Clearwater, Fla. (May 1, 2023) – BayCare announced today that it has hired William Walders, CHCIO, CDH-E, a retired military veteran with experience in health care and information systems, as its new chief information officer. Walders, who joined BayCare on April 24, is responsible for all information services, clinical engineering and cyber security across the system.
Walders comes to BayCare from Health First in Melbourne, Florida, where he has served as chief information officer and senior vice president of operations support.
A retired U.S. Navy commander and recipient of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Walders has more than 20 years of leadership experience in health care and information systems. He served as global vice president of data platforms and enterprise services at the Defense Health Agency, and as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s chief information officer.
Walders steps into the role vacated by Tim Thompson when he was promoted to the newly created position of chief administrative officer in February.
“William is well respected in the industry and brings a strong background of experience in digital health, insurance and health system delivery technology to BayCare,” said Thompson. “I am very pleased he has decided to join our team and I look forward to working with him.”
“I am excited about the opportunity to join such a respected organization and to be a part of an exceptional culture of trust, respect and dignity,” said Walders. “I look forward to working with an amazing leadership team and the talented group of IT leaders and staff at BayCare.”
Both a Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer and a Certified Digital Health Executive, Walders was named Florida Large Enterprise CIO of the Year in 2022, presented by the CIO Leadership Network, and was a finalist for National CIO of the Year. Among many accolades, William was honored as a University of Florida Outstanding Young Alumni (2013), Federal Health IT Innovation Award Winner (2018) and ISE East Executive of the Year in Cybersecurity (2022).
Walders also has a long history engaging in the community through service on both professional and local boards including the Brevard Zoo, Junior Achievement and Gartner Healthcare Leadership.
A Florida native, Walders was born in Tampa and lived in the Bay area until joining the military. He earned a Bachelor of Science in management information systems from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in business/healthcare administration from the University of Florida.
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About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida’s largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare’s diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida’s largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. Its Medicare Advantage insurance, BayCarePlus, is among the region’s few 5-star-rated plans and the system is ranked in the top 20% by Fortune/Merative. BayCare’s mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.BayCare.org.