The top three functions of public health are to assess and monitor populations, form public policies to address problems and priorities, and finally to make sure access to services is provided. Public health challenges that were once found only in certain countries are no longer limited to within those borders. Globalization has increased these challenges. Through globalization, the public health arena has a significant impact on health administration challenges in the US and on the path that healthcare will take in the foreseeable future.

Moderator:

Travis S. Walters, MHA, NREMT
Practice Director
Texas Oncology

Panelists:

Stephen Love
President & CEO
DFW Hospital Council

George Roberts Jr., FACHE
CEO
Northeast Texas Public Health District

Mandie Watson BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Executive Director
Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council

Speakers’ Bios:

Mr. Stephen Love is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council which promotes collaboration, cooperation, and advocacy on behalf of its 90 member hospitals. The Hospital Council also has approximately 100 Associate Members (business and industry), including prominent accounting, legal and consulting firms. The primary mission is to drive evidence-based improvement in patient care and health equity in North Texas. He was the United Nations Association Award Winner in 2018 for Global Goals. He served as 2015 Chair for the Conference of Metropolitan and Regional Hospitals Association in the United States. He received the 2020 D CEO’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Dallas Medical Society’s Millard J. and Robert L. Health Award for a non-physician providing outstanding leadership to the community. He previously served on the Children at Risk Board for North Texas, Southwest Region Board for the American Heart Association, and the Chair for the March of Dimes Walk for Babies Campaign, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Dallas, and Cure Glaucoma Foundation Advisory Board. He serves on the Southwest Transplant Alliance for organ transplants; North Texas Eye Research Institute; the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors and received the 2024 Theodore P. Beasley Distinguished Leadership Award in 2024; the Board of Directors of Prism Health North Texas and the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He was the Chair for the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber for 2024-2025. Mr. Love has worked in healthcare management for over 50 years. He has demonstrated leadership in tax exempt, investor-owned, specialty and private hospitals in operations, finance, and corporate governance. Prior to joining the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, Mr. Love was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a Fortune 500 healthcare company that owned over 50 hospitals and managed approximately 200 facilities in the United States.

George T. Roberts, Jr., has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health) since November 2006. Services provided by NET Health include Community Outreach, Disease Surveillance, Environmental Health, Immunization, Tuberculosis Control, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Regional Laboratory, Vital Statistics, and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program. The Health District primarily serves Tyler and Smith County but also provides some services in 21 counties in East Texas. The WIC Program serves a 20 county area and Public Health Preparedness serves a 7 county region.

Mr. Roberts has over 40 years of health care experience, the majority of which was spent in hospital administration, having previously served at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, and Henderson Memorial Hospital in Henderson, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from SMU in Dallas and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), and he currently serves on the Board of the East Texas ACHE Chapter. He is a member of the Board of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, the Texas Health Institute, Carter BloodCare, Mosaic Counseling, the Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council, and the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. He is Past President of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Texas Association of City and County Health Officials (TACCHO), and the Past Chairman of the Texas Health Institute. Mr. Roberts is active in a number of church, community, and statewide efforts. Mr. Roberts has been married to his wife Leslie for 37 years, and they have 2 children – Claire (32) and Travis (27).

Travis S. Walters, MHA, NREMT, is a healthcare leader committed to leaving this world better than he found it. He serves as Practice Director for multi-site oncology operations in East Texas with Texas Oncology, where he works closely with physicians, nurses, and hospital partners to improve cancer care availability, reduce wait times, and expand services closer to where patients live.

Throughout his career, Walters has focused on building programs that serve both patients and the professionals who care for them. His experience includes developing new oncology clinics and service lines, supporting clinical research access, and collaborating with regional hospitals to strengthen coordinated care across communities. Earlier in his career, he led emergency medical transportation services for a multi-hospital system and helped improve financial sustainability while maintaining reliable emergency response coverage.

Walters earned his Master of Healthcare Administration from Texas A&M University and remains connected to frontline care as a emergency room technician. In 2006 Travis was named Time Magazine’s person of the year. He is passionate about developing future leaders and ensuring healthcare organizations remain responsive to the communities they serve.

Amanda “Mandie” Watson, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, is the Executive Director of the Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council and an accomplished nurse leader with more than 20 years of experience in perinatal services, quality improvement, and maternal-child health.

Nationally certified in Inpatient Obstetrics with a subspecialty in Electronic Fetal Monitoring, Mandie has extensive expertise in women’s and children’s services, policy development, performance improvement, and maternal safety initiatives. She previously served as Director of Women’s & Children’s Services at Paris Regional Health, where she led Labor & Delivery, Newborn Nursery, and Postpartum services and advanced perinatal quality efforts through education, training, and process improvement.

She has also served in regional leadership roles supporting maternal levels of care designation and perinatal collaboration across Northeast Texas. Mandie is recognized for her commitment to improving outcomes for mothers and newborns and for strengthening systems of care through collaborative leadership.

Earlier this year, Mandie and her family relocated to Tyler to be closer to her daughter, who also resides in the area. The move aligned with Mandie’s desire to expand her healthcare leadership opportunities. She is married to Justin, a paramedic with 25 years of service who works for the Hopkins County Hospital District.

Mandie Watson now serves as Executive Director of the Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council, providing executive leadership for regional healthcare preparedness, emergency response coordination, and organizational strategy across Trauma Service Area G (RAC-G). In this role, she oversees daily operations, staff leadership, board relations, financial stewardship, compliance, and community engagement to ensure the organization remains responsive, mission-driven, and accountable to its stakeholders.

With extensive senior leadership experience, Mandie brings strengths in strategic planning, governance, program oversight, and partnership development. She works closely with healthcare providers, EMS agencies, hospitals, donors, community partners, and public- and private-sector leaders to strengthen regional collaboration and support effective emergency preparedness initiatives.

Known for her results-oriented and collaborative leadership style, Mandie is committed to building strong teams, advancing organizational excellence, and fostering meaningful relationships that improve services and benefit the communities served.