Kettering College Recognizes Outstanding Alumni
2009 Rising Star Award Joseph J. Konys Physician Assistant Studies ‘02
Gregory Henderson and Joseph Konys receive Alumni Association top honors Two outstanding Kettering College of Medical Arts alumni were recognized with Distinguished Alumni Awards at a dinner held in their honor on Thursday, Oct. 8, at NCR Country Club. Gregory C. Henderson, president of Greene Memorial Hospital, was named the Kettering College Alumnus of the Year. Joseph J. Konys, business manager for the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Surgical Innovation, received this year’s Rising Star Award. Among those present to support this year’s winners were past award winners, honorary alumni, College founders, and administrators of Kettering Health Network and the College.
^ Joseph Konys and Charles Scriven
The Distinguished Alumni Awards are the highest honors bestowed by the Kettering College Alumni Association. They recognize graduates for their professional achievements, contributions to society and support of the College. The ^ Gregory Henderson and Charles Scriven Alumnus(a) of the Year Award recognizes lifetime achievement and has been awarded to twenty-five alumni since 1987. The Rising Star Award recognizes recent graduates who have accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time and demonstrate potential. Started in 2006, it’s been awarded to five alumni.
2009 Alumnus of the Year Radiologic Technology ’71
^ Gregory Henderson with Fred Manchur (left), president of Kettering Health Network, and Dave
Weigley (right), president of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
From 1977 to 1982, Henderson was director of diagnostic imaging. He established a health care consulting firm, Henderson & Associates, in 1982, and for eight years, he was the sole proprietor and principal consultant, providing strategies and concepts to leaders in health care and business. He also served as a trustee for six years on a hospital board. From 1990 to 1998 Henderson worked at San Joaquin Community Hospital, an Adventist hospital in Bakersfield, Calif., holding various leadership positions before taking the role of chief operating officer in 1996. In 1997, he completed his master’s in health care administration at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif. In 1998, Henderson once again opened his own health care and management consulting firm, the Henderson Group, in Denver. For four years, he continued to assist various physician groups and hospital 10
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KETTERING COLLEGE OF MEDICAL ARTS
His concentration in physician assistant studies was a significant change in course from his previous work; a decade before, he’d earned a bachelor’s in mortuary science, and he spent the next 10 years as a funeral director.
During that time, Konys had also earned an associate’s degree in nursing from James A. Rhodes State College in 1997. Since graduating from Kettering College, he has gone on to earn a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska and is in his final year of a master’s in health services administration from Xavier University. Joseph Konys with his wife, Shelly, and family. ^
^ Physician assistant department chair Sue Wulff, Joseph Konys, and Millie Roach, PA faculty.
networks in business, construction management, finance, and feasibility studies. Henderson served as senior executive officer of Southview Hospital from 2002 to 2009, providing leadership for all of Southview Hospital and Southview Women’s Center. He is currently the president of Greene Memorial Hospital.
Gregory C. Henderson
Greg Henderson graduated in 1971 with a degree in radiologic technology. Six months after taking his first job as a staff technologist in a 275-bed hospital, he was promoted to department head, a position he held for almost three years until he decided to pursue additional education. Continuing to work part time at a private hospital in Paradise, Calif., Henderson completed a bachelor’s degree in health care administration and education through Oregon Institute of Technology in 1977.
Joseph Konys graduated summa cum laude from Kettering College in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in health professions.
Henderson serves on numerous boards and committees including the National Conference for Community and Justice, the South Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Washington Township visual improvement program, and the Spring Valley Academy fundraising committee. He’s a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has volunteered with the David Fulcher All Pro Sports Football Camp since 2005. He’s also the presiding head deacon at the Kettering Seventh-day Adventist Church. Henderson lives in Centerville, Ohio, with his wife, Rose. He has two children and two grandsons. His interests include golf, travel, hiking, family, hhvculinary arts, and motorcycles.
In 2002, after graduation from Kettering College, Konys went into the cardiothoracic surgery program in the surgery department of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. His duties included assisting in cardiac and thoracic surgeries, as well as pre- and post-operative patient management. In addition to his clinical duties, Konys is a member of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Professional Standards Review Board and the University Hospital credentialing review committee; he’s also an instructor for the clinical skills lab in the UC College of Medicine and a preceptor for Kettering College’s physician assistant studies surgical rotations. In 2007, Konys was selected manager for mid-level providers in the department of surgery, and in 2008, he was named the business manager for the Center for Surgical Innovation. Konys is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Medical Practice Executives, and the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Joseph and his wife, Shelly Hodges-Konys, have twin sons, Evan and Trent, who are 22 months old.
K E T T E R I N G C O L L E G E O F M E D I C A L A RT S
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