Ninfa M. Saunders

Ninfa M. Saunders dedicated her career to defying the status quo. From her early days as a bedside nurse through her 25+ years as a C-suite healthcare executive, she maintained a laser focus on strategy, operations and people while optimizing patient care and enhancing the bottom line.

As President and CEO of Navicent Health in Macon, Georgia, Ninfa transformed the hospital into a regional referral center through acquisitions, partnerships, new service lines and a strategic alliance with 30+ hospitals. In 2019, she orchestrated a merger with Charlotte-based Atrium Health to position Navicent for future growth. Previously, as President and COO of Virtua Health, Ninfa powered annual net revenue to $1B while steering the organization to become the largest system in South Jersey.

Throughout her career, Ninfa lived the mantra her parents instilled in her at a young age: “Leave a place and people better than when you found them.” In recognition of her exceptional leadership, she has received 25+ industry awards, including Modern Healthcare’s “Top 25 Women Leaders in the US” and “Top 25 Minority Leaders in Healthcare.” In 2020, she was honored with the American Hospital Association’s “Board of Trustees Award” for her work as past chair of its Institute for Diversity.

Since retiring from Navicent in 2020, Ninfa now focuses exclusively on corporate board service. Currently, she sits on the boards of T2 Biosystems, a publicly traded diagnostic laboratory company; Medical Brain, a private AI/ML virtual platform start-up; Avia, a private digital transformation enterprise; and Laudio, a privately held tech start-up that develops employee engagement solutions. Her non-profit board affiliations include CVS/Aetna’s Health Advisory Board and Jefferson Health’s President’s Leadership Council.

Ninfa’s dual background as a CEO and COO informs her ability to formulate and execute innovative strategies, as well as pivot business models to meet changing economic conditions. She is passionate about leveraging her broad expertise to help corporate boards define “smart growth” strategies that are profitable, sustainable and add shareholder value.