Alumnus Kevin E. Lofton Named to AACSB’s Influential Leaders Class of 2022

ATLANTA – Healthcare executive Kevin E. Lofton, an alumnus of Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, is among 27 champions of diversity and inclusion named to AACSB International’s Influential Leaders Class of 2022. AACSB, formerly the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, conducts the annual initiative to recognize notable alumni from AACSB-accredited business schools who are role models for the next generation of business leaders.

Lofton (M.H.A. ’79), is CEO Emeritus of CommonSpirit Health. He retired in 2020 after serving as CEO of CommonSpirit and its predecessor organization, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), for 18 years. A Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Lofton has had a broad impact across the sector’s landscape by helping to decrease care disparities and increase the number of healthcare executives and physicians from underrepresented populations.

“Kevin is a towering figure in healthcare who continues to improve access to and quality of care, while also diversifying the ranks of healthcare providers and executives. His impact cannot be overstated,” said Richard Phillips, dean of the Robinson College of Business. “He has brought the same energy and commitment to service to the Robinson College and Georgia State, and I am grateful for his wise counsel.”

Lofton was a founding board member of the Institute for Diversity, president of the National Association of Health Services Executives, and served on the boards of the Morehouse School of Medicine (SOM) and the Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Through his work with the Morehouse SOM, he addressed the primary healthcare needs of people of color and underserved populations. At CHI, he started United Against Violence, which works with local ministries. His decades-long effort to increase equity in healthcare yielded important changes nationally. He was founding chair of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Equity of Care Initiative.

Under Lofton’s leadership, CHI was transformed from a hospital company to an innovative, diversified 29.6 billion USD healthcare entity with 137 hospitals and more than 1,000 care sites in 21 states. He led the organization through a multitude of changes in healthcare delivery, including implementation of a 2.5 billion USD clinical IT and electronic health records system, contributing 2 billion USD in community benefit and financial assistance to local communities and awarding 9.2 million USD in grants and multiyear funding to build healthier communities in the U.S. and internationally.

For more than a decade, Lofton has funded participation by dozens of Robinson graduate health administration students in a case competition in which they tackle real-life health services administration issues. Among other honors, he has received Georgia State’s Distinguished Alumni Award and Robinson’s Hall of Fame Award.

Lofton serves on the boards of Gilead Sciences, Inc., the Rite Aid Corporation, and the Georgia State University Foundation. He remains fully engaged in shaping the future of healthcare in America.

“Kevin Lofton’s achievements show us there are many ways to elevate the voices and perspectives of all. He inspires us to listen, learn, and act with authenticity and courage,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, AACSB president and CEO. “It is a privilege to amplify his efforts and the entire 2022 Class of Influential Leaders.”

Now in its seventh year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders program has cumulatively recognized more than 250 business school graduates who have made a lasting impact in business and society. All honorees have earned an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree from one of the more than 900 AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide.

The 2022 honorees include advocates across businesses, nonprofits, academia, and governments who are educating and empowering others to create welcoming, inclusive spaces for all. Together, they represent one facet of business education’s efforts to elevate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workforce and society.