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Brenda Battle

Brenda Battle Profile Photo

Retired

Brenda A. Battle, MBA, BSN, Retired C-Suite Executive | Board Member | Advisor and Consultant

Ms. Battle is a C-Suite executive with expertise in strategic planning, program development and innovative program design. Ms. Battle has designed and executed health care system strategies to foster innovation in care delivery and improve health care outcomes. She has a national reputation as a leader in health equity. She is a national speaker with several publications, and has authored several textbook chapters on improving health outcomes and health equity.

Ms. Battle’s career spanned multiple sectors of health care including health systems, government affairs, managed care, and post-acute care. Throughout her career, Ms. Battle led community health transformation, fostered innovation in care delivery systems, implemented new models of care and facilitated integration of care between the hospitals, health systems and community. Most recently, she led the University of Chicago Medicine’s Urban Health Initiative - the community and public health division focused on eliminating health disparities, promoting health equity, and improving health and access to quality care. Her work is published in several peer reviewed journals. Ms. Battle raised over $200 million from private and public philanthropy to support programming to support the health and wellbeing of residents of Chicago.

Ms. Battle has served on several not-for- profit boards since 1997. She currently serves as board member, Treasurer, and Finance Committee chair for Cara Collective Chicago, a national not-for-profit focused on eradicating financial poverty through workforce preparation and placement; Board member for Genesis Orthopedics, past chair for America’s Essential Hospital Institute, past chair of the Finance and Strategic Planning committees, a national organizational focused on researching and promoting evidence-based best practices and programs that promote the health of vulnerable people and underserved communities. Additionally, Ms. Battle ss a Trustee of her church and an Advisor to Pfizer for Health Answers by Pfizer.

Battle has received several awards and recognition. Battle received the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from Health and Policy Research Group and Community Impact Champion from Brightstar Community Outreach. She was recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders in Healthcare in 2021. In 2022 she was recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Chicago Chapter as Outstanding Community Leader, and in 2023 by Equal Hope as Healthcare Champion for Health Equity. Brenda was guest lecturer for the University of Chicago’s Harper Lecture and Washington University (St. Louis, MO) Homer G. Phillips Lecture series. Battle holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a MBA from Maryville University, St. Louis. She is a frequently requested national speaker, world traveler and loves to read. She resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Write the Vision and Make It Plain: How Clarity, Humility, and Consistency Close the Series (Part 5 of 5)
162
Nov. 10, 2025

Write the Vision and Make It Plain: How Clarity, Humility, and Consistency Close the Series (Part 5 of 5)

Write the vision down. Make it plain. Put it on paper.In this episode of the Leadership Sovereignty Podcast, host Ralph Owens and co-host Terry Baylor close out their five-part conversation with Brenda Battle — national health equity leader, C-suite executive, and the first woman to appear as a guest on the show. This is Part 5 of 5.Brenda closes the series with her most personal episode yet. She shares the one piece of wisdom she would pass to every emerging leader — be humble — and the pra...
Stop Tying Your Purpose to Your Title: How to Lead with Identity When the Role Changes
161
Nov. 3, 2025

Stop Tying Your Purpose to Your Title: How to Lead with Identity When the Role Changes

What happens to your identity when the title disappears?In this episode of the Leadership Sovereignty Podcast, host Ralph Owens and co-host Terry Baylor continue their conversation with Brenda Battle — veteran healthcare executive, board leader, and one of the most respected voices in transformational leadership. This is Part 4 of 5 of their conversation with Brenda.Brenda gets candid about what it means to carry your purpose beyond the position — how she navigated knowing it was time to lea...
You Are a Unicorn: How Authenticity at the C-Suite Table Becomes Your Greatest Leadership Advantage (Part 3 of 5)
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Oct. 27, 2025

You Are a Unicorn: How Authenticity at the C-Suite Table Becomes Your Greatest Leadership Advantage (Part 3 of 5)

What you don't measure, you can't manage. And what you don't bring to the table — your full authentic self — is exactly what your organization is missing.In this episode of the Leadership Sovereignty Podcast, host Ralph Owens and co-host Terry Baylor continue their conversation with Brenda Battle — national health equity leader and C-suite executive. This is Part 3 of 5.Brenda connects innovation to equity — and shows how both principles are transferable to any industry, any table, and any p...
I've Seen Too Many People Stay Past Their Season: How to Lead Succession and Let Go with Grace (Part 2 of 5)
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Oct. 18, 2025

I've Seen Too Many People Stay Past Their Season: How to Lead Succession and Let Go with Grace (Part 2 of 5)

Most leaders know when their season is ending. Very few act on it in time.In this episode of the Leadership Sovereignty Podcast, host Ralph Owens and co-host Terry Baylor continue their conversation with Brenda Battle — national health equity leader and C-suite executive with over 43 years of leadership experience. This is Part 2 of 5.Brenda opens with one of the most honest statements in the series: she did not have the energy to take the organization to the next level — and that was reason...
When You Know There Is More: How Brenda Battle Learned to Read the Seasons of Her Career
158
Oct. 13, 2025

When You Know There Is More: How Brenda Battle Learned to Read the Seasons of Her Career

There is a quiet whisper that every leader hears eventually. I'm good at what I'm doing. But should I be doing more?In this episode of the Leadership Sovereignty Podcast, host Ralph Owens and co-host Terry Baylor welcome Brenda Battle — national health equity leader, C-suite executive, global speaker, and the first woman to appear as a guest on the show. This is Part 1 of 5.Brenda opens with a story about telling a friend one year in advance that she would not be at her organization — with n...