meet our esteemed panelists

Julie Kennedy Oehlert, DNP RN

Chief Experience Officer, Vidant Health

Dr. Oehlert has over three decades of expertise in healthcare. She started her career as a nurse aide at the age of 14 and has since served in a variety of clinical, operational, consultative, and strategic roles. Her clinical practice is Emergency Trauma nursing, and she achieved her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership from University of Minnesota. She is a perpetual student of design thinking and culture disruption and currently serves as the Chief Experience Officer for Vidant Health. In her role Dr. Oehlert strategically drives the experience and culture at Vidant Health. This includes all things patient experience and team member experience, as well as orientation and on-boarding of new team members. She also serves as Chief of Marketing and Communications. Dr. Oehlert has operational responsibility for Environmental Services, Food Services, Language Access Services, Hospitality Associates, and Patient and Family Advisors across the Vidant Health system.  

David Cade

CEO, American Health Law Association

David Cade is the Executive Vice President/CEO of American Health Law Association (AHLA), the nation’s largest nonpartisan educational organization devoted to legal issues in the healthcare field. His leadership experience in the health law profession includes a 14-year role as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he supported program policy and developed legal positions to expand health insurance and coverage options for Medicare beneficiaries, as well as Medicaid program expansions. During his 28 year career at HHS, he served as many roles. Mr. Cade also served as a working group member of the Clinton White House Task Force on Health Care Reform. He also served for six years on AHLA’s Board of Directors, where his work included efforts to increase the diversity of the Association’s members and leaders.. 

Dr. Nora Triola

Chief Clinical Officer, BAYADA Home Health Care 

Nora has more than 25 years of experience as a nurse executive, including CNO positions with Broward General Medical Center, Imperial Point Medical Center, and Methodist Hospital and roles as a system CNO with Catholic Health East and Trinity Health. She holds a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL., where she also received her MS.N. She is a Wharton Fellow and serves as a Magnet® team leader/appraiser for the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is certified by the American Nursing Association in Nursing Executive Administration.

Donald Thompson, CDE

Co-Founder & CEO, The Diversity Movement

With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, Donald is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture, and driving exponential growth. Donald is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), co-founder of The Diversity Movement, and CEO of Walk West. He was named to Forbes' inaugural Next 1000 list honoring top entrepreneurs redefining the American dream. Donald serves on several boards, is a mentor, contributes weekly to WRAL TechWire, and has written for publications including Entrepreneur and CNBC. Donald has published eBooks on decision making and diversity in the workplace.