Mary Sterling is an accomplished healthcare executive and imaging services leader whose career spans more than four decades of clinical operations, radiology, medical imaging, patient care, healthcare technology, and organizational leadership. From her early hands-on experience in advanced imaging and cardiac procedures to her long-standing responsibility for complex, multi-site healthcare operations, Mary has developed a rare combination of clinical understanding, operational discipline, and strategic perspective. Her leadership philosophy is grounded in seeing the bigger picture while never losing sight of the people, processes, and patients affected by every decision. Known for her loyalty, dedication, adaptability, and willingness to support others, she brings the perspective of a seasoned healthcare leader who understands both the technical realities of care delivery and the broader responsibilities of executive leadership.
Mary began building her healthcare career through radiologic technology and advanced procedural imaging, establishing a technical foundation that would later distinguish her as an operational leader. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Studies in Radiologic Technology from the University of Minnesota and an Associate of Science in Special Procedures Technology from Kettering College of Medical Arts. Her early supervisory experience at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas included coordinating CT and special procedures operations, physician schedules, staffing, and inventory. These responsibilities gave Mary firsthand insight into the relationship between clinical quality, resource management, workforce coordination, and efficient patient care.
Her responsibilities expanded further at Sunrise Hospital Medical Center, where she served as Cath Lab Supervisor. In this capacity, Mary coordinated daily examination schedules, staffing, physicians, patient bed placement, operating room resources, anesthesia, and perfusion support for complex cardiac procedures. She also maintained direct clinical involvement with cardiac catheterization, PCI, electrophysiology, and pacemaker procedures. Mary subsequently returned to Valley Hospital Medical Center in a leadership role overseeing Special Procedures, CT, and MRI, where she coordinated departmental operations, managed diagnostic and interventional inventory, collaborated with radiologists on procedural protocols, and continued performing examinations. This combination of frontline expertise and supervisory responsibility strengthened her ability to understand healthcare operations from multiple perspectives.
In 1995, Mary advanced into a broader executive leadership role as Director of Medical Imaging for Dakota Heartland Health Care System in Fargo, North Dakota. Her responsibilities encompassed the daily management of Radiology, the Cardiac Cath Lab, and Women’s Imaging, along with staffing, productivity, budgeting, capital purchasing, and contract management. A particularly significant component of this chapter was her involvement in building new Radiology, Cardiology, and Women’s Imaging departments. The experience strengthened her capabilities in construction, service-line development, resource allocation, workflow design, and translating organizational strategy into functioning clinical environments.
Mary continued that progression when she joined Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona, as Director of Imaging Services in 1999. Over the course of her long tenure, her leadership scope grew to encompass imaging and non-invasive cardiology departments across two hospitals, a Breast Care Center, outpatient radiology and cardiology facilities, and a Vein Center. Managing such a diverse clinical portfolio required Mary to balance patient needs, employee performance, physician relationships, financial considerations, technology, infrastructure, and organizational priorities. Her sustained leadership reflects an ability to navigate healthcare complexity while maintaining continuity, accountability, and a focus on operational excellence.
Throughout her executive career, Mary has developed significant expertise in process improvement, workflow efficiency, EMR implementation, revenue cycle considerations, staffing models, capital planning, contracts, facility construction, and new-service development. She is particularly effective at evaluating operations from a system-wide perspective, identifying how individual processes connect, and finding opportunities to make workflows more efficient and sustainable. Her experience extends across medical imaging, radiology, healthcare information technology, PACS, RIS, EHR and EMR environments, inpatient care, patient safety, and healthcare management. Rather than viewing technology, staffing, facilities, and patient care as separate concerns, Mary approaches them as interconnected components of a successful healthcare organization.
Strategic growth has also been an important dimension of Mary’s leadership. Her experience with new service development, construction projects, capital investments, departmental expansion, and strategic planning has required her to think beyond immediate operational demands and consider what healthcare organizations will need next. She understands that sustainable growth requires more than expansion; it requires thoughtful decisions about people, technology, workflows, financial resources, patient experience, and organizational readiness. This perspective positions her to contribute meaningfully to conversations involving healthcare strategy, radiology and imaging services, patient care, health insurance, operational transformation, and organizations seeking disciplined, responsible growth.
Mary’s influence extends beyond formal executive responsibilities into mentorship, collaboration, and community service. She considers leadership to include helping others develop, facilitating productive relationships, and being available when colleagues need support. She has also participated in MRI-related conferences and professional events, sharing knowledge drawn from practical experience. Her service with her local community college, including participation across three boards, further demonstrates her willingness to contribute her experience outside of her primary professional role and engage with organizations that benefit from thoughtful governance and community-minded leadership.
As Mary considers the next chapter of her career, board and advisory service represents a natural extension of the experience she has accumulated over more than 40 years. She is interested in opportunities across radiology, healthcare, imaging, patient care, health insurance, and strategic growth, while remaining open to organizations where her perspective can create meaningful value. Mary brings the practical judgment of someone who has worked at the bedside and procedural level, supervised specialized clinical teams, managed departments, built new healthcare facilities and service lines, implemented technology, overseen budgets, and led complex multi-location operations. That breadth enables her to ask informed questions, recognize operational implications, and contribute a grounded healthcare perspective to strategic discussions.
Central to Mary’s professional identity is a straightforward commitment to reliability and service. When she makes a commitment, she believes in keeping her word, contributing fully, and supporting the people working alongside her. She sees herself as a teammate as much as a leader and values the opportunity to mentor, collaborate, solve problems, and help organizations move forward. Those qualities are especially relevant in a boardroom, where effective governance depends not only on individual expertise but also on preparation, integrity, constructive dialogue, and a willingness to work toward shared objectives.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Mary values family time, soccer, volunteering, hiking, and giving back to her community. She also fosters kittens and puppies for the Humane Society, reflecting the compassion and service orientation that are evident throughout her professional life. Whether supporting a clinical team, mentoring a colleague, participating in community governance, or caring for animals in need, Mary consistently demonstrates a willingness to invest her time and energy in others. This balance of executive experience and personal commitment gives her leadership style both substance and humanity.
Mary Sterling ultimately offers boards and advisory organizations a distinctive combination of deep healthcare knowledge, operational leadership, technical imaging expertise, strategic thinking, and genuine commitment. Her career has evolved from specialized clinical practice into increasingly complex leadership responsibilities, giving her an unusually comprehensive view of how healthcare organizations operate and grow. As she explores opportunities to remain active and contribute in new ways, she brings decades of institutional knowledge without losing the curiosity and willingness to learn that have supported her career progression. For organizations seeking an engaged advisor who can connect strategy with operational reality, Mary offers seasoned judgment, collaborative leadership, and a commitment to making a meaningful contribution.
Character:
Mary is a loyal, dependable, and service-oriented leader who believes that a commitment should be honored through preparation, effort, and follow-through. Her willingness to mentor colleagues, serve her community, and support others reflects a leadership style rooted in integrity, compassion, teamwork, and personal responsibility.
Knowledge:
More than four decades in healthcare have given Mary extensive knowledge of medical imaging, radiology, cardiology operations, patient care, healthcare technology, staffing, revenue cycle considerations, capital planning, construction, and clinical workflow. Her progression from hands-on procedural roles to multi-site executive leadership allows her to evaluate organizational challenges through both clinical and operational lenses.
Strategic:
Mary sees connections across people, processes, technology, facilities, finances, and patient needs, enabling her to approach organizational challenges from a broad and practical perspective. Her experience developing new services, building clinical departments, implementing EMR systems, managing capital investments, and improving workflows equips her to contribute to strategic growth and long-term organizational planning.
Communication:
Bringing a collaborative, approachable communication style shaped by decades of working with physicians, clinical professionals, employees, executives, vendors, and community stakeholders. Her experience mentoring others, facilitating teams, participating in professional presentations, and serving in community governance enables her to communicate complex operational considerations clearly while remaining receptive to the perspectives of others.
