# Tyra Palmer

> Tyra Palmer is a Nashville-based healthcare marketing, communications and government-relations executive whose career connected institutional strategy with public trust. A University of Oklahoma journalism graduate, she held leadership roles at St. Edward Health System and Hillcrest HealthCare System before joining Ardent in 2004, eventually serving as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Her work included regional brand building, physician relations, digital services, advocacy and community engagement; after retiring from Ardent, she joined the board of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee.

- **Role:** Retired Ardent Health Services executive; listed as a board member of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee in its 2024 annual reporting
- **Organizations:** Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee, Ardent Health Services, Hillcrest HealthCare System, Lovelace Health System, BSA Health System, St. Edward Health System, Oklahoma Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Journalism, public relations, University of Oklahoma
- **Known for:** Received the Oklahoma Hospital Association Advocacy in Action Award in 2015., Created multiple award-winning marketing campaigns, including a nationally recognized prevention campaign replicated in 33 states., Launched affinity groups in two markets with combined membership exceeding 17,000 and documented return on investment.

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a journalism degree focused on public relations.
- **Before 2004** — Served as director of marketing and communications for St. Edward Health System, Sisters of Mercy, and as vice president of marketing and communications for Hillcrest HealthCare System.
- **2004** — Joined Ardent and began leading government-relations work for Hillcrest while expanding responsibilities across marketing, communications and physician relations.
- **2015** — Received the Oklahoma Hospital Association Advocacy in Action Award.
- **2018** — Promoted to senior vice president of marketing and government relations at Ardent Health Services.
- **2019** — An Ardent SEC filing identified Palmer as senior vice president and chief marketing officer with more than 30 years of sector experience.
- **2022** — Served as interim chair of the Federation of American Hospitals Public Relations Committee.
- **2023** — Retired from Ardent and joined the board of the Center for Nonprofit Management, now the Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee.

## Achievements

- Received the Oklahoma Hospital Association Advocacy in Action Award in 2015.
- Created multiple award-winning marketing campaigns, including a nationally recognized prevention campaign replicated in 33 states.
- Launched affinity groups in two markets with combined membership exceeding 17,000 and documented return on investment.
- Led marketing, communications, government relations and physician relations across Hillcrest, Lovelace and BSA regional systems.
- Served as interim chair of the Federation of American Hospitals Public Relations Committee in 2022.

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — The Center for Nonprofit Excellence of Middle Tennessee's reporting for 2024 listed Palmer among its board members and individual donors.
- **2023-07** — Joined the board of the Center for Nonprofit Management after retiring from Ardent Health Services.
- **2023-05** — Publicly praised the collaboration and shared focus behind Ardent's 2023 leadership conference.
- **2023-03** — Highlighted Women at Ardent's mentorship pilot, which paired 30 mentors and mentees.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyra-palmer-54b8bb100

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tyra-palmer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14