Our Leadership
Ed H. Cooper, Jr., MS, CHE
President and Chief Executive Officer
ecooper@acuityhealthcare.net
Ed is a healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of hospital management. He founded Acuity Healthcare in 2001. In 1996, Ed also co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of NextCARE Hospitals, Inc., a privately held company that developed and operated specialty hospitals in seven states. Prior to NextCARE Hospitals, Ed served in various positions of increasing responsibility in acute care and specialty hospitals.
Ed holds a Bachelor of Science from Wichita State University and a Masters in Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston – Clear Lake.
“What sets Acuity apart is that every day, through commitment and care, we live out our Guiding Principles of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in all we do.”
Richard L. Cassady, CPA, MBA
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
rcassady@acuityhealthcare.net
Richard is a uniquely qualified and dedicated senior healthcare executive with broad experience in all aspects of healthcare financial operations. He joined Acuity in 2003 after serving as the Chief Executive Officer of a large inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Texas. Prior to that experience he served as the regional Chief Financial Officer for rehabilitation and LTACH hospitals in Texas. Richard has held senior financial management positions with a large healthcare company in Virginia and Florida. He has also served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer for a behavioral healthcare company based in Charleston, South Carolina for several years.
Prior to entering hospital financial management, Richard served as Chief Financial Officer of a large multi-specialty physician group in central Florida. He began his healthcare financial management career after serving several years in public accounting. Richard holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting & Computer Information Systems and a Masters in Business Administration in Accounting from Florida Southern College.
Edward Hamaty, DO
Chief Medical Officer, Acuity Healthcare, LP
Chief Medical Officer of Acuity Specialty Hospital of Southern New Jersey, Pulmonary Director at Acuity Specialty Hospital of New Jersey
Dr. Edward Hamaty is an esteemed pulmonary and critical care specialist. His expertise and knowledge align well with Acuity’s mission of treating medically complex and critically ill patients. Since 2005, Dr. Hamaty serves as the chief medical officer of Acuity Specialty Hospital of Southern New Jersey. Since 2011, he also serves as the director of pulmonary program at Acuity Specialty Hospital of New Jersey. During his three decades in medicine, Dr. Hamaty has held appointments at many of the leading hospitals in South Jersey and Philadelphia and continues to serve on the Board of Directors at Acuity Healthcare.
Dr. Hamaty earned Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry, graduating cum laude, and biology from the University of Pittsburgh. He attended medical school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, becoming a Doctor of Osteopathy. He graduated first in his class of 122 and was named Valedictorian. Dr. Hamaty is board certified in internal medicine, medical diseases of the chest (pulmonary), and critical care medicine.
Judy K. Weaver, R.N., M.B.A., B.S.N.
Vice President, Clinical Quality and Chief Clinical Officer
Chief Executive Officer of Acuity Specialty Hospital of Ohio Valley
jweaver@acuityhealthcare.net
Judy Weaver is a compassionate and accomplished healthcare leader with over 38 years of experience in all facets of healthcare services, management, supervision, administrative duties, finances, direct patient care and public relations. Judy joined Acuity Healthcare in 2007. She currently serves a dual role as the Vice President, Clinical Quality and Chief Clinical Officer and the Interim Chief Executive Office for Acuity Specialty Hospital of Ohio Valley.
Prior to joining Acuity Healthcare, she served in many roles for Kindred Healthcare to include facility Chief Operating Officer; Chief Executive Officer and Regional Director Clinical Operations. She also served as the Director of Nursing for Vencor Hospital; Project Coordinator, Allegheny General Hospital and Nurse Manager, Medical Intensive Care Unit Allegheny General Hospital. Judy holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California University at the University of Pennsylvania and an Executive MBA from Madison University.
Gwen Babson, RN, JD, CRN-A, CRN-C, CPC-H
Vice President, Compliance and Risk Management
gbabson@acuityhealthcare.net
Gwen is a licensed Attorney and a licensed Registered Nurse with more than 20 years of progressive nursing experience in critical care, healthcare management, education, and compliance. She teaches medical coding for Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC, a program she helped develop, and also teaches courses in health policy and law and ethics in the RN to BSN program at Mount Olive College.
Gwen holds undergraduate degrees in Nursing and Healthcare Business Administration. She is a Certified Professional Coder and Auditor. She received a law degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham where she focused in Health law and Bioethics.
Stephen Clayton, MHA, CPC, CRCR, CSMC
Vice President, Revenue Cycle and Managed Care
sclayton@acuityhealthcare.net
Stephen is responsible for the oversight of Patient Access, Managed Care, Health Information Management, Billing, Collections, Charge Master and Charge Capture operations. He has over 20 years of experience in revenue cycle operations and information technology implementations in both hospitals and physician networks. He directs many successful revenue cycle operations improvement initiatives and leads several managed care contracting negotiations to achieve strategic goals.
Stephen is a Certified Professional Coder and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellow, he earned his Masters of Health Care Administration Degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Department of Public Health Sciences. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American Health Information Management Association.
Joanne Tyo, CFO
Vice President, Hospital Finance
jtyo@acuityhealthcare.net
Joanne Tyo is Vice President of Hospital Finance of Acuity Healthcare. She has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare management. She joined Acuity in 2003, and has served as CFO for several of our hospitals. Prior to joining Acuity, she has held financial management roles in a multi-specialty physician group and with a large acute-care facility in North Carolina.
Joanne acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting at Belmont Abbey College. She started her career in healthcare in the business office of a large healthcare company. She worked her way through all aspects of accounting and successfully worked her way up to management positions. She served as Treasurer on the board of the local high school orchestra for a two year term.
Jody Sayre, CPA, MBA
Vice President, Corporate Finance
jsayre@acuityhealthcare.net
Jody is responsible for and oversees all aspects of the finance and accounting functions within the company. She brings more than 12 years of experience and leadership to her role. Prior to joining the Acuity team, she served as the Director of Finance and Administration for a healthcare billing and management company. She has significant experience working with human resources, healthcare billing, information technology and compliance.
Jody is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance from the College of Charleston and a MBA, Accounting from Winthrop University. She is a member of the NC Association of CPAs, AICPA, Healthcare Financial Management Association and Health Care Compliance Association.
J. Kevin Williams
Vice President, Information Systems
kwilliams@acuityhealthcare.net
Kevin has been a part of the Acuity team for more than 7 years. His previous engagements include IBM, Meharry Medical College and interim CIO for the Housing Authority of New Orleans. He holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Fordham University and an MS in Information Systems from the University of Texas at Arlington. His certifications include NextGen Direct Messaging (Mirth), CHP and CSCS. He is also a member of PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), who provides equine assisted activity and therapy programs in the United States. He is an active volunteer with PATH facilities.
John Baron
Vice President, Operations Support
jbaron@acuityhealthcare.net
John joined Acuity Healthcare in May, 2018, after 14 years in healthcare senior leadership. He is recognized for his creativity, problem solving skills and collaborative management approach. He has been a driving force in his previous roles and has demonstrated a track record of success. John graduated from the State University of New York and resides with his family in Clearwater, Florida.
Maria Ciro, SPHR
Vice President, Human Resources
mciro@acuityhealthcare.net
Maria is responsible for all disciplines of Acuity Healthcare’s Human Resources including recruitment and onboarding, compensation and benefits, payroll, employee relations and workers compensation. She works collaboratively with the Acuity Healthcare leadership and clinical teams inspiring them to have a more universal approach to managing employee performance and development.
With a Bachelor’s of Science in Hospitality and Institutional Management from Pennsylvania State University, Maria began her career in the Atlantic City casino industry. She has focused her career on healthcare and education. She also works as an adjunct professor of General Management and Human Resources at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Lisa Bien
Vice President, Communications
lbien@acuityhealthcare.net
Lisa Bien brings more than 25 years of communications expertise to the Acuity Healthcare communications and leadership team. In her role, Lisa is responsible for all internal and external communication needs of the company and for increasing the visibility of Acuity Healthcare, its hospitals, subsidiaries and affiliates in the marketplace.
She is an alumna of Temple University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She continued her studies and received a Masters of Education from Holy Family University. Currently, Lisa is an adjunct professor in Temple’s journalism department and a lecturer for The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.