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Deanna Whittle joined Emerge as Chief Executive Officer in June of 2019. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Master of Business Administration from the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business. She is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute and has a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Green certification. A Baton Rouge native, Deanna brings extensive experience from multiple sectors of the healthcare field to Emerge.

She is a skilled operations leader with over 30 years of experience in both the inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings. The breadth of her expertise and experiences extends over a wide area of administrative, clinical, and operational functions.

She began her career in healthcare as a neonatal nurse at Woman’s Hospital and has since served in several senior executive level leadership roles for multiple organizations, including Ochsner Home Medicare Corporation, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. Prior to joining Emerge, she served as vice president of the southern region for The Innovation Institute, a healthcare innovation company comprised of six Catholic health systems focused on transforming healthcare delivery for all patients.

Deanna is excited to serve the children and families of our community through the Emerge Enterprise which includes The Emerge Center, The Emerge Foundation and The Emerge School for Autism, the first charter school in Louisiana for children with Autism. She is inspired by the dedication and compassion of Emerge’s staff and board members and welcomes the opportunity to serve the community at Emerge. She looks forward to advancing both the mission and vision of the Emerge enterprise in order to empower children with autism and individuals with communication challenges to achieve independence.