Our Leadership Team
President & CEO
Janet T. Fortner, MSW
Janet Fortner has been our president and chief executive officer for almost 25 years. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from serving 15 patients a day to providing comprehensive hospice care, palliative medicine, and educational services to a daily caseload of over 900 patients and their families, with total services reaching over 22,000 individuals annually.
Janet has a long history of volunteer community leadership. She has served as president of Leadership Charlotte, president of Women Executives, chair of the Mecklenburg County HIV/AIDS Task Force, chair of the Carolinas Center for Hospice and End-of-Life Care and chair of the Hospice Provider Network. Janet currently chairs the Advisory Board for the College of Health and Human Services at UNCC. She chairs the Mecklenburg End-of-Life Care Coalition and the NC Public Policy Committee for The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care. She serves in multiple capacities with the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) including the Executive Leadership Development Committee, the CEO Section Steering Committee, and the Coaching Subcommittee. Janet also practices as a professional leadership coach with NHPCO. She is on the board of the Hospice Provider Network, Leadership Charlotte’s Past Presidents Council and Women Executives Presidents Council. Janet is a Senior Fellow in the American Leadership Forum.
Janet is a recipient of The Charlotte Business Journal’s Women in Business Achievement Award and the Peter Keese Award, the highest award given by The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End-of-Life Care for exemplary service to the hospice movement on the state and national levels.
Executive Vice President Organizational Excellence
Pamela M. Barrett, ACSW, FACHE
Pam Barrett was the founding executive for Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro. Having served in the role for 22 years, Ms. Barrett helped develop one of the largest and most comprehensive health and human service agencies of its type in the Carolinas. HPCG conducted four successful capital campaigns which resulted in the expansion of services on a campus which includes Beacon Place, a residential and inpatient hospice facility, Kids Path, a nationally recognized model for pediatric palliative care and a Counseling and Education Center.
In April 2007 she joined Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region as executive vice president for organizational excellence. Educated at Presbyterian College, Winthrop University and the University of Tennessee, Pam has a master’s degree in Social Work and is board certified in health care management by the American College of Health Care Executives.
Chief Medical Officer
John E. Barkely, MD, FCCP
Dr. Barkley earned a B.S. in Zoology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He earned his medical degree at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, School of Medicine. His residency in Internal Medicine was completed at Barnes Hospital at Washington University. He completed his fellowships for Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Oncology at the University of California at San Diego. Dr. Barkley is board certified in Hospice & Palliative Medicine and Internal Medicine with subspecialties in Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. He was the 2005 recipient of the Roger C. Bone Advances in End-of-Life Care Award from the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Barkley was in private practice prior to joining HPCCR in August 2002.
Vice President Finance & Operations
Peter A. Brunnick, CPA
Peter Brunnick is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has been the vice president of Finance and Operations for Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region since 2000. Prior to this he served as the chief financial officer of the Givens Estates and WCI Consulting Services in Asheville, NC. Peter is a certified public accountant and is a member of both the AICPA and the NCACPA. Peter serves as president of the Board of Directors for The Carolina’s Center for Hospice and End of Life Care and was a 2007 recipient of the Center’s Spirit of Hospice Award. Peter has also served in the position of board treasurer for the Carolina’s Center. Peter was appointed by the Governors office to serve as a provider representative on the North Carolina Hospice Certificate of Need Methodology Task Force. Peter is involved in community affairs in the Charlotte area and serves on the board of the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club.
Vice President Development
Cynthia H. Clark, CFRE
Cynthia H. Clark, CFRE has served as vice president of development of Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) since March 2005. She recently managed the Levine & Dickson Hospice House Capital Campaign which raised more than $10.7 million, exceeding its goal of $10 million. Annual gifts to HPCCR in 2007 exceeded $1.5 million. Cindy’s prior experience includes more than 28 years in development and marketing at Gaston Day School and Belmont Abbey College. She is a charter member and current chairman of the Leave A Legacy Charlotte Chapter Steering Committee. She is an active member of the Charlotte chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, having served in various leadership roles including two years as President. In 1999 she received the Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte – South and the Board of Directors of the Gaston County Museum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Appalachian State University and has held certification as a fund raising executive since 1992.
Vice President Clinical Services
Lisa H. Hood, CHPN
Lisa earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing at UAB, the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She joined Hospice & Pallliative Care Charlotte Region in 1999 as an admissions nurse/hospital liaison. She then became an assistant director for the South Team, overseeing one of our interdisciplinary care teams. In 2002, she assumed the role of Lake Norman branch director, overseeing the day-to-day operations of our Lake Norman Regional Office. In 2006, Lisa assumed the role of vice president of clinical services, with oversight of all clinical practice by each of our hospice teams, regional offices and bereavement services. Prior to joining Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, Lisa was a traveling nurse who worked in a variety of ICU settings throughout the United States.
Vice President Medical Services
Judith M. Kinsella, RN, MSN, CHPN
Judith Kinsella serves as the administrative leader of the medical service program. She graduated from Illinois Valley Community College in 1976 with an Associates Degree in nursing, Metropolitan State College in Denver Colorado with a Bachelors Degree in nursing in 1984 and in 2004 obtained her Masters Degree in nursing from Queens University in Charlotte, NC. She joined Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region in 2004 and is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse. Prior to joining Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, Judith worked with Carolinas Health Care System for 16 years.
Vice President Human Resources & Marketing
Cynthia L. Tilley, SPHR
Cindy, a Gaston/Mecklenburg county native, is a 1987 graduate of Appalachian State University, earning a BSBA in marketing and management. Cindy began her career with Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region and continues to enjoy overseeing the functions of Human Resources, Marketing, Community Outreach, Volunteer Services, and Staff Training & Development. In 2005, Cindy was awarded the prestigious Babcock Award from The Employers Association for Excellence in the Human Resources Profession and Service to the Business Community.