May 13, 2004
James Tally named executive of the year
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- James E. Tally, president and chief executive officer of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, is the Southern Illinois University Carbondale College of Business and Administration's executive of the year.
The college recognized Tally, a three-degree graduate of SIUC, during an April awards banquet.
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, formerly ESR Children's Health Care System Inc., is a pediatric health system that includes two freestanding hospitals, 18 satellite locations, 5,000 employees and 1,300 pediatric specialists. He led the 1998 merger of Egleston Children's Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center that created Children's Healthcare.The award honors business leaders who have distinguished themselves during their careers, achieved an outstanding measure of success and contributed to the global economy. Award criteria include leadership, innovation and prominence.
Prior to joining Children's Healthcare as president and CEO, Tally worked at Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center. He joined Scottish Rite in 1984 when it was a 92-bed children's hospital with 200 employees. He served as president/CEO from 1989 to 1997, and under his leadership, Scottish Rite developed into an integrated health system including a 165-bed hospital with more than 2,000 employees and multiple satellite locations.
Previous positions also included serving as vice chancellor for administration and fiscal affairs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Services in Little Rock; assistant dean and director of the University of Arkansas' Medical College Physicians Group of the College of Medicine; and various positions in SIUC's medical school.
Tally's civic and community activities include serving on the Hospital Advisory Committee of Medicaid; the Council on Government Relations for the Georgia Hospital Association, board of trustees of The Marist School in Atlanta, and as health unit chair for the United Way.
Tally earned a bachelor's degree in history from SIUC in 1965, a master's degree in education in 1971 and his doctorate in higher education administration in 1977.