The Savvy Solutionist

Sally Seymour MBA ’08 is a problem solver. She has a knack for efficiently deducing what’s working and what’s not. In July, she was named CEO of HCA Hospital St. Petersburg, and she has had no shortage of issues to manage. Her path to the top was propelled by her willingness to listen to herself and others.

Seymour started out her career in public relations in Washington, D.C., but when she wasn’t feeling the passion she expected, she swiftly changed gears. A pharmaceutical sales job brought her to Tampa, although she was still questioning her career. The answer she was looking for was UT’s Saturday MBA program. “UT gave me a great foundation to realize that I loved business,” Seymour says.

From then on, things happened naturally. She learned about the opportunities at HCA Healthcare from an employee within her MBA cohort and started as the director of sales and business development after completing the program.

The first challenge she met at HCA was growing the women’s health care services at the location in Trinity, FL. Seymour successfully recruited additional obstetricians and helped design a new facility to expand the unit. After rotating through a couple of other locations, she returned to Trinity five years later as COO and grew their gynecology program.

Seymour then stepped into her CEO role armed with ideas. She quickly surveyed the team’s community outreach and established it as a top priority for 2023. To connect with the public, she serves on the boards of the YMCA and Pace Center for Girls, a program that takes in teenage girls who are struggling with trauma or neglect to help them learn in a safe and supportive environment, get along better with friends and family, and plan for a productive future. “It wasn’t a mandate — I just thought it was the right thing to do,” says Seymour.

Seymour draws on her communication background to offer solutions with a perspective that others in the industry might not have. “I think if I had to say, the biggest challenge to solve here is breakdowns in communication,” says Seymour.

To that end, Seymour isn’t one to stay in her office. While there’s no typical day-to-day when it comes to running a hospital, Seymour says she never hesitates to make time for caregivers and patients. Daily rounds with the staff are a must, and every few months, the administrative team throws on some scrubs and shadows the providers to understand their needs. Although she’s not personally providing care, she is there for patients if they need her.

“We are a community organization,” she says. “We have to meet the needs of our community.”