Martha McGill Honored with Distinguished Alumna Award at VSU

Martha McGill and President Richard A. Carvajal

VALDOSTA — Martha McGill is the recipient of Valdosta State University’s 2017 Distinguished Alumna Award for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

McGill, a native of Tifton, Georgia, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Valdosta State University in 1986. She later earned a Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration from Georgia State University.

“I loved my time at VSU, both while in the nursing program and in pre-nursing classes,” she said. “My instructors were kind, smart, and engaging. I grew up in rural South Georgia and felt an immediate connection to the VSU faculty. I noticed how the faculty genuinely cared about their students and made each and every one feel important. 

“I feel VSU has done an amazing job connecting to the students in a personal way, whether the students are from small rural communities or large urban cities. This is critically important as students seek to find their way through a curriculum towards a career.”

McGill has more than 30 years of clinical operations and executive leadership experience in service line growth and development, program growth and development, margin improvement, physician enterprise management, merger and acquisition integration, and government relations. She joined Nemours, a multi-state pediatric health system, in 2015 and currently serves as its chief of network operations for Florida and enterprise senior vice president. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, she is responsible for building and integrating the company’s network of practice sites and partnerships across Florida.

Prior to joining Nemours, McGill served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Miami Children’s Hospital. She was also responsible for Miami Children’s business development and relationship management with health systems in the greater South Florida region.

Prior to joining Miami Children’s, McGill served as senior vice president and chief operating officer of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. She led the development of the hospital’s service line structure and strategy for growing cardiology, hematology/oncology and solid organ transplant programs, which became among the largest programs of their kind in the nation. McGill also served in a key role with the successful merger and integration of Atlanta’s Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center with Egleston Children’s Hospital, creating one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems. 

Her tenure with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta also included serving as president of Hughes Spalding acute care facility in the inner city, and leading its turnaround and eventual integration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Recognizing the importance of Hughes Spalding to the community it served, McGill developed a 10-year plan to ensure the hospital’s long-term viability and engaged leaders from Fulton County, Grady Memorial Hospital, the Morehouse School of Medicine, and Emory University in ensuring financial and operational targets were met consistently. Eventually, she led the capital campaign to build a replacement hospital, ensuring that vital services remained available for children in the community.

“My nursing degree from VSU provided me with a solid clinical background, which is the basis for my passion and drive as well as the experience necessary to understand the needs of children and the fundamental operations of hospitals,” she said. “My nursing background has ideally prepared me for my career as a leader and advocate for sick children.”

McGill is married with two daughters, and she and her family have made their home in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Distinguished Alumna Award for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, presented each year by the VSU Alumni Association, recognizes an exceptional VSU graduate who has made significant contributions to his or her community. McGill was recognized during Homecoming Week, Oct. 30-Nov. 5.