Senior Leadership Team
Walter J. Ramos, J.D., President
An accomplished health care executive, Walter Ramos brings a wealth of direct experience from several sectors of today’s health care industry to his post as president of Carney Hospital.
In his most recent capacity, Ramos served as the president and CEO of DotHouse Health, a multidisciplinary community health center and social services organization located in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
Immediately prior to DotHouse, Ramos served as the vice president of operations with the Massachusetts Hospital Association. In this capacity, he directed key functions for the association, including education, finance, human resources, information technology and building and office services.
Ramos' health care industry experience also includes having served as the chief administrator with the Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, a $1 billion Medicaid Managed Care Organization, where he directed the organization’s daily operations. While he was with HealthNet, Ramos established critical processes and operating dashboards for tracking the health plan’s quality and operating performance.
Ramos also held the senior post of director of administration with the Boston Public Health Commission, where he oversaw the operations, property management, finance, human resources, security and labor relations functions for the 1,200-employee public health department.
Prior to his entrance into health care, Ramos' personal commitment to community led to several senior public service positions, including commissioner for the New Bedford (Massachusetts) Housing Authority, Bristol County Assistant District Attorney, and positions with both Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis’ administration and Senator Edward Kennedy’s staff.
Ramos holds a Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Roger William University in Bristol, Rhode Island and he is a graduate of the Massachusetts Health Leadership College.
Karen Ahearn, RN, MPA, NEA-BC, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Nursing Officer
An experienced nursing leader and hospital executive, Karen Ahearn joined Carney Hospital from Community Medical Center/Barnabas Health System, a 600 bed community hospital in Toms River, New Jersey, where she served as the chief nursing officer. Ahearn’s experience also includes having served as the director of Women and Children’s Services with Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, as well as the director of Nursing with Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey, among other leadership posts.
She holds an MPA in Healthcare Management from Kean University in Union, New Jersey and she earned her BSN with honors from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Nick Samilo, Chief Financial Officer
Nick is an accomplished finance executive with over 20 years experience as a hospital CFO, serving diverse communities across the country. Prior to joining Carney in 2018, Nick served as the CFO of Frisbie Memorial Hospital, an 84-bed hospital in Rochester, New Hampshire after working in hospital finance in the state of Florida for eight years.
Nick earned his Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Finance from the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.
Lawrence Hotes, MD, FACP, FACE, Chief Medical Officer
Lawrence Hotes, MD, brings a wealth of clinical and administrative experience to Carney Hospital.
For the past decade, he has served as the chief medical officer of New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton, Massachusetts and as past president of the New England Sinai Hospital Physician Corporation. He currently serves as a board member and vice president of the National Association of Long Term Hospitals and he led the development of the New England Sinai Hospital satellite facility at Carney Hospital.
Dr. Hotes is a member of the faculty of the Tufts University School of Medicine and a lecturer with the Bouve College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Northeastern University.
Dr. Hotes earned his medical degree from George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC. He completed both his internship and residency at the Boston University Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
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