Robert Vest

Chief Operating Officer/Specialty Care, Baptist Medical Group

Robert Vest serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Baptist Medical Group Specialty Care, bringing nearly two decades of leadership expertise and a deep commitment to advancing high quality healthcare across the Mid South. Since joining Baptist in 2008, Robert has consistently demonstrated a strong ability to guide complex operations, foster collaborative provider relationships, and shape the strategic vision of Baptist Medical Group (BMG).

Prior to assuming his current role, Robert served as Chief Operating Officer for the Baptist Medical Group Metro/North MS/West TN markets, where he played a pivotal role in strengthening physician enterprise operations and driving growth across multiple regions. His steady leadership and operational insight helped streamline processes, expand market presence, and support clinical teams in delivering exceptional patient care.

Since the inception of Baptist Medical Group, Robert has been instrumental in developing and deploying the strategic framework that has shaped BMG into the organization it is today. His work has influenced system wide initiatives, operational models, and long term planning efforts that continue to support Baptist’s mission and enhance care delivery across all markets.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee School of Law. His background in law, combined with extensive operational experience, equips him with a unique perspective on organizational leadership, regulatory alignment, and physician engagement.

In his new role as Chief Operating Officer – Specialty Care, Robert is responsible for leading and supporting the growth, strategic direction, and operational excellence of specialty services across all Baptist Medical Group markets. He is committed to strengthening specialty care partnerships, expanding access for patients, and ensuring that BMG remains at the forefront of coordinated, patient centered care delivery.

Chris Anderson

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Chris serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation. Chris has been with Baptist since March 2014 and served previously as Vice President and Market Leader for Mississippi (2017-2023), then for the Memphis Metro market (2023). From March 2014 to April 2017, Chris served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mississippi Baptist Health Systems. As President of MBHS, Chris was responsible for all operations of MBHS and subsidiaries. Chris has worked in healthcare for over 38 years. Prior to coming to Baptist, he served as the Chief Executive Officer for Singing River Health System for sixteen years.

Chris is a graduate of Mississippi State University, a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1986. He has served in numerous professional and civic organizations, including service on the Board of Directors of the USA International Ballet Competition, Board of Directors of the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Mississippi Hospital Association Board of Directors, and the Mississippi Economic Council.

Jason Little

President and Chief Executive Officer, Baptist Memorial Health Care

Jason Little is Baptist Memorial Health Care's president and CEO. He is the fifth president in Baptist's history, and under his leadership, Baptist has grown from a 14-hospital system to over 20 hospitals, integrated health system in three states with >20,000 team members and more than 5,000 affiliated physicians. He came to Baptist in 2002 after serving as an operations administrator at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prior to his role as president and CEO, Jason served as system COO and CEO of three different Baptist hospitals.

Mr. Little is passionate about improving his community and the delivery of healthcare. He serves on the boards of the Greater Memphis Chamber, Memphis Tomorrow, the New Memphis Institute, the Tennessee Hospital Association, the Mississippi Hospital Association, the Healthcare Institute and the American Hospital Association's Health Systems Committee. Jason also serves as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at Germantown Baptist Church.

He received his bachelor's degree in health administration from the University of Tennessee, where he received the prestigious Whittle Scholarship and was elected student body president. He earned master's degrees in business administration and health care administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Kristy Gay

Chief Experience Officer

Kristy Gay is the Chief Experience Officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation. In this role, she is responsible for making strategic improvements to Baptist's patient experience, employee experience, and provider engagement and collaborates with system and entity leadership teams to identify, prioritize, plan, and oversee improvement efforts. Additionally, she works closely with engagement leaders to identify best practice and opportunity for teams and partners with physician leaders to provide insight and coaching to hospital providers, including joint ventures. Kristy is also responsible for re-framing existing evidence based practices to better align with current healthcare processes.

Prior to joining Baptist, Kristy served as a Senior Advisor with Press Ganey for seven years. During her tenure at Press Ganey, she worked with organizations to present integrated approaches to employee and physician engagement and patient experience.

Kristy earned her bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Henderson State University and masters in Healthcare Administration from Ohio University. Kristy serves as a STEM mentor with the American Heart Association and was named as a Woman of Impact in 2022.

Sherri Brooks

Chief Learning Officer

Dr. Sherri Brooks has over two decades of experience in academia, corporate, and executive leadership roles. She currently serves as the Chief Learning Officer at Baptist Memorial Health Care, overseeing Organizational Learning and Development for more than 23,000 team members.

As a Maxwell Certified Leadership Speaker, Coach, and Trainer, and an ICF credentialed professional coach, Dr. Brooks is dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve their full potential. Her leadership philosophy is encapsulated in her motto: "Think like a hero asking, 'Who can I help today?' Work like an artist by asking, 'What else can we try?' Strive for excellence and celebrate achievements without taking credit."

Recognized as one of Tennessee's Top 50 Women Leaders in 2023, Dr. Brooks empowers others to unlock their purpose, potential and personal calling through learning and growth.

She earned her Baccalaureate in Education and Master's in Communication Disorders from Arkansas State University and her Doctorate in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Kentucky.

Sam Lynd

CEO/Administrator, NEA Baptist

Sam Lynd is the Administrator and CEO of NEA Baptist, where 2,000 Baptist team members work together to provide healthcare to patients in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri through NEA Baptist Clinic and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital. After joining Baptist in 2011 as a Frank S. Groner Administrative Fellow, Sam worked in roles throughout Baptist, serving as an Assistant Administrator in Jonesboro and Union County before serving as Administrator and CEO of Baptist Tipton and the Baptist Cancer Center, Service Line Administrator for Emergency Services, and COO at Baptist Memphis. Sam holds a Master's degree in Health Administration and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Most importantly, Sam is a proud husband to his wife, Chaney, and a proud father to their two children, Copley and Henry.