Charlene MacDonald Named President & Chief Executive Officer of Federation of American Hospitals

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) Board of Directors today announced Charlene MacDonald as its next President and CEO, effective January 1, 2026. MacDonald succeeds Charles (Chip) N. Kahn III who announced his retirement earlier this year.

As President and CEO, MacDonald will focus on strategic advocacy, championing the Federation's membership and advancing pragmatic policy solutions as it continues fighting for the interests of tax-paying hospitals and the millions of patients they serve.

"The Board has full confidence in Charlene MacDonald to champion tax-paying hospitals and their patients, advance pragmatic solutions to our most pressing policy challenges and lead the Federation into the future," said Marc D. Miller, President and CEO of Universal Health Services (UHS) and FAH Board Chair. "Charlene brings the right combination of experience, expertise, vision, and commitment to our mission of improving patients' access to quality healthcare."

MacDonald has been with the Federation since 2023, serving as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and leading the organization's integrated advocacy, government affairs, and communications initiatives, in addition to overseeing the organization's finance and operations teams.

"This is a pivotal time for tax-paying hospitals – one that requires strategic partnership with stakeholders across the industry and with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to address today's complex challenges," MacDonald said. "As President and CEO, I will focus on pragmatic, bipartisan solutions that advance our members' ability to deliver high-quality, affordable patient care to communities in every part of this country."

Prior to joining the Federation, MacDonald held several senior roles in policy, advocacy, and strategic counsel in the public and private sectors. Prior to her work at FAH, MacDonald served as Chief Government Affairs Officer at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, leading public policy, government affairs, and external relations. She also led the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, a global business advisory firm. A veteran of Capitol Hill, MacDonald spent more than a decade in senior policy positions in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, building critical relationships with Republicans and Democrats and playing a key role in enacting bipartisan legislation such as the 21st Century Cures Act and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

MacDonald is an alumna of Lake Forest College and holds a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

The Federation of American Hospitals (FAH) represents more than 1,000 tax-paying community hospitals and health systems throughout the United States, accounting for nearly 20% of U.S. hospitals, to advance public policy that ensures patients and communities have access to quality, affordable care. Through our federal advocacy and policy analysis, FAH is committed to promoting market-based innovation, investing in the health care workforce of the future, and protecting access to full-service hospitals.

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Contact:
Hannah Hurley
[email protected]
(703) 489-1755

SOURCE Federation of American Hospitals