Craig Cordola
College of Business - Dean's Office
Director of MBA & MHA
Biography
Dr. Craig Cordola is an Assistant Professor of Management and serves as the Director of both the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the College of Business at Lipscomb University. Bringing nearly three decades of executive leadership experience, Dr. Cordola bridges executive strategy and academic rigor to prepare future business and healthcare leaders for purposeful, values-driven impact.
Prior to joining Lipscomb full-time, Dr. Cordola led major national and international healthcare organizations at the highest executive levels. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Care Delivery and Member of the Management Board for Fresenius Medical Care, overseeing global operations across thousands of clinics and outpatient facilities. His prior executive roles include serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Ascension—one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems—as well as President and CEO of Ascension Texas and President/CEO across key divisions with the Memorial Hermann Health System, including serving as the CEO of their Academic Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center. In addition, for 6 years, he concurrently served as the Associate Dean of Hospital Affairs at The University of Texas Medical School - Houston. Throughout his career, Dr. Cordola has overseen multi-billion-dollar operating budgets, guided complex health system integrations, led national pandemic response operations, and championed quality, patient safety, service, and sustainability initiatives.
In the classroom, Dr. Cordola teaches courses focused on healthcare strategy, quality and patient safety, organizational behavior, and performance improvement. His pedagogical approach combines rigorous case-based learning with real-world case studies drawn from his leadership in private equity partnerships, health system transformation, strategy, and corporate governance. Dr. Cordola’s research and scholarly contributions span healthcare operations, environmental sustainability in faith-based healthcare organizations, patient experience analytics, and clinical quality improvement.
Dr. Cordola holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. He also earned a dual Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) from the University of Houston–Clear Lake, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Special Honors from The University of Texas at Austin. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Dr. Cordola actively serves as a Senior Advisor and Consultant to private corporations and on several nonprofit boards dedicated to community health, education, and faith-based service.
Academic Degrees
- Ed.D in Leadership and Learning in Organizations - Peabody College at Vanderbilt University
- MHA/MBA - The University of Houston at Clear Lake
- Bachelor of Arts - The University of Texas