Cherise M. Bridgwater

Professional Summary

Cherise Bridgwater, MBA, FHFMA, FACHE, is an experienced healthcare administrator, educator and finance professional whose work focuses on healthcare finance, accreditation and leadership development in graduate healthcare management education. She currently serves as director of accreditation and operations and lecturer in Healthcare Finance at Baylor University’s Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership, where she leads joint AACSB/CAHME accreditation efforts, program assessment and experiential learning initiatives. Her professional interests include healthcare financial management, operational performance improvement, accreditation standards and competency-based education.

In addition to her academic leadership, she brings extensive applied experience from senior roles in healthcare operations and investment management, including leading financial and operational turnarounds within healthcare and overseeing strategic investment portfolios. She is actively engaged in national service to the field as a fellow of the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, serving on the Standards and Candidacy Councils and as chair of the Candidacy Council, and as a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Board of Examiners. She is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association and regularly contributes to accreditation activities, professional development and mentoring within the healthcare management education community. 

Education 

• 2010 – MBA, Healthcare Administration, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
• 2004 – BA, Finance, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Courses 

• HPA 5380 – Healthcare Finance
• HPA 5180 – Healthcare Finance Lab
• HPA 5V90 – Healthcare Administration Internship
• BUS 5V98 – Introduction to Healthcare Finance
• BUS 5V98 – Fundamentals of Business

Research Interests 

• Leadership development and experiential learning in healthcare management
• Accreditation, assessment, and quality improvement in healthcare education
• Healthcare financial management and sustainability

Work Experience

• Director, Accreditation and Operations, Baylor University | Robbins Institute for Health Policy and Leadership (February 15, 2016 - Present)
• Vice President, Investments, North American Corporation (April 16, 2015 - Present)
• Manager of Operations and Financial Analysis, Baylor Scott & White Health (June 9, 2009 - April 15, 2015)
• Consultant, Purdue University (July 1, 2008 - August 31, 2008)
• Contract Analyst, Purdue University (September 1, 2005 - December 31, 2007)
• Financial Analyst, Department of Management and Budget (July 1, 2004 - July 31, 2005)