Leadership

Susan Fox, President & CEO of White Plains Hospital, is recognized as one of Westchester County’s most influential executives. A visionary leader, Susan has been at the forefront of the healthcare industry transformation regionally, over the last decade. By forging strategic partnerships and aligning and recruiting top clinical and administrative talent, Susan has driven the expansion of White Plains Hospital into a leading provider of advanced healthcare in the Hudson Valley.

Susan first joined the WPH team in 2010 as Senior Vice President of Administration, bringing with her more than 25 years of experience in health management administration. In 2011 she was named Executive Vice President and then President in January 2013. Susan assumed the position of CEO of White Plains Hospital on May 1, 2015.

Prior to White Plains Hospital, Susan was a Senior Vice President at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System developing and overseeing Physician and Ambulatory Network Services. Prior to NSLIJHS, Susan was a Senior Manager of Health Care Consulting at Ernst and Young, where she specialized in strategy and hospital reengineering.

Susan began her career as a pediatric intensive care nurse at New York Hospital in Manhattan and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Columbia University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Baruch College, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Susan was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of The Joint Commission in January 2023. She serves as the Chairperson of the Westchester County Association, serves on the Columbia University School of Nursing Board of Visitors, and the Board of the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS). She is a former Chair of the American Hospital Association (AHA) – Regional Policy Board 2 and AHA Board of Trustees member. In addition to her multiple recognitions as a Crain’s New York Business Healthcare Leader, Susan has been named to the City & State Westchester Power 100 list multiple times, has been featured by 914 Inc. as one of its CEOs and Business Leaders of the Year and honored with the publication’s Women in Business Award, and was named a Power Player and 2022 Healthcare Hero by Westchester Magazine. She is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Palumbo is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at White Plains Hospital. In this role, Dr. Palumbo oversees all medical services, clinical quality, safety and privacy at the Hospital. He joined the Hospital in 2005 as the Founding Medical Director of the Adult Hospitalist Program. In 2009, he was named Executive Vice President and Medical Director, and in 2018 was promoted to Chief Medical Officer.

Prior to working at the Hospital, Dr. Palumbo was an internal medicine provider in Manhattan, where he was a founding partner of a large multispecialty private practice group. He received his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine and completed his residency at New York University School of Medicine, where he served as a chief resident. Dr. Palumbo is board certified in internal medicine. In addition to Hospice of Westchester, he is also a Board member of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, where he serves as the Chairman of the Performance Improvement Committee.

Frances Bordoni is Executive Vice President for Ambulatory and Physician Services and Business Development. In this role, Bordoni is responsible for physician recruiting, ambulatory practice operations and connecting local physicians with White Plains Hospital services. She joined the Hospital in 2012 with more than 20 years of healthcare management experience. Prior to joining the Hospital, she held a position as the Department Administrator of Pediatrics at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Bordoni also previously served as the Director of Business and Clinical Affairs for the departments of Urology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Mercy College and a master’s degree in public administration from the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Joseph Guarracino is Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer at White Plains Hospital. In this role, Guarracino is responsible for all financial operations, including revenue, patient accounts and accounts payable at the Hospital.

He came to the Hospital in 2016 with more than 25 years of experience in management and oversight of financial operations of healthcare institutions. He joined the Hospital from the Brooklyn Hospital Center, where he served as Senior Vice President and CFO. Prior to that, he was CFO for three hospitals in Putnam and Dutchess counties that were part of the Health Quest System. Guarracino has also held senior level positions at Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York and St. Barnabas Community Health Plan. He began his career in the Healthcare Audit Division at Ernst & Young, LLC.

Guarracino has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Iona College and a master's degree in business administration with a focus in healthcare management from American Intercontinental University. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Finance at the Hagan School of Business at Iona College, teaching a graduate class in healthcare finance management.

Leigh Anne McMahon is the Executive Vice President for Patient Care Services at White Plains Hospital. In this role, McMahon oversees all patient care services at the Hospital including Nursing, Respiratory Therapy, the Infection Prevention Department, Care Management and Physical Therapy. She is also responsible for all patient experience initiatives and performance on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and Press Ganey surveys.

McMahon began her career at the Hospital in 1984 as a staff nurse. Following positions on the 4F Unit, in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), she was promoted to Nurse Manager of the PACU and Ambulatory Surgery departments and was named Director of Critical Care. McMahon was subsequently promoted to Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer and led the nursing division through a successful journey to Magnet Recognition. In 2013, McMahon was named Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and again promoted to Executive Vice President in 2021. She is a graduate of the Cochran School of Nursing and holds a Bachelor of Health Science from Mercy College, a Master of Health Care Administration from Bellevue University, a Master of Nursing from St. Joseph's College and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Chamberlain College of Nursing.

Karen Merl Banoff is the Senior Vice President for Organizational Performance at White Plains Hospital. In this role, she oversees operational performance/analytics, data science and management, and regulatory affairs. She also oversees the Cancer Center, the Research Department and is Vice Chair of the Institutional Review Board.

Prior to joining the Hospital in 2016, Banoff operated her own consulting firm for 16 years specializing in healthcare strategic planning, Certificate of Need application management, and business planning. Following completion of her master’s degree, Banoff worked as a healthcare consultant for Ernst & Young and then as Director of Planning at a Connecticut hospital. She started her healthcare career as a pediatric critical care nurse.

Banoff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Rochester, a Master of Public Administration in Health Services Management from New York University, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Sacred Heart University. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the White Plains Youth Bureau.

Robert Blenderman is the Senior Vice President of Operations at White Plains Hospital. In this role, Blenderman oversees Clinical and Non-Clinical Departments and works closely with the senior leadership team on key operational and strategic initiatives.

Blenderman began his career at Northwell Health as a cardiac surgery and critical care Physician Assistant. He spent 15 years at Northwell in clinical and administrative leadership roles, oversaw Northwell Health’s Cardiovascular & Thoracic Serviceline across the enterprise and was the Associate Executive Director of Operations. In 2017 Blenderman was recruited to NewYork-Presbyterian and was named Chief Operating Officer of NYP’s Queens and Brooklyn campuses, where he spent seven years. He is a graduate of St. John’s University and Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center Physician Program. Blenderman also holds a Masters of Business Administration in Quantitative Methodology from Hofstra University.

Dawn French is the Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communication and Community Relations at White Plains Hospital. In her role, French is responsible for overseeing the brand and public reputation of the Hospital through management of marketing, communications and community relations as well as government affairs efforts. A member of the executive leadership team, she also provides counsel that helps the organization prioritize strategies to deliver on its mission of providing care that is exceptional, every day.

Prior to joining the Hospital, French held communications roles at Hudson Valley Hospital and Westchester Medical Center. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade in the television news industry in various roles, ultimately serving as executive producer before her transition to the healthcare field in 2005. French has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Rhode Island as well as a master’s degree in public health from New York Medical College. She is also a recipient of two Emmy Awards for television news.

Jeff Turocy is the Senior Vice President of Development at White Plains Hospital. In this role, Turocy is responsible for managing all fundraising activities, including individual giving, special events, and corporate and foundation giving. He works closely with the Hospital's Board of Directors and Foundation Board, while cultivating and stewarding donor relationships.

Jeff has more than 25 years of fundraising experience working with nonprofits to conduct capital campaigns, feasibility studies, major gift efforts and development assessments. Prior to joining the Hospital, he was a senior member of NYU Langone Health’s development team that successfully completed a $3 billion campaign. One of his primary roles was to manage the 20-plus person Individual Giving Team, which focused its efforts on securing pace-setting support through a grateful patient model.

Prior to NYU Langone, Jeff spent over 10 years at a management consulting firm serving non-profit institutions. He has also held various development positions at the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Dowling College and New Mexico State University. Jeff has a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the Ohio State University.

Diane Woolley is the Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at White Plains Hospital. In this capacity, Woolley is responsible for all employee relations, labor relations, recruitment, benefits, education and organizational development at the Hospital.

Woolley joined the Hospital in 2015 with more than 20 years of experience in human resources. After beginning her career at United Technologies, she spent eight years at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut, first as Administrative Director of Human Resources and then as Vice President of Human Resources. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Post University, as well as a Master of Science in Human Resource Management and a Master of Business Administration, both from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Hartford.