About Rural Health Leadership Radio™
Rural Health Leadership Radio, Inc. (RHLR) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by Bill Auxier, Ph.D. RHLR is in a unique position to impact rural healthcare at a very fundamental level.
Over the past ten years, over 100 rural hospitals have closed their doors. Roughly one in three rural hospitals have been identified as “at risk.” If there was ever a need for strong leadership, that time is now. Rural Health Leadership Radio™ provides a forum for conversations, learning and research, to assist rural health leaders in becoming more effective leaders. We provide a forum for rural health leaders to discuss and share what ideas are working, what is not working, lessons learned, success stories, strategies, things to avoid and anything else relating to rural health leadership.
Our Mission:
Improving the world by engaging rural health leaders in conversations, learning and research.
About Your Host: Bill Auxier, PhD
Coming from humble beginnings, Bill Auxier grew up in the rural Midwest, an area of high unemployment and limited economic activity. Bill started working at the local hospital as a nurse’s aid prior to graduating from high school. This was his introduction into the world of healthcare.
Bill went on to make a career on the industry side of health care in medical devices and medical services, working his way up to the C-suite when he was named CEO of a global surgical device manufacturer.
Simultaneously, while building his career, Bill continued with his education. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, he went on to earn a Master of Arts in Communication and a Doctorate in Leadership.
Bill has used his combined real-world experience and academic training to found Bill Auxier Healthcare Executive Coaching and the Dynamic Leadership Academy, an organizations utilizing unique leadership training techniques to assist healthcare leaders in becoming the leaders that they want to be.
Bill is a contributing author to the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Masters of Success and author of To Lead, Follow, his first solo publication that earned Amazon Bestseller status and an eLit Book Award.
RHLR Board of Directors
Sarah Huling, B.S. ARRT, ARDMS, NRHA 2017 Fellow, MBA in Rural Healthcare 2019
Sarah comes from the trenches, a self-help junkie with X-ray vision and ultrasonic super-tech powers. Her rural roots originate from the coal mines of West Virginia to the suburban sprawl of the Willamette Valley, and back to where “the mountains meet the sea,” the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, where she currently resides. Sarah’s original intent was to help for a year in a modest isolated rural logging community, and that one year has turned into 15. Forks, WA, was put on the global map as “the Logging Capital of the World” in the 1970s. Recently, it is more known for the famous “Twilight” saga. The community’s hospitality, grit, self-sufficiency and “can-do” attitude inspire Sarah to be an advocate for rural health. Sarah is constantly striving to enhance her skill set to lead the future of rural health in her community and set a high standard for healthcare.
Joy Williams
Joy grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, surrounded by horses and cows and farmland. Her interest in gardening and rustic living came from her dad who would grow carrots, cucumbers and other foods. She remembers him teaching her how to read as a young child.
After high school, she wanted to see other parts of the world. She completed her undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and traveled to Mali, to Cuba, to Costa Rica and other countries, studying the language, culture, and dance. She received a Fulbright Scholarship to Colombia in 2005. When she returned, she decided to pursue a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She’s also earned another Masters Degree in Dance Choreography from the University of Carolina in Greensboro and just completed almost six years working with a faith-based organization improving health capacity in rural areas.
What is next in her life is writing a book about faith and patient advocacy and a Masters of Divinity at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.
Nikki King
Nikki King was born and raised in the coalfields of Southeastern Kentucky. Prior to working in the healthcare industry, she worked for the Center of Business and Economic Research studying models of sustainability in rural communities with a single economic engine. In 2017, Nikki graduated from Xavier University with a Masters degree in Health Services Administration. She has been working at Margaret Mary Health since 2015, occupying roles as both a Healthcare Data Analyst exploring ways to improve quality of care, as well as currently managing the Behavioral Health and Addiction Services department. In addition to her role at Margaret Mary, Nikki is also pursuing her Doctorate degree in Healthcare Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina where she is researching mental health quality outcome metrics and global payment systems. She currently serves on the Indiana Rural Health Association’s Board of Directors, the National Rural Health Association’s Policy Congress, as well as the Rural Health Leadership Radio Board of Directors.
Dallas Martin
Dallas currently works in Compliance for TriHealth in Cincinnati, OH. He grew up in the Northern Kentucky area, graduating from the University of Louisville in 2013, with a degree in Justice Administration. From there he went to law school at the University of Kentucky College of Law, graduating from that program in 2016. Dallas made the transition into healthcare as a Margaret Mary Health Administrative Fellow from 2016-2018, while also serving as the hospital’s legal counsel. At the conclusion of his Fellowship he joined TriHealth in an effort to help the organization overhaul its Compliance Department from the ground up. Dallas is a co-author of the National Rural Health Association Policy, “Health Disparities: Closing the gaps using Faith-Based Institutions,” along with fellow board members Joy Williams and Nikki King.