Mr. Ragsdale worked to bring modern equipment to rural hospitals, while also recruiting physicians and making hospitals more accessible to those in surrounding areas.
NASHVILLE, TN, August 25, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to name Richard Elliot Ragsdale a Lifetime Achiever. An accomplished listee, Mr. Ragsdale celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Initially an assistant treasurer for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City in 1968, Mr. Ragsdale spent five years working for the banking industry before making the decision to move into a field in which he could be of more service helping others, health care and hospital management. Becoming the vice president and treasurer of Hospital Affiliates International in Nashville, Tenn., he spent seven years learning and acclimating to his new chosen field. In 1982, Mr. Ragsdale became vice president, treasurer, and chief financial officer of INA Health Care Group in Dallas, Texas. He found incredible success as one of the founders of Republic Health Corporation in 1981, which went on to raise over $400 million in public capital markets in 1983 and 1984. He went on to serve the firms of Health Systems Inc., and Great Northern Health Management, Ltd., in various capacities, and in 1996, Mr. Ragsdale joined Community Health Systems Inc. as co-chairman. The role allowed him to officially retire from the field in 1998 after the company accepted a leveraged buyout from Forstmann Little in the amount of $1.1 billion.
Mr. Ragsdale worked to bring modern equipment to rural hospitals, while also recruiting physicians and making hospitals more accessible to those in surrounding areas. Years after his retirement, Mr. Ragsdale spent three years as a director for the community health company HealthMont, Inc., as well as two years serving as director of Vanderbilt University Technology Company, from 2001 to 2003. A member of Federation of American Hospitals, Mr. Ragsdale served on the legislative commission from 1984 to 1995. He also served as a trustee for Watkins Institute from 1988 to 1994, as a trustee and chairman for Benton Hall School, and as a trustee and chairman for Maryville College for many years. Further, he was a coach for the Spring Valley Athletic Association for a short time in the mid-1980s, and he has served as chairman of the Hospital Authority of Metro Government Board of Trustees since 1999 and director of the Nashville Zoo since 2000.
Mr. Ragsdale's success does not end there. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including a Thunderbird Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship in 1990 and a Jonas Meyer Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993, both from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Additionally, he is the recipient of a 1999 Maryville College Medallion and a 2011 Sage Award from the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee, as well as an inductee in the 2010 Benton Hall Academy Hall of Fame and the 2001 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee. Mr. Ragsdale has also been included in more than 30 Who's Who publications, to include Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who's Who in the South and Southwest.
Mr. Ragsdale holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University and a Master of International Commerce from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He married Anne Elizabeth Ward in August 1968 and had three children. In his free time, Mr. Ragsdale enjoys scuba diving, video editing, and drag racing.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Richard Elliot Ragsdale has been featured on the Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achievers website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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