A. Michael LaPenna

Mike La Penna started his career in health care as an emergency medical technician still in high school. He has worked in a number of support roles within the health care field during his college years while earning a B.A. in Economics from Western Michigan University. After a stint as a faculty member at a community college in Michigan, he became the Executive Director for the Southwest Michigan Emergency Medical Services Agency which developed and coordinated pre-hospital care and emergency services for an eight county region.

He has been a hospital administrator and he has managed health care programs that range from ambulatory care and outreach services to health care co-operatives and shared service corporations. His volunteer work includes serving as the Board Chair of the American Red Cross Kalamazoo Chapter, the Chairman of the Kalamazoo County Overall Economic Development Council, and co-founding that region's American Heart Association Chapter.

Mike holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a specialty interest in Health Care Administration from the University of Chicago. His health care consulting firm, The La Penna Group, was founded in 1986 and serves hospital and physician group clients across the country. The firm also has developed a number of ambulatory care sites and service models for health systems as well as for industry and municipal clients.

He is regularly called upon to speak at national meetings regarding the healthcare industry and on financial issues affecting health care providers and their relationships with business and industry. He is a routine contributor to publications like Medical Economics and Crain's and he has been quoted in Modern Healthcare, the Wall Street Journal and numerous other national publications.