David R. Lincoln, president and CEO of Covenant Health Systems Inc., in Lexington, Mass., is the 2009 chair of the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Section for Health Care Systems, a constituency section representing health systems across the country that provide guidance in AHA's policy development and governance.

During his one-year term as chair, Lincoln and the 23-person governing council will work with the AHA to identify ways to define and focus AHA policy, advocacy, public policy issues and member service strategies regarding health care systems.

As president and CEO of Covenant Health System, Lincoln is responsible for developing and implementing corporate strategies, system integration and operational performance for the System's diverse health and human services, including acute care, assisted living, skilled nursing and elderly housing. Prior to assuming this position in 1989, Lincoln was Covenant's chief operating officer and vice president of planning, having first joined the senior management team of Covenant in 1984. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Covenant.
Before joining Covenant, Lincoln held several senior administrative positions at Memorial Health System and Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind. In those positions, he provided leadership in strategic planning, sales, marketing and new service development. In addition, Lincoln has served as adjunct faculty at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. and the University of Lowell in Lowell, Mass., teaching graduate-level strategic business planning.

Lincoln has served on numerous boards of not-for-profit organizations involved in health care delivery and has prior service to the AHA. He is currently the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Stewardship Trustees of Catholic Health Initiatives. He is a Trustee Emeritus of Catholic Healthcare Partners and served as the first lay-Chairperson of the Corporate Member. He has served as past president of the AHA's Society for Health Care Planning and Marketing. He is a past officer of the Board of Trustees of the New England Healthcare Assembly, is the immediate past Chairperson of Yankee Alliance and is the former Chairperson and Speaker of the Membership Assembly for the Catholic Health Association. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Lincoln received a bachelor's degree and graduated cum laude from Middlebury College in Vermont. He also holds a master's degree in Regional Planning and Health Care Administration from the University of Iowa.

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