Senior Leadership

At Pioneer Health Services, we have built a leadership team that is second to none in the field of rural healthcare. The expertise of our executives is a key factors for the success of our company and the critical access hospitals we serve.

Joseph S. McNulty, III

Joe McNulty has been a resident of Magee, Mississippi, since 1975. He holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He began his career in health care as a respiratory therapist and started his first business, Medicomp, Inc., a physical and respiratory therapy company, in 1983. In 1989, he acquired his first healthcare facility S.E. Lackey Memorial Hospital in Forest, MS. Joe gained experience leasing and managing several additional rural hospitals and founded Pioneer Health Services in 1996. In September 2000, S.E. Lackey Memorial Hospital became the first Critical Access Hospital (CAH) –designated facility in Mississippi. One year later, Pioneer Community Hospital of Aberdeen followed as the second. Both were guided to CAH status through their partnership with Pioneer Health Services. Mr. McNulty continues to serves as Chairman of the Board for the not-for-profit Lackey Memorial Hospital. Through his leadership and vision, Pioneer Health Services has expanded its operations/management department to serve eight Critical Access Hospitals in four states. Mr. McNulty stands at the helm of the expansion of Pioneer Health Services' provision of contracted services to CAH facilities from Virginia to Hawaii.

 

Julie Gieger

Julie Gieger is Chief Financial Officer and is a 20-year veteran of Pioneer Health Services and affiliated corporations. Ms. Gieger is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and earned her BSBA in Accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi. Ms. Gieger joined the Pioneer Organization in 1987 and was promoted to Corporate Controller in 1996. In 2003 she was named Chief Financial Officer.

She is responsible for the financial operations of Pioneer and all affiliated corporations and treasury functions, including corporate finance and supervision of all staff related to reimbursement, revenue cycle, accounting and financial reporting. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Mississippi Society of CPAs and HFMA. A native of Simpson County, she and her husband, Steve, have three children.

 

Morgan Dunn

Ms. Dunn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and English from the University of Mississippi in 2003. After graduation, Morgan began her healthcare career in sales for Ambulatory Equipment Services in charge of the south central Mississippi region. In 2005, she was promoted to Corporate Business Development for the Revenue Cycle Management Division of Pioneer Health Services, taking on the responsibilities of supervising and managing business office assessments prior to contracting. In 2008, Morgan became responsible for the acquisition of new healthcare facilities, revenue cycle management and behavioral health business development and contracting. Since that time, Pioneer has partnered with over 30 Critical Access Hospitals to provide operational support services. In addition to overseeing this expansion, Morgan's professional accomplishments include recognition as one of Mississippi's 50 Leading Business Women in 2008, and membership in the National Rural Health Association, Mississippi Hospital Association and Healthcare Financial Management Association.

In January of 2011, Morgan was named Vice President of Business Development, charged with directing management of corporate advertising, marketing, and business development throughout the organization, as well as playing a role in the corporation's ongoing strategic planning. She was raised and currently resides in Magee, MS with her 3 small children and husband, Chris.

 

Steve Fontaine

Steve Fontaine received a Bachelor's degree in English from Clemson University in 1995 and received a Master's in Health Administration & Policy from Medical University of South Carolina in 1998. Steve worked for HCA Healthcare - Trident Medical Center, a 400-bed system in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1998-2002 as a financial analyst and later as an Associate Administrator at HCA Healthcare - Dauterive Hospital, 102-bed in New Iberia, Louisiana , from 2002-2003.

Steve was recruited by Pioneer Health Services in 2003 to be the Hospital Administrator at Pioneer Community Hospital of Aberdeen (CAH) where he provided executive oversight of all daily operations, including financial performance and medical staff relations. In 2008 he was promoted to Director of Regional Hospital Operations for Pioneer Health Services in which capacity he is responsible for the oversight and management of five hospitals. Steve is a member of the Mississippi Hospital Association – Finance Committee and previously served as the former President of the Mississippi Hospital Association – Prairie Council.

 

Michael Harper

Michael Harper serves as the Chief Information Officer for Pioneer Health Services and brings over 15 years of specific healthcare IT experience. He has planned and implemented technology solutions throughout the country for acute and behavioral hospitals, physician practices and ambulatory surgery centers. He most recently served as the Director of Information Technology for Regency Hospital Company, a Long Term Acute Care company, supporting 23 hospitals across nine states with approximately 1,000 beds and 4,000 staff members. During his time at Regency Hospital Company, Michael saw the company grow from two hospitals to 23 hospitals for which he built a scalable network infrastructure, designed and maintained all data centers. He was responsible for evaluating and implementing the current EHR system, as well as managing staff and defining technology solutions that would allow Regency to maintain growth.

 

Sydney Sawyer

Sydney Sawyer has more than 25 years of healthcare experience and is a staunch patient advocate. Sydney has worked in many facets of the medical industry, including Critical Care, Emergency Room, Surgery, and Medical Surgical areas. He received his Associate Degree in Nursing from Hinds Community College in 1994. Sydney has worked for Pioneer Health Services since its inception and before that for Medicomp, an affiliated physical and respiratory therapy company. He has served in many capacities of nursing, including as Emergency Room Director, Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Patient Services, where he managed not only nursing but all clinical ancillary departments. Sydney has become expert in the clinical aspects of Critical Access Hospitals. He was instrumental in the conversion of Lackey Memorial Hospital and Pioneer Community Hospital of Aberdeen to Critical Access Status in 1999 and 2001, the first and second critical access hospitals in Mississippi. He has served as a consultant for other Mississippi hospitals during their conversion to CAH status.

In January of 2011 he accepted the role of Patient Services Officer, in which capacity he is responsible for the Quality Management System for all patient care divisions of Pioneer Health Services. Although Sydney is aware of and appreciates all areas of hospital management, quality patient care is his priority.

 

Donn Paul

Donn R. Paul has 40 years of management experience with over 25 years in Human Resources management with Fortune 500 companies. Donn brings leadership expertise in the areas of employee/labor relations, leadership development and training, organizational development, and strategic planning. He has a BS/BA with a Human Resources emphasis from the University of Southern Mississippi. Donn provides executive leadership at Pioneer serving on the Corporate Strategy Team and provides direction and oversight for the Human Resources Department.