Ruth Williams-Brinkley is the Managing Director of RWB Advisory Services, which she formed after retiring as Regional President of Kaiser Permanente’s Mid Atlantic Region in January 2024. She is a Corporate Board Director, Strategic Business Consultant, Executive Coach, and former health care executive with over four decades of executive leadership experience in hospital operations, health plan management, integrated care systems and business consulting. She serves as a board director at Travere Therapeutics, Natera, Inc., DePaul University, University of Phoenix, and Allina Health. She consults with companies focused on developing artificial intelligence solutions for healthcare. Her executive coaching clients are executive leaders across healthcare and other industries.

Williams-Brinkley joined Kaiser Permanente in November 2017 as President of the Northwest Region, overseeing care delivery and health plan operations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In June 2020, she became President of the Mid-Atlantic States Region, leading operations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Under her leadership, the region expanded to serve over 800,000 members across more than 35 medical office buildings. From 2011 to 2017, she served as CEO of KentuckyOne Health, the largest integrated health system in Kentucky and affiliate of CommonSpirit Health. She successfully led the integration of multiple health systems in central Kentucky, including the University of Louisville Hospital, Saint Joseph Health System and several smaller hospitals in the region.

Williams-Brinkley previously held CEO positions at Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Arizona, and Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Earlier in her career, she served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Catholic Health Initiatives and as Executive Consultant for CSC healthcare.

Williams-Brinkley earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in nursing from DePaul University. She also holds an honorary doctoral degree from Spaulding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and is a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Her leadership and contributions to healthcare have been recognized by several organizations. Williams-Brinkley’s career reflects a steadfast commitment to improving healthcare delivery and fostering inclusive growth within the communities she serves.