Alum Wins Top Healthcare Management Credential

Robert L Pastor II, a Henry Ford College (HFC) alumnus and Southwest Health Vice President of Patient Care/Chief Nurse Executive, recently earned distinction as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s foremost professional society for leaders in the healthcare industry.

Board certification from ACHE demonstrates a commitment to excellence in serving patients and the community. Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 9,100 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo re-certification every three years.

“I am honored to have been named a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. At Southwest Health, we are committed to providing health care services of the highest quality. Our community deserves nothing but our very best, provided by a health care team who demonstrates at all levels their personal commitment to the highest standards of excellence. I consider it a privilege to be working for an organization that values such professional development, and I am proud the achievement has been recognized by ACHE,” said Pastor, of Platteville, Wis.

Pastor has been the vice president of Patient Care at Southwest Health since October 2012. He brings 16 years of experience as a registered nurse (RN) to this position. He has worked in a wide range of clinical settings across four states, including Michigan, Mississippi, Texas and Minnesota.

A Detroit native, Pastor is a 1990 alumnus of Southgate Anderson High School in Southgate, Mich. He attended HFC and earned two associate’s degrees. He graduated summa cum laude in 1994 with an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts, and he graduated magna cum laude in 1996 with an associate’s degree in Nursing.

In 2001, he graduated summa cum laude with his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Cleary University in Ann Arbor. In 2006, he graduated with an MBA in Business Management from the University of Texas-Permian Basin. Additionally, Pastor is a Green Belt in Six Sigma.

“HFC was the core for all of my success. The instructors were phenomenal and really drove us to be the best. When I think back on all of my college years, the time that I spent at HFCC was probably the most memorable and valuable to my career,” said Pastor.