Deborah Gordon is the Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Legal Officer for Memorial Hermann Health System, a +$7.5 billion integrated delivery system with over 30,000 employees based in Houston, Texas. Deborah joined the organization in 2014 and serves as the executive leader of several corporate divisions, including legal, compliance, enterprise risk, privacy, IT security, information systems, government relations, governance, and community benefit activities. Deborah has thirty years of executive experience, with progressively increasing leadership positions, including responsibility for health care business operations, human resources, employee health, communications, marketing, strategy and more. Deborah has managed over 2,000 employees and a budget of over $350 million.

Deborah co-led a performance improvement effort over a 5-year time frame, resulting in significant margin improvement in the last 3 yearsand over $1 billion in impact. She also led the redesign of a service-line structure and operating model that gained system-level efficiencies, improved consumer experience, and enhanced strategic growth. In addition, Deborah advises the CEO and Board regarding strategic issues, executive compensation, and governance matters, and she is the principal liaison to all boards and committees, which includes responsibility for Governance, Compensation, Investment, and Audit Committee matters.

Select Accomplishments

• Engaged in extensive governance evaluation and overhaul to reflect best practices, including board assessments, board training, and improved board effectiveness.
• Reduced corporate overhead expenses and instituted new financial and performance metrics and scorecards.
• Created new operations and management structure, including key performance indicators, efficient organizational structures, training programs, and customer satisfaction tools.
• Developed new integrated enterprise risk program resulting in improved business resiliency, including a robust business continuity and crisis management program.
• Led leadership development and succession planning program for senior leaders.
• Modernized cybersecurity and information technology infrastructure, including implementing new electronic health record, network segmentation, and cloud-based solutions.
• Executive sponsor for equity, diversity, and inclusion and social responsibility program.
• Led ESG initiative at governance and enterprise level.
• Managed numerous mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and business integrations.

Prior to joining Memorial Hermann, Deborah was Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP based in Chicago. She was the Vice-Chair of the firm’s Corporate and Securities Department and the Co-Chair of the firm’s Health Law Group. Deborah holds a Master of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in philosophy from the University of Illinois. Deborah is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives and achieved Directors Certification from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Deborah serves on the board of Children at Risk (Executive Committee, Board Member of the Year, 2022), Holocaust Museum Houston (Vice-Chair, Chair, CEO Search Committee, and Chair, DEAI Committee), the Hermann Eye Fund, Performing Arts Houston (Vice-Chair, Sales and Marketing Committee), the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.

Deborah was recently recognized by CKW Luxe as a 2023 Top 20 Impact Maker, Modern Healthcare as a “2022 Top Women Leaders in Healthcare to Watch”, and the Houston Business Journal as a “Woman Who Means Business.”