COLUMBUS, Miss., May 28, 2024 – Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle Administrator Rob Coleman has announced that Deena Keasler has been named chief financial officer. She replaces Thomas Steadman who was moved to the system’s flagship hospital in Memphis, TN in August 2023.
Keasler will serve on the senior leadership team and participate in the operational decision-making processes necessary for the hospital to fulfill its mission. She will be responsible for the overall financial operations of the hospital, including the oversite of accounting, patient access, medical records, information systems, and materials management.
She comes to Columbus from Natchez where she served as the chief financial officer at Merit Health Natchez. She has more than 15 years of experience in the health care industry including assistant chief financial officer at Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; interim chief financial officer at Woodland Height Medical Center in Lufkin, Texas; accountant II at Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and supervisor at Horne, CPA & Business Advisors, which provides healthcare advisory services across the United States.
“We are thrilled to welcome Deena Keasler as our new CFO and welcome her to our leadership team,” said Coleman. “With her experience and proven track record in health care finance, she will be instrumental in guiding our financial strategy and ensuring the continued fiscal health of our institution. Her commitment to excellence will be invaluable as we continue to enhance the quality of care we provide,” he added.
Keasler is a graduate of William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi where she earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business concentrating in accounting and computer information systems. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA); Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV); and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA); and Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).
Born at Baptist Golden Triangle, Keasler grew up in Hattiesburg and calls the city home. She currently lives in Ethelsville, Alabama where she is restoring an old house on a family farm that once belonged to her great-grandparents.
“I am excited to be back in the Golden Triangle region and to be part of the team at Baptist Golden Triangle. I could go on and on about the great things I’ve seen in the hospital over the past few weeks. However, the one thing that stands out the most is witnessing a team who embodies its mission in keeping with the three-fold ministry of Christ – Healing, Preaching, and Teaching. I am looking forward to working with the team to make a meaningful contribution to the patients and community we serve,” she said.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places, and exploring the outdoors. “I have a passion for touring historical homes and learning about the lives of the people who lived in them long ago,” she said.
With 323 beds, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle is one of the largest regional hospitals affiliated with Baptist Memorial Health Care. More than 100 physicians and surgeons, representing almost every medical specialty, practice at the hospital that offers a full range of comprehensive medical care to patients of all ages.
In addition to Baptist Cancer Center locations in Columbus and Starkville, the hospital offers a variety of other services to the community, including Baptist Behavioral Health Care, an extensive rehabilitation department and free community education programs for the public. Baptist Golden Triangle is the only hospital in Mississippi and one of only 15 in the United States to have achieved Straight A’s on Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Score since 2012. For more information, please call 662-244-1000 or visit www.baptistonline.org/locations/golden-triangle, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistGoldenTriangle.
