James Russell Huffman
administrator and chief executive officer
James Russell Huffman is the administrator and chief executive officer for Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto. He comes to the hospital from Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County in New Albany, Miss., where he served as administrator and CEO for more than five years. Before going to Baptist Union County, he served as chief financial officer at Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle, a position he held since 2002. At Baptist Golden Triangle, he oversaw finance, materials management, internal audit, business office, admissions/outpatient registration, the hospitalist program, case management and health information management. His accomplishments include managing and directing computer selections and installations and working with major construction project development and completion at the hospital. Huffman has also helped develop a joint venture surgery center, residential retirement facility and health and wellness center.
Huffman has a bachelor’s degree in health care management from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in finance and a certificate in health care finance from the University of South Carolina.
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Jerry Pope
assistant administrator
Jerry Pope is an assistant administrator Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto. He supervises the hospital’s cardiopulmonary, laboratory, pharmacy, radiation therapy and radiology departments, as well as the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Before coming to Baptist DeSoto, Pope served as administrator and CEO at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City in Arkansas. Under his leadership, the hospital opened a Women’s Center with private labor/delivery/recovery suites equipped with advanced technology, evaluation-triage areas and a level II nursery. Pope held the assistant administrator position at Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown before going to Baptist Forrest City in 2004. He began his career with Baptist Memorial Health Care in 1976 as a staff pharmacist.
A native of Martin, Tenn., Pope earned bachelor’s of science degrees from the University of Tennessee at Martin and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
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Keon Falkner
assistant administrator
Keon Falkner joined Baptist DeSoto’s leadership team in 2008 as an assistant administrator.
Falkner began his career at Baptist Memorial Health Care in 2002 as a recipient of the Frank S. Groner Administrative Fellowship, a yearlong program designed for postgraduate students interested in pursuing a career in health care administration. The fellowship is named for the former CEO and administrator of Baptist Memorial Health Care, and only a select few are chosen from across the nation. The recipients experience all facets of hospital life and get a broad perspective on how hospitals are run. After completing his fellowship in January 2003, Falkner joined Baptist Union City as assistant administrator. He was named administrator and CEO at Baptist Lauderdale in 2004, where he served until accepting his position at Baptist DeSoto.
A native of Olive Branch, Miss., Falkner earned a master’s in health administration from Washington University School of Medicine and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in business management from The University of Memphis
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Kimberly Young
chief financial officer
Kimberly Young is a 15-year veteran of Baptist Memorial Health Care. As the chief financial officer for Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto, she is responsible for the hospital's revenue cycle and managing the hospital budget. Previously, she served in this role at Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Lauderdale and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Colliverville. Young also has experience in contract management, financial planning and analysis for the Baptist system. Young earned a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Memphis in 1990.
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Mary Townsend-Gervis
chief nursing officer
Mary Townsend-Gervis is the chief nursing officer at Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto.
Townsend-Gervis most recently was the administrator of Baptist Restorative Care Hospital – located within Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis – and the chief nursing officer of Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown.
At Baptist DeSoto, she is responsible for developing and implementing all nursing and related patient care activities and working with hospital leadership and the Baptist Memorial Health Care system nursing team to support various organizational initiatives and strategies.
A Baptist employee since 1986, Townsend-Gervis began her Baptist career working in a lab office and moved up to become a staff nurse, charge nurse, education coordinator, manager of cardiac rehabilitation and director of disease management for Baptist’s metro-Memphis market. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree from Central Michigan University.
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Contact Us
Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto
7601 Southcrest Parkway
Southaven, MS 38671
(662) 772-4000 (local in Memphis area)
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