Nkem Okafor is a senior healthcare executive with experience in strategy, business development, program management, hospital operations, and consulting. She is the Vice President of Strategy & Planning at Methodist Health System, a $1.4 billion, 10 hospital system in DFW. She oversees setting system-wide strategies and business planning, leads business development and growth activities, and guides market research and data analysis for the company’s decision-making.
Previously, Nkem was a System Director at Houston Methodist Hospital System, where she oversaw programs focused on business development, operational improvement, global operations, community benefits, and population health management. Under her leadership, she expanded the company’s operations to new countries and turned a budget negative department into a profit-generating center, tripling revenue expectations. She also assisted in two acquisitions and improved operational performance, resulting in over $70 million in financial savings. She oversaw the system’s community benefits, totaling $530 million in funding for community health-related programs. She began her career at Deloitte Consulting as a Strategy & Operations Business Analyst, where she received a Service Excellence Award for her exceptional contributions. where she received a Service Excellence Award for her exceptional contributions.
In 2016, Nkem was named one of the Top 15 Business Women in Dallas by the National Diversity Council. She has a Master of Public Health degree in Health Management from Yale School of Public Health and Yale School of Management, and a Bachelor’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating cum laude and Honors with distinction. She serves as a Board Member of Woman of Purpose, and Junior Players. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and an active member of National Association of Health Services Executives and an alumna of Dallas Regional Chamber’s Leadership Dallas.