Administrative Profiles

Phone: 561.955.4200 | LMendez@brrh.com

Lincoln S. Mendez is the CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Mr. Mendez has been in this position since July 2019.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Mendez served as CEO of South Miami Hospital for over nine years. Before that, Mr. Mendez held the position of CEO at Doctors Hospital for a total of 14 years. During this period, he was the CEO of HealthSouth Doctors’ Hospital, Inc. for the eight years prior to Baptist Health South Florida’s acquisition of Doctors Hospital in October 2003. Prior to his employment with HealthSouth Doctors’ Hospital, Inc., Mr. Mendez was the Chief Operating Officer at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami, Florida, from 1993 to 1995.

Mr. Mendez holds a master’s degree in Health Administration from Florida International University and both a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee.

Mr. Mendez is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is licensed as a laboratory supervisor and medical technologist from the Florida Department of Professional Regulations. Mr. Mendez currently serves as Past Chairman of the Board of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association. He is currently serving as an alternate for the American Hospital Association Regional Policy board. Mr. Mendez is currently a member of the Orange Bowl Committee, the South Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the Florida International University Council of 100. Mr. Mendez has also served as Adjunct Faculty for the Florida International University graduate program in Health Administration.

Phone: 561.955.5133 | MShikiar@brrh.com

Mindy Shikiar serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She has been with the organization since 2003 and has held various leadership positions including Vice President for Oncology, Ambulatory Services and Business Development.

Prior to joining the Hospital, Mindy served as CEO and COO of Kindred/Vencor Hospital, a long-term acute care facility for critically ill/medically complex patients in Fort Lauderdale. In addition to overall hospital operations, highlights of her Kindred tenure include expanding clinical services with a bariatric surgical program and outpatient plastic surgery, the development/implementation of a sleep laboratory, a hospital-based ethics committee and the redesign of utilization management and discharge planning processes.

Her 28-year healthcare career is comprised of numerous nursing industry positions including that of Nurse Manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Director of Quality and Case Management and Adjunct Professor at Barry University in Miami.

Mindy is a licensed Healthcare Risk Manager, and a former diplomate of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University and her MBA and MSN from the University of Miami.

Phone: 561.955.3889 | cmata@brrh.com

Dr. Mata is an Endocrinologist who practiced clinically for 15 years following completion of her fellowship training. For more than 20 years, Dr. Mata has held various physician leadership positions including Director of Women's Health and Metabolic Services, Project Sponsor for a large integrated physician group EMR Implementation, Chief Medical Officer of a large integrated physician group, Interim Chief Utilization Officer, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Chief Medical Officer - Ambulatory Division, Interim Medical Director of Graduate Medical Education, Medical Director of Informatics and Chief Medical Officer at local institutions including Holy Cross Medical Group, Jackson Memorial Hospital and Palmetto General Hospital.

Dr. Mata completed her Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine degrees at the University of Miami. She completed Internal Medicine and Fellowship training at the University of Miami. Following her clinical training, she completed a Master of Business Administration degree with specialization in Health Administration from the University of Miami. Dr. Mata is a Certified Physician Executive having completed training with the American Association for Physician Leadership.

A board-certified physician, Dr. Mata is affiliated with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Phone: 561.955.4638 | DJaversack@brrh.com

Dawn Javersack is the Chief Financial Officer of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Ms. Javersack has more than 20 years of finance leadership experience in not-for profit hospitals and healthcare systems.

She began her career with the public accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Company, where she served on the audit team of various public and private sector clients. Subsequent to public accounting, Ms. Javersack held progressive financial leadership positions over a 19 year career with a six hospital healthcare system located in Western Pennsylvania.

Over the course of her career, she served as the Director of Finance of a 500 bed community teaching hospital, Chief Financial Officer for a major academic medical center and corporate Vice President of finance. Ms. Javersack also served as the Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a four-hospital public healthcare system in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Ms. Javersack holds both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with honors and Masters of Business Administration degrees from West Virginia University. She is an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Alex Eremia is Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Inc. and its affiliated companies. Mr. Eremia oversees all of the legal affairs of the company. His principal areas of focus are compliance and governance, commercial negotiations, physician practice acquisitions, medical staff matters, government investigations, anti-trust issues, tax-exempt issues, clinical research and laboratory activities, health information privacy and security issues, ACO development, and providing strategic and legal advice to the management team and the board of directors. In addition, Mr. Eremia serves as Corporate Secretary and as the organization’s Chief Risk Officer and is responsible for managing the organization’s employment practices liability.

Prior to joining Boca Regional, Mr. Eremia was Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer for MedStar Health, Inc., a $4 billion, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3) health system comprised of nine hospitals and one of the largest providers of healthcare services in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Mr. Eremia also served as Associate Counsel with the Civil Recoveries Branch in the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During this period, he was also appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia to prosecute healthcare fraud matters.

He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Biopsychology, where he was a Regent’s Scholarship Award Recipient; he received his Juris Doctor from DePaul College of Law, with Certification as a Health Lawyer, and where he was a staff writer on the Journal of Health Law; and he received his LL.M. (Master of Laws, Health Law) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was awarded the LL.M. Fellowship and was the Senior Editor of the Annals of Health Law.

A seasoned professional with nearly thirty years in nursing practice and leadership, Melissa Durbin serves as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Boca Raton Regional Hospital which she assumed in 2013. In this capacity, she is responsible for all nursing and other patient-care functions and services within the organization. Ms. Durbin manages the assessment, planning, coordination, implementation and evaluation of nursing practices on a facility level. She is accountable for ensuring high quality, safe and appropriate nursing care, competency of clinical staff and effective resource management. She also serves as President of the Nursing Consortium of South Florida.

Ms. Durbin joined Boca Regional in 2006 as Executive Director for the Lynn Heart and Vascular Institute and the Hospital’s Critical Care and Emergency Services. Prior to that post, she was Director of Trauma and Critical Care Services at Delray Medical Center.

Ms. Durbin received her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing with an emphasis in Nursing Leadership from Florida Atlantic University.

Phone: 561.955.3586 | TChakurda@brrh.com

Tom Chakurda joined Boca Raton Regional Hospital in July of 2009. In his capacity as Vice President of Marketing and Communications, he oversees all internal and external communications functions including advertising, media relations, print collateral, web development and employee/physician communications.

Since 1999, Mr. Chakurda served as Vice President for Communications at West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS). West Penn Allegheny Health System is a $1.5 billion, integrated health system located in southwest Pennsylvania. The system provides adult and pediatric primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary clinical services for more than 81,000 inpatients and 870,000 outpatients per year.

A native of Pittsburgh, Mr. Chakurda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as Director of Media Relations for Presbyterian-University Hospital and then joined Ketchum Public Relations as a Senior Account Executive. In 1988, Mr. Chakurda joined Allegheny General Hospital and its parent organization as Assistant Vice President for Communications. In 1990, he was promoted to Vice President.

During his career, Mr. Chakurda and departments under his direction have earned over 150 awards and honors for excellence in communications. Included are: six Telly Awards, a Regional Emmy, five Addys, two gold and three platinum Marcom Awards and two American Hospital Association “Touchstone” Awards. In 1994, he was named Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and in 1997 was honored as Pittsburgh’s Bizmark Advertising Executive of the Year.

Mr. Chakurda has served on the board of directors of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, Leadership Pittsburgh and the National Kidney Foundation of the Alleghenies. He is also a member of the Leadership Pennsylvania Class of 1992. Mr. Chakurda has also held seats on the board of directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Life’sWork of Western Pennsylvania and the Roberto Clemente Foundation.

Phone: 561.955.4817 | MRaymond@brrh.com

Mindy Raymond joined BRRH in 1976 and has served as Vice President of Human Resources since 2006. In this role, she is responsible for the overall human resources function, including recruitment and retention, compensation and benefits, employee health and wellness, employee relations and work/life initiatives, employee engagement and advancement of the “One Team. One Mission.” service excellence culture. Additionally, she provides executive oversight for Boca Raton Regional Hosptial’s Center for Lifelong Learning in the delivery of leadership and staff training and development.

Previously, Ms. Raymond was Executive Director of Organizational Development for the Hospital, focusing on leadership development and the establishment of structures, systems and processes within the organization to improve organizational effectiveness. Ms. Raymond has also previously served in other leadership capacities within Administration and Patient and Guest Relations.

Ms. Raymond earned her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Mathematics from Florida Southern College. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Human Resource Association of Palm Beach County.

Ms. Raymond was recognized as a 2016 Power Leader in Human Resources by the South Florida Business Journal and received the Excellence in Human Resource Award 2016 from South Florida Business and Wealth Magazine. Under her leadership, BRRH was named by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare in 2017 and 2018.

Phone: 561.955.3593 | ACole@brrh.com

Amy M. Cole has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership, management and administration. Prior to arriving at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Ms. Cole served as Director of Operations for Physician Practices at the non-profit Summa Health System in Northeast Ohio, where she was responsible for the strategic planning and development of both primary care and specialty groups across a seven-hospital system, growing the hospital-integrated, multispecialty group from eight physicians to over 320 physicians.

Her healthcare experience also includes Administrator for the Department of Neurology at the not-for-profit University Hospitals of Cleveland. In this academic-practice setting, Ms. Cole oversaw the department’s administrative, financial and strategic functions as it related to University Hospitals Health System, Inc., Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and University Hospital Faculty Services.

During her time at OhioHealth, she oversaw its Family Medicine residency program, turning around operations from a highly subsidized group to a profitable entity within the first year of her tenure, enabling the program to more than double in size and expand to a brand-new health center.

A registered nurse in two states, Ms. Cole has served in hospital leadership roles at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Meridia Hillcrest Hospital in Cleveland; as well as Broadfield Manor, a 154-bed geriatric, quadriplegic, extended recovery and MRDD facility in Madison, Ohio.

Ms. Cole earned her Bachelor of Science in Management and Master of Business Administration in Management degrees, both with honors, from California Coast University in Santa Ana. She is certified in both Lean Six Sigma and as a Six Sigma Green Belt, and is a member of the Medical Group Management Association and American Medical Group Association.

Phone: 561.955.4177 | BAltschuler@brrh.com

Brian Altschuler serves as the Vice President of Ancillary Operations. In his role, Mr. Altschuler is responsible for overseeing the Hospital’s safety and security functions, facility operations, food and environmental services and acts as a liaison to the Debbie-Rand Memorial Service League. In addition to his core role in the Human Resources Department, he is also responsible for the Center for Lifelong Learning’s focus on organizational advancement and leadership excellence.

Prior to joining Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Mr. Altschuler played an integral role in leadership and staff development at both Palms West Hospital and Bethesda Healthcare System. He also spent 10 years with Marriott International in various operational and support positions and at Walt Disney World Resorts.

Mr. Altschuler received his Master of Science in Management with a focus on Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He holds certifications in Situational Leadership and Development Dimensions International. Mr. Altschuler has also achieved certification as a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner, a Certified Level III Corporate Trainer through Marriott International and a Senior Professional in Human Resources.

During his career, Mr. Altschuler has earned numerous awards and honors, including the 2004 Palm Healthcare Foundation’s Commitment to Community Award and the 2008 Human Resource Association of Palm Beach County’s Human Resources Professional of the Year. In 2013, under his leadership and innovation, Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Human Resources Services Division was named one of the Best Human Resources in Palm Beach County.

Phone: 561.955.5204 | MLarkin@brrh.com

Mark Larkin serves as the President of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Foundation. In his role, Mr. Larkin is responsible for leading the organization’s fundraising efforts, including major gift and donor cultivation, capital campaigns, special events and other philanthropic initiatives.

Mr. Larkin joined Boca Regional after serving for 18 years at CentraCare Health in St. Cloud, Minnesota. There, he spent 12 years as Vice President for Philanthropy and was responsible for growing CentraCare’s Foundation and enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency across the organization’s enterprise, establishing major gift protocols, expanding their donor base, growing the Foundation’s assets materially and completing two significant and successful capital campaigns.

Prior to his position with CentraCare, Mr. Larkin was Vice President of Resource Development for United Way of the St. Paul Area.

Mr. Larkin is a graduate of the University of Iowa, a Certified Fund Raising Executive and a Board Member of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

Phone: 561.955.5029 | RHildwein@brrh.com

Robin Hildwein joined Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH) in September 2000 as Chief Information Officer (CIO). During her tenure at Boca Regional, she has been instrumental in leading Information Services from an in-house mainframe system to the current integration of industry healthcare, regulatory compliant applications through the implementation of new programs and services.

Ms. Hildwein has led the strategy for upgrading and improving the enterprise infrastructure providing successful positioning of the organization in terms of technology. Currently, she is focused on building strong leadership roles within Information Services and Telecommunications to continue a high level of quality support throughout the BRRH enterprise.

Robin graduated cum laude from Lynn University in Boca Raton with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In addition, she is a certified CIO through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society participating at both national and local levels.