Marcheta graduated from the University of Alabama with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education and Supervision, specializing in Student Affairs, Administration in Higher Education, and Human Resource Management. Additionally, she has a Master of Arts degree in Education in Elementary Education from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, a Master of Arts degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama.

Pandora A. Johnson, PhD

Dr. Pandora Johnson has had over 40 years of experience working in the academic field in several high-level positions. Currently, she juggles many roles in the education field of the Bahamas. Most recently, she served as Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs for The College of The Bahamas, and was responsible for all educational planning, administration and academic program development and policies as well as recruitment, selection, orientation and evaluation of faculty. Presently, Dr. Johnson serves as Provost for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives for the University of the Bahamas. She has written several reports and publications relating to education and academics, as well as presented her work at professional conferences. Dr Johnson has taught over 12 different courses in her additional current role as an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Social and Educational Studies. Dr. Johnson serves on many academic boards and has served as Chairperson on numerous committees located in the Bahamas.

Daniel Nathan, MSW

Dan Nathan is a respected organizational specialist and executive coach, with more than 25 years of experience in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors, nationally and internationally. He consults with healthcare institutions; schools; and small, mid-sized, and Fortune 500 companies for their organizational needs, executive coaching, team building, communication techniques, and conflict resolution. He has expertise in organizational management processes, including development of corporate and departmental strategic plans, restructuring and consolidation/streamlining of services, and improved coordination of programs for healthcare systems and major corporate settings. Dan oversaw the healthcare system at a major university medical center, where he developed processes and strategies to create an effective and coordinated health care system, facilitated open communication with the Medical Center, College of Medicine, and other health science colleges. Additionally, Dan served as Director of Human Resources for two major organizations and is a trained mediator for union and management/staff-level negotiations.

Vishwajeet Rana, PhD, MBA, MS

Dr. Vishwajeet Rana completed an MBA from Ohio University and gained an MS and PhD from Stevens Institute of Technology. Dr. Rana has executed a number of complex cross-border equity/debt-structured investments and financing transactions in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Hong Kong while working at HSBC’s New York office. He enjoys evaluating different global education models and applying them to unlock the potential of students towards access to Education. He is group CEO of London based Global Education Holdings Ltd (GEDU).

Thomas C. Shepherd, DHA, LFACHE

Dr. Thomas Shepherd has served as the CEO of five hospitals in the United States and is a past president of several universities, including Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) and Bastyr University, a Kenmore, Washington-based university with multiple offerings in healthcare education. In these roles, he led important initiatives including the recruitment of highly qualified faculty, installing cutting-edge technology, advancing accreditation, and making significant quality enhancements to improve student outcomes. Thomas has also served in senior management roles of a variety of hospitals and healthcare facilities.