Leadership Team
Dr. Jessie L. Tucker III, FACHE
President & CEO
Dr. Jessie L. Tucker III, FACHE joined the Wayne UNC team as President & CEO in 2020. A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel that progressed from the rank of private, he has over two decades of experience in executive healthcare leadership. Dr. Tucker has a long track record of gains in clinical quality, teammate and physician engagement, financial performance and service line growth.
With a strong focus on improving value and optimizing resources across the enterprise, Dr. Tucker is committed to continually improving outcomes for patients and families by leveraging academic affiliations and innovative wellness options in the communities he has served. Dr. Tucker has a Ph.D. in Administration-Health Services from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed a National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems Fellowship. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management from Bowie State University, an MBA from Troy State University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.
A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Dr. Tucker is also the 2007 recipient of the ACHE’s Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year. Throughout his career in healthcare, Dr. Tucker has continued to teach, serving most recently as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. He is also a past ACHE Regent and Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education Commissioner.
Dr. Tucker and his wife, Dr. Patricia E. Kennedy-Tucker, live in Goldsboro and they have two children.
Donna Wimberly, RN, MBA/MHA
Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, CNO
Donna Wimberly has been part of Nursing Administration at Wayne UNC for over 25 years, beginning as Assistant VP, Patient Care. Focused on clinical quality and improving the patient experience, Donna launched Wayne UNC’s Patient Experience Department, decreased contract labor by 90% and led nursing to meet and exceed productivity targets. She developed a Clinical Ladder Program for nursing to allow nurses to advance while remaining at the bedside and helped lead efforts to secure Chest Pain Center Accreditation and the Surgical Services Modernization Project.
Donna holds an MBA and a Masters in Healthcare Administration.
William Thoma
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Bill Thoma joined Wayne UNC in 2018, bringing decades of financial leadership experience with expertise in accounting, reimbursement and audit in both health care and insurance. Bill provides technical and managerial support to the Wayne UNC executive team and Board of Directors, promoting and maintaining strong financial controls and monitoring the supporting execution of strategic goals.
A Certified Public Accountant, Bill previously served as Vice President of Finance at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pocono, Pennsylvania. He holds an MBA from DeSales University in Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Rowan University in New Jersey.
Brian Fillipo, MD, MMM, FACP
Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Brian Fillipo joined the Wayne UNC team in 2020, with over 25 years in executive leadership. Responsible for advancing the Mission through relationships with providers and ensuring a collaborative approach to quality, safety and strategic imperatives, Dr. Fillipo has a strong track record of improvements in length of stay, infections, falls, readmissions and other key quality indicators. He also maintains executive responsibility for medical staff affairs, care coordination, quality, safety, performance improvement and graduate medical education.
He has his medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, where he also completed his residency in internal medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association for Physician Leadership.
Allison Wollen, MBA
Vice President of Human Resources
Allison Wollen joined the Wayne UNC executive leadership team in 2019, with two decades of Human Resources and a track record of leading change and developing a culture of patients first and quality health care. Allison brings depth of experience in comprehensive employee engagement and retention strategies and performance metrics across all strategic business units. She has an MBA in Organizational Development and Communications from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York and Bachelor’s degrees in Management Science and Psychology from State University of New York at Geneseo.
Howard Whitfield, OTR/L, MHA
Vice President, Clinical Operations
Part of the Wayne UNC team for over 19 years, Howard Whitfield assumed the role of Vice President, Clinical Operations in 2020, overseeing imaging, pharmacy, wound care, laboratory services and cardiopulmonary services.
Beginning his career as an Occupational Therapist, Howard has risen through the ranks, leading enhancements in the quality of clinical services at Wayne UNC. Howard has a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University and a Masters in Health Care Administration from Pfeiffer University.
Board of Directors
Ken Gerrard, Chair
Samer Kasbari, MD, Vice Chairman
Harold D. Brashear
Kate Daniels
Freeman Hardison
Jessie L. Tucker III, FACHE, CEO
Dimitrios Lintzeris, DO
Bill Pate
Dr. Kevin Cregan
Charles Branson (Branny) Vickory III
Dr. Anthony W. Hamm, DC
Medical Staff Officers
Medical Staff President
Dr. Kevin Cregan, Imaging/Radiology
Medical Staff Vice President
Dr. Joseph Flynn, OBGYN
Medical Staff Secretary/Treasury
Dr. David Chesnutt, Ophthalmology, Pediatric Ophthalmology
