Veteran healthcare executive Craig Cordola to lead Lipscomb University’s MBA, MHA programs

Veteran healthcare executive Craig Cordola to lead Lipscomb University's MBA, MHA programs

Cordola brings more than 30 years of leadership experience, connections to Lipscomb classrooms

Kim Chaudoin | 09/30/2026

Lipscomb University has named longtime healthcare executive Craig Cordola director of its Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Health Administration (MHA) programs in the College of Business, bringing more than three decades of executive leadership experience to two of the university's signature graduate business programs.

Cordola begins his new role Oct. 1. His career includes senior executive leadership roles with Fresenius Medical Care, Ascension, and Memorial Hermann Health System, where he led large, complex healthcare organizations and operations. He will provide strategic and academic leadership for both programs while strengthening connections with Nashville's business and healthcare communities and helping prepare students to lead in increasingly complex organizations.

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Craig Cordola to the Lipscomb University College of Business. With more than 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, he brings an extraordinary depth of real-world expertise to the college," said Allison Duke, dean of the College of Business. "What truly sets him apart is his ability to translate that experience into the classroom, engaging students with practical insights that challenge them and help prepare them for the future."

"He is the kind of faculty member who will inspire our students to lead with both excellence and purpose," continued Duke. "In his new role leading our MBA and MHA graduate programs, Dr. Cordola will bring that same vision and energy to shaping the future direction of both programs."

Cordola has been an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business since 2023, teaching courses including quality and patient safety, organizational behavior, performance improvement, and strategy.

"I am excited to join Lipscomb University and the College of Business and to continue building on the great work that is already underway," said Cordola. "I have been part of the Lipscomb family as an adjunct professor, and I have really enjoyed bringing my academic and professional experience into the classroom to challenge and prepare the next generation of workplace leaders. I am grateful for the opportunity to become an even greater part of the Lipscomb community, working alongside our faculty, students, and leaders."

"I look forward to working with business and healthcare leaders throughout the region to understand their needs and how we can best equip our students for their chosen professions," he continued. "I want our students and Lipscomb University to be an integral part of the business community here, and I am excited to be a part of that work."

Cordola most recently served as chief executive officer of Care Delivery and a member of the management board for Fresenius Medical Care, a global provider of products and services for people with kidney disease. In that role, he led multiple entities worldwide representing more than $13 billion in annualized revenue, including Fresenius Kidney Care, Care Delivery International, Fresenius Rx, Fresenius Renal Pharma, Azura Vascular Labs, Spectra Laboratories and Frenova.

Before joining Fresenius Medical Care in 2024, Cordola spent more than six years with Ascension, one of the nation's largest nonprofit health systems. His roles included executive vice president of Ascension Capital; executive vice president and chief operating officer, and president and CEO of Ascension Texas. As chief operating officer, his responsibilities included leading markets across 19 states and 151 hospitals, as well as national service lines, consumer experience, post-acute care, and several emerging business areas.

Earlier in his career, Cordola spent nearly 14 years with Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, serving in several senior leadership positions, including president of the system's West Region and CEO of Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Campus He also held executive and operational positions with Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and Texas Children's Pediatric Associates, an affiliate of Texas Children's Hospital. Concurrently, Cordola served as an Associate Dean for Hospital Affairs at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

He previously served as an adjunct faculty member in the health care administration program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and has been a guest lecturer at Belmont University, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin and McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, among other institutions.

Cordola holds a Doctor of Education in leadership and learning in organizations from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, an MBA/MHA from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lipscomb's Master of Business Administration is a 36-hour, AACSB-accredited program designed to develop leadership, strategic decision-making and advanced business skills. Offered on Lipscomb's Nashville campus or online, the MBA may be completed in 11-22 months with an optional Directed Work Experience.. Students may choose from five concentration areas - analytics, creative industries leadership, finance, human resources and supply chain management - as well as MBA/CPA and MBA/M.S. in Sustainability options.

Lipscomb's Master of Health Administration is a 16-month program designed for working professionals and combines primarily asynchronous online coursework with immersive learning experiences in Nashville's health care community. The MHA is the only program in Nashville accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and is one of a relatively small number of MHA programs nationally housed in an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) -accredited business school. The program was recently ranked No. 2 in Tennessee by HealthcareManagement.org.

Learn more about Lipscomb's College of Business and its academic programs.