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Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice Administrators

Sharon Roush, PresidentSharon Roush, President

Sharon Roush was named president of Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice in June 2018. Before SMH-Venice opened its doors in Fall 2021, Sharon oversaw the facility's design, construction and operations. Prior to taking the helm at SMH-Venice, she served as chief executive officer of the 138-bed South Bay Hospital in Sun City, Fl., for nearly 10 years. Before that, she served as CEO for two other hospitals in Florida: Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee and Columbia Hospital in West Palm Beach. Over the course of her career, Sharon has successfully led the development and design of a replacement hospital, implemented strategies that resulted in a hospital's substantial turnaround and expanded multiple service lines. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Maryville College in Maryville, Tenn., and received her Masters of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Ala.

 

 

Jeff Wesner, Chief Operating OfficerJeff Wesner, Chief Operating Officer

Jeff Wesner was named chief operating officer of Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice in November 2020. He started his healthcare career at Pfizer, where he worked as an institutional account specialist in anti-infective and cardiovascular medications. Jeff joined HCA Healthcare in 2011 as director of Business Development and later became vice president of Surgical and Hospital Operations at Brandon Regional Hospital, with responsibility for operational excellence, service line development and strategic planning. In 2018, he became a chief operating officer within the HCA system and served as executive director at Community Health Systems. Jeff received his MBA and Bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.

 

 

 

Kyle Garner, MD, Associate Chief Medical OfficerKyle Garner, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer

Kyle Garner, MD, will assume the role of associate chief medical officer for Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice in November 2021. He will serve as the liaison between SMH-Venice's medical staff and the hospital's administrative team on a part-time basis, and will continue to see patients in his Gulfcoast Obstetrics and Gynecology practice. Board-certified in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Family Medicine, Kyle joined SMH's medical staff in 2006 and served as chief of staff in 2017-2018. He also has served as SMH's chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and was named the SMH Physician of the Year in 2013. A member of the faculty of Florida State University's College of Medicine, Kyle received his medical degree from the Wake Forest University/Bowman Gray School of Medicine and completed his Internship/Residency and Fellowship at the University of Tennessee.

 

 

Julie Polaszek, Chief Nursing OfficerJulie Polaszek, Chief Nursing Officer

Julie Polaszek was named chief nursing officer in September 2022. Previously, she served as SMH-Venice's inpatient nursing director, planning and implementing the hiring of nursing leadership and staff amid national nursing workforce shortages, fostering an environment patient-centered culture and collaborative environment for staff and providers. Julie joined Sarasota Memorial in 1992 as a staff RN and subsequently advanced in her career to become a clinical practice specialist, clinical manager and director of Inpatient Cardiology, Neurology and Medical Short Stay prior to joining the SMH-Venice team. Julie earned her Associates of Nursing Degree at Darton College in Albany, Georgia and Masters of Science, Nursing at St. Joseph's College of Maine. A nationally board-certified nurse executive since 2011, Polaszek currently serves as a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leader (formerly AONE) and is a past president of the Suncoast Chapter Organization of Nurse Executives.