Leadership Changes in Nursing Services

Tami Frost (left) and Michelle Franklin (right).

Chief Nursing Officer Tami Frost, RN, has made the difficult decision to leave Carilion so she can be closer to and care for her family members in the Midwest.

Since she arrived, Tami has become a valued member of our leadership team and a champion for the changes that are necessary to move us into our next chapter of healthcare delivery.

Tami zeroed in on quality and patient safety and helped teams reduce the rate of hospital-associated infections throughout Carilion Medical Center. She also focused on communication and operational efficiency, using daily huddles and reports to make patient flow smoother and help increase our ability to accept patients from other facilities. Her efforts worked to improve nursing retention and recruitment, and she has been a constant advocate for Carilion’s nurses.

Rest assured, the initiatives Tami was working on will continue to progress under our new CNO’s capable leadership.

We’re proud to announce that Michelle Franklin, RN, has agreed to become Carilion’s next Chief Nursing Officer.

Most recently, Michelle was the Vice President responsible for Women’s, Children’s, Nursing Support and Interpreter Services. Beginning her career as a nursing assistant in 1990, she has served in progressive clinical and operational leadership roles for over 30 years in both hospital and ambulatory areas. By functioning in various roles, she has an appreciation of how every team member is pivotal to the success of an organization.

Michelle also previously served as co-interim Chief Nursing Officer overseeing the Nursing Center of Excellence and nursing at Carilion Medical Center and ambulatory practices, in addition to her other responsibilities.

“Michelle is a servant leader, and I am excited to see her help elevate our talented nursing staff,” said Steve Arner, President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Tami will finalize a few projects over the remainder of the summer. Michelle is already starting to transition to her new role. Other details of the transition are still being sorted out and will be communicated over the next few weeks.

Please join us in thanking Tami for her service to our team and our community, and congratulating Michelle on her promotion.