NASHVILLE, TN, June 19, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Richard Elliot Ragsdale is a distinguished biographee of Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are chosen from among a pool of the most prominent professionals and are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
A widely regarded expert in health care administration, Mr. Ragsdale was recognized as a co-chairman with Community Health Systems, Inc., prior to his retirement. In this position, he took great pride in ensuring that the proper people and resources were available to operate hospitals in rural areas. To this end, Mr. Ragsdale was responsible for purchasing hospitals, bringing in modern equipment and recruiting physicians to ensure that people living in rural communities did not have to drive 30 miles to a hospital. He also oversaw hospital finances, as well as staff and personnel.
Early in his career, Mr. Ragsdale completed coursework through the University of Vienna in 1964. Upon receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University in 1965, he attended the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, where he received a bachelor's degree and Master of Science in international commerce in 1968. After building a career as a banking professional, he became interested in finding a way to help people through utilizing his skills in the business world. As a result, Mr. Ragsdale transitioned into working in the health care industry.
In recognition of his contributions to health care administration, Mr. Ragsdale was selected to receive the Sage Award by the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee in 2011. He was inducted into the Benton Hall Academy Hall of Fame in 2010, in addition to being listed among 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee in 2001. Mr. Ragsdale has been featured in a wide range of honors publications, including Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who's Who in the South and Southwest. However, he considers the greatest highlight of his career to have occurred in 1984, when he established Republic Health Corporation and raised more money in public stocks and bond markets than any other health care company. The corporation and its acquired companies raised more than $400 million in public capital markets, leading all other U.S. health care companies during this time.
Since retiring from a career in health care administration, Mr. Ragsdale has served as a director of the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, trustee of Maryville College and trustee of the Benton Hall Academy. He is noted as a former chairman of the board of trustees with The Hospital Authority of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. Mr. Ragsdale recently assumed the role of director with the American Addiction Centers in 2012. In 2016, he was recognized as a co-founder of BreatheAmerica.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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