Our Leadership
Highpoint Health – Sumner
Rod Harkleroad, RN, MMHC
Market President and Chief Executive Officer, Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas
Rod Harkleroad, RN is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas. Harkleroad serves as market president of Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas, which includes Highpoint Health – Sumner as well as Highpoint Health – Riverview in Carthage, Tennessee and Highpoint Health – Trousdale in Hartsville, Tennessee.
A seasoned healthcare administrator with significant operational and clinical experience, Harkleroad has served in diverse leadership positions in North Carolina and Tennessee. Prior to his role at SRMC, Harkleroad served as CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center (FRMC), a Duke LifePoint facility located in Hickory, North Carolina. He also previously served in the Highpoint Health market as CEO of Highpoint Health – Riverview and Highpoint Health – Trousdale and as associate chief nursing officer at Highpoint Health – Sumner.
Harkleroad earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and a Master of Business Administration and Management from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2019, he was named one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “60 Rural Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know.”
Geoff Lifferth, MD, FAAEM, FACEP
Chief Medical Officer, Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas
Geoff Lifferth, MD, FAAEM, was born in Madison, Tennessee, and has worked in the Emergency Department at Highpoint Health – Sumner for the last 15 years. He did his undergraduate work at Brigham Young University, medical school at UT Memphis, and his Residency in Emergency Medicine at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine residency, working at Mass General, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Lifferth is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and has served in multiple leadership positions in our hospital, including previously serving as the Chair of the Ethics committee, and as the Chief of Staff for two years. He is the former vice president of the Tennessee AAEM, and currently serves on the board of directors.
He and his wife Kate have five children. He is an outdoorsman who enjoys backpacking, sailing, running and spending time with family and the Boy Scouts. He is also fluent in conversational Japanese.
Jennifer Holder, RN, BSN, MBA, CPPS
Chief Nursing Officer, Highpoint Health – Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas
Jennifer Holder, RN, BSN, MBA, CPPS, began her career as a bedside nurse at Baptist Hospital and Saint Thomas Health Services. For 11 years, she worked in multiple areas across the Saint Thomas health system including med/surg, ICU, MICU, NICU, SICU, and IV/PICC units showing her ability to adapt and be flexible with various assignments, patient populations and census levels. As stand-out nurses do, she then began to fix the issues she saw bedside by taking on a role in process improvement.
In 2013, she joined Highpoint Health, starting off as the Director of Quality and Risk Management at Highpoint Health – Riverview and then serving for 2.5 years as the Director of Quality and Case Management at Highpoint Health – Sumner. While at Highpoint Health – Sumner, she made significant contributions to adjusted length of stay (ALOS) reduction and focused on readmission work and enhanced regulatory compliance. She served as Chief Nursing Officer at Highpoint Health – Trousdale since 2017, taking on CNO duties at Highpoint Health – Riverview as well in mid-2021.
Holder’s achievements while at Highpoint Health – Trousdale and Highpoint Health – Riverview are numerous, including: planning and implementing the new service line for Intensive Outpatient Psychotherapy and Senior Life Solutions at Highpoint Health – Trousdale, increase participation rates in the Culture of Safety and Engagement Survey and high staff satisfaction rates, maintain zero contract labor and low RN turn-over rates at both facilities, and much more.
Matthew Seagroves
Chief Financial Officer, Highpoint Health with Ascension Saint Thomas
Matthew Seagroves is the Market Chief Financial Officer for Highpoint Health, bringing over 20 years of healthcare financial management experience to the role. Prior to his current position, Matthew served as the CFO of Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina, where he oversaw financial operations across multiple departments, including Accounting, Patient Access, Revenue Integrity, and more. His strategic financial leadership was instrumental in driving growth and efficiency at Frye Regional, with significant accomplishments such as developing centralized scheduling systems that enhanced patient satisfaction and acquiring advanced medical technologies like the Davinci XI and MAKO Surgical Robots.
Matt's extensive background also includes key leadership roles at Duke Lifepoint’s Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, where he consistently exceeded financial goals and spearheaded major capital projects, including the expansion of emergency and cancer care facilities. He holds a master’s degree in Health Services Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Accounting from Georgia Southern University. Matthew's career, which began as a patient registrar, has been marked by a consistent focus on improving the patient experience through sound financial stewardship.
Chad Smith, MBA, R.T.(R)(CT)(MR), CRA
Assistant Administrator, Highpoint Health – Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas
Chad Smith brings over 20 years of extensive experience in the healthcare industry, having dedicated the past 15 years to advancing in various leadership positions within the Highpoint Health system. Throughout his tenure, he has played a pivotal role in driving the growth and success of the organization. Chad's leadership contributions have been instrumental in enhancing the quality of care, optimizing patient experiences, and implementing strategic initiatives that have significantly strengthened Highpoint Health overall.
The majority of Chad’s healthcare background is in medical imaging services. He started as PRN at Sumner in 2005 and has held several positions with continued growth and responsibility. He was named the Director of Radiology at Highpoint Health – Riverview in 2014 then returned to Highpoint Health – Sumner as the Director of Diagnostic Services in 2019. He transitioned into administration in 2023 as the Administrative Director of Ancillary Services before becoming the Assistant Administrator.
Highpoint Health – Riverview & Highpoint Health – Trousdale
.jpg)
Cole Stockton
Chief Executive Officer, Highpoint Health – Riverview & Highpoint Health – Trousdale
Cole brings a wealth of experience in hospital operations and a strong dedication to enhancing access to quality healthcare for our communities. Before joining Highpoint Health, he served as Vice President of Operations at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, where he spearheaded service line and facility improvements. He also honed his leadership skills at Lifepoint Health's Frye Regional Medical Center in North Carolina, playing a key role in service expansion and operational improvements. Cole's educational background includes dual master's degrees in health administration and business administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a bachelor's degree in health services administration from Auburn University.
A proud member of the National Eagle Scout Association, Cole is deeply committed to community engagement and public health initiatives. When he's not leading our hospitals, he enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Lindsay, and engaging in outdoor activities and sports, especially fishing and basketball.
.jpeg)
Angela Pruett
Chief Nursing Officer, Highpoint Health – Riverview & Highpoint Health – Trousdale
Angela began as a Cumberland University graduate nurse with Sumner Regional in 2007 on the telemetry floor and transitioned to a Nursing Director in 2011. For about eight years, she oversaw various nursing units, as well as inpatient therapy services and PICC services. She is a certified professional in patient safety, qualified to lead system-wide initiatives and critical improvements through this exciting phase of growth and challenging time in healthcare.
Angela was a Senior Nursing Director at Highpoint Health – Sumner from 2019 to 2022, focusing on Women’s Services, Surgical Services, Med/Surg, Inpatient Rehab Services, and Wound Care. She became VP of Nursing Operations for a short time, before transitioning to our Interim CNO in November of 2022.
Angela will be instrumental in making sure all staff, including clinical staff, are heard. She has a positive history of implementing front line recommendations from the Culture of Safety and Engagement Survey completed by staff annually. She has been successful at recruiting quality nurses and retaining local talent.