MHA: Why did you pursue a career in health care? 

MB: I wanted to pursue health care leadership because it’s an opportunity to serve the community in a way that has a significant effect on the lives of people around us. As health care administrators, we’re in a unique position to improve the communities we serve and to care for people in an authentic way. For me personally, it’s a higher purpose and more than a way to make a living; it’s a calling. 

MHA: What are you most proud of in your career? 

MB: For me personally, it has brought me tremendous fulfillment to see 500 people become unified on a single purpose to care for people like their own family, which is what we see at GRMC. The team has done that so well, that the hospital was identified as at top 20 rural hospital in the United States two years in a row. I think that being able to see that as a vision, and above all else, we would care for people in authentic way, has changed many lives for the better. I will never forget what it was like to see the first person in Garrett County ring the healing bell in our cancer center. It was life-changing for the patients, but it was life-changing for the whole team. 

MHA: What do you find valuable about being a part of MHA? How does the Association add impact to your work? 

MB: I think that being an active part of the hospital association, both in Maryland and nationally, has been rewarding. Active membership has brought forward opportunities to bring about lasting, beneficial change. We’ve been able to help raise awareness on issues that affect how health care services are rendered. The hospital association shares a focus on quality care, along with patient and employee safety that has helped improve services for our hospitals and changes the legal landscape to improve the lives of the people we serve. 

MHA: What would people be surprised to know about you? 

MB: What people would be most surprised about is that I am a musician and songwriter. I write about 250 songs each year. 

MHA: When you aren’t working, where can we find you? 

MB: I live at Deep Creek Lake, so when not working, I spend a lot of time out on the lake. I also travel several times a year to Nashville and California for songwriting retreats.