“I grew up thinking I wanted to be a physician,” says Bill Manns, who worked in Michigan’s Wayne County morgue as a teenager to gain experience toward that goal. However, when he landed an internship through the University of Michigan’s Summer Enrichment Program—a program that pairs undergrads with healthcare administrators—his path suddenly changed. “I knew I didn’t want to go back to the morgue,” he recalls. Instead, Manns earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology and master’s degree in health-services administration from Michigan. Today, he is president and CEO of Bronson Healthcare, the largest employer and leading health system in southwest Michigan, overseeing a full range of services from primary care to critical care across more than 100 locations including four inpatient hospitals with 737 beds. Manns joined Bronson in 2020 after nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare leadership: President of St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor & Livingston; President of Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Grand Rapids; Chief Operating Officer of Alameda Health System (Oakland, Calif.); and Chief Operating Officer of Ascension Providence Hospital (Southfield, Mich.). In addition to his healthcare background, he is experienced in LEAN and Six Sigma. Manns is a member of the National Association of Healthcare Executives and the American College of Healthcare Executives and was appointed by the Governor of Michigan to the state’s Public Health Advisory Council.