Terry Owen learned the value of education at his daddy's knees, by helping him as a bricklayer at an age so young he couldn't recall the first time on a job site. Even after learning the trade and working on job sites to pay his way through West Liberty State College (now West Liberty University) near Wheeling, W.V., just across the border from his native western Pennsylvania, and earning a master's of health administration degree from Loma Linda University, and then beginning a career in healthcare administration in 1983, Owen continued to pursue higher education.

 

While working by day at a hospital in Nashville, Tenn., Owen studied law at night, earning a jurisprudence degree from the Nashville School of Law at the age of 38.

 

"I had this hair-brained idea to go to law school when I was in my thirties," said Owen, senior vice president of Florida Hospital Orlando. "I really benefitted from such a wonderful educational experience, and was blessed to have the support of my family and employer. I have such a great appreciation and respect for those who hold full-time jobs and pursue advanced careers. Adult education is so very important."

 

After being involved in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) since the early 1980s, Owen was recently recognized as a Fellow in the nation's leading professional society for healthcare leaders. To obtain Fellow status, Owen fulfilled multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional and community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.

 

"Because healthcare management ultimately affects the people in our communities, it's critically important to have a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization," said ACHE president and CEO Thomas C. Dolan. "By becoming an ACHE Fellow and simultaneously earning board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders can show that they're committed to providing high-quality service to their patients and community."

 

Owen said he never thought he'd obtain a law degree and achieve Fellow status. "My mother and father always believed in education, though neither had a high school education," he said. "They always pushed my siblings and me. I feel really blessed and grateful to have had a chance to do it."

 

After serving as president and CEO of Emory-Adventist Hospital in Atlanta, Ga., Owen joined Florida Hospital in 2000, where he initially served six years as COO of the Florida Hospital-Seminole Division, which includes the Altamonte and Apopka campuses. He was promoted to senior vice president of the 7-hospital system, with more than 2,100 beds, that admits more patients annually than any other hospital in the United States, and is the largest provider of Medicare services.

 

In his leadership post, Owen is responsible for managing operations for ambulatory and system services. He also provides executive leadership in several areas, including continuum of care, physician employment strategies, leadership development and the Translational Research Institute.

 

"We work hard to add value to continuum of care," said Owen. "We are given such a sacred trust in the healthcare profession, and we have an opportunity to always to do our best and continually improve. The new healthcare reform provides another set of ways to do things better for our community, to continue to do better in a collaborative way between providers to improve the overall health and wellbeing of the community so that people may enjoy a high performance, interactive life."

 

When asked the most challenging aspect of his role during a time of unprecedented change in the healthcare industry, Owen paused.

 

"Time management is always an issue, maintaining a balance in life because the needs are great and hours are few," he said. "The work is intellectually challenging—figuring out ways to continually think differently, creatively and innovatively around healthcare."

 

Pursuing the Fellow designation process began several years ago, as Owen recognized changes brewing in the delivery of healthcare.

 

"Even before I began my healthcare administration career, I got involved as a student member," he said. "The highest level of achievement in the organization is Fellow status. Throughout my career, it was something I wanted to do, and I realized I was at a point to complete that step."

 

Active in the local community, Owen is a member of the Red Cross Regional Board, Barry University School of Law Advisory Board, and the Board of Directorsfor the Orange County Central Florida Research Park, established to accelerate research to commercialization. "Joe Wallace is the longtime executive director of the research park, and has led it to great success," said Owen. "Additional stimulus was provided to move the research park to the Navy base that closed years ago, and is a fascinating story in itself."

 

Owen beams when discussing family life. His wife of 31 years, Sussi, was born in Ethiopia when her dad was a missionary doctor there. They have three grown sons, two daughters-in-law, and a 19-month-old granddaughter. "When our youngest went to college, my wife decided to go back and finish her nursing degree, which she completed in December 2008 at Florida Hospital College," he said.

 

Their oldest son, Erik, is an emergency room physician completing his residency in Connecticut. The middle child, Jonathan, has a master's degree in business; he and his wife met at Florida Hospital in the accounting internship program. Austin, the youngest son, is a pre-med student at Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tenn.

 

"Part of my job is to interact with emergency room doctors; they tease me that I learned how to work with them by raising three teenage boys to adulthood," said Owen.