Rowena Buffett Timms has joined the Board of Directors of the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation.
Timms joined The Queen’s Health System (QHS) in January 2020 as its Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, she serves as a strategic advisor and trusted counsel to the CEO and other Executive Vice Presidents; leads QHS’ communications, external affairs, volunteer, and marketing programs; develops and oversees impactful legislative strategies at the local, state and federal levels; oversees the community benefit and investment programs; and leads the fund development program.
While at QHS, Rowena has elevated the communications strategies for the Board of Trustees, elected officials, employees and the media, improving the active engagement of these key constituencies. She led the planning and implementation for effective communications around important system programs such StandOut, Safe and Reliable, and the Ohana to Ohana emergency financial assistance program for employees. Ms. Timms also serves as the executive sponsor for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Community Health Needs Assessment, workplace safety, and nursing union negotiations.
Additionally, Ms. Timms facilitates effective relationships and promotes QHS’ mission, programs, services and leadership. Through her efforts, QHS’ CEO was named one of the nation’s 50 Most Influential Physician Executives by Modern Healthcare in 2021. Her leadership and communications expertise also were instrumental during QHS’ three-party Affiliation Agreement with The University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine and University Health Partners, an innovative partnership that will enhance education and training for the next generation of health care professionals and improve care delivery models for the residents of Hawaii.
Before joining QHS, Ms. Timms served as the Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations for Mission Health in Asheville, North Carolina, a $2 billion, 12,000-employee health system comprised of six hospitals, multiple ambulatory care facilities, an 800+ provider group practice, a $100+ million post-acute provider, and related services. As an executive of this Top 15 Health System (by IBM Watson Health, six of seven years 2012-2018), she led Mission’s legislative affairs, public policy strategies, national media and crisis management.
Prior to Mission Health, Ms. Timms gained more than a decade of healthcare senior leadership experience including serving as Vice President of Public Policy and Partnerships for CaroMont Health (Gastonia, NC) and as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Foundation for Bon Secours Health System (Greenville, SC).
Ms. Timms holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University and a master’s degree in Strategic Public Relations & Policy from The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. She is the 4th JSM Director from outside the Washington Metropolitan Area, joining Directors from New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas.