SMI (Westborough, MA) announced that effective February 1, 2021, Tom Hughes will become SMI executive director, emeritus. Jane Pleasants will assume the leadership role of SMI executive director. She will become the new executive director of SMI on February 1, following her retirement after many years as VP of supply chain for Duke Health.
“As an SMI founder, long serving member on the board of directors, board chair-elect and current chairman of the board she is a highly visible member of the SMI community and is also the recipient of the Bellwether League’s Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership,” SMI said in a press release.
Tom Hughes has held the position of executive director of SMI for 16 years after a long-standing career in healthcare. Under his leadership, SMI has grown to over 130 member organizations which represent the nation’s top providers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and innovators like Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Abbott, Kaiser Permanente, Ascension and Amazon.
Steve Gundersen, VP and general manager of BD, a founding member of SMI and chair-elect said, “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jane and Tom for many years. Both are visionaries who have had a profound impact improving supply chain processes for clinicians and patients. Tom’s countless contributions will be felt throughout the healthcare supply chain industry for years to come. Jane’s willingness to listen, connect and contribute make her uniquely qualified to be the next leader of SMI. It has been an honor to know them both as colleagues and dear friends. I am excited for this next new chapter for Jane, Tom and SMI.”