TUPELO, Mississippi—The Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi recently welcomed five new board members.

The new board members include Mary Ann Briggs; Kevin Chapman; Eric Lewis, M.D.; Luke Montgomery; and Vishal Sachdev, M.D.

“These individuals each have an incredible legacy of commitment and support to HCF,” said HCF President Steven Blaylock. “I know they will provide excellent counsel and leadership for our organization, along with the rest of the fantastic members of our board.”

Briggs is the Customer Service Manager at Southern Ionics Incorporated in West Point. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). Prior to working at Southern Ionics, Briggs worked at BancorpSouth in Tupelo as Internal Audit Manager and Risk Management (SOX) Manager, respectively. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a graduate of the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking. She is married to Tom Briggs, a partner with Galloway, Chandler, McKinney Insurance. They have two children. Brett is a senior at Mississippi State University and Mary Beth is a sophomore at Oak Hill Academy. Mary Ann is involved her local community, currently serving as North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point as Chair of the Board and a member of the Finance Committee, as well as serving many other area nonprofits. She is also a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Mississippi Society of CPAs.

Chapman is the Chief Operating Officer of Renasant Corporation and Renasant Bank, currently responsible for corporate strategy, marketing, credit underwriting and approval, human resources and the day-to-day operating environment. Chapman served as Chief Financial Officer of both entities from October 2011 to August 2020. He has worked in the financial services industry for more than 20 years with experience that includes finance, tax, operations, initial public offerings, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, investor relations and corporate strategy. He is currently a board member of Renasant Bank, the Mississippi Bankers Association and has served as a past board member of Mississippi Young Bankers. Additionally, he has served on committees for the American Bankers Association and is involved in many community and non-profit organizations. Chapman received his master’s of business administration and bachelor’s degree in accounting from Troy University. He is a certified public accountant licensed in the state of Alabama. A native of the Pensacola, Florida area, Chapman and his family reside in Tupelo.

Dr. Lewis is an orthopaedic surgeon at Orthopaedic Institute of North Mississippi. He is an elbow, wrist, hand and microsurgery specialist. He earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Texas A&M University. He received his medical training from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his internship in general surgery at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas. He also took part in a fellowship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and has completed fellowships in hand and microsurgery. Dr. Lewis is the current president of the NMMC medical staff. Prior to coming to Tupelo in 2010, he worked at the Naval Hospital in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Luke Montgomery is President and CEO of Montgomery Enterprises, Inc. A native of Fulton, Montgomery attended Itawamba Community College and is a graduate of Mississippi State University. He began his career in the consumer financial services industry. The company has recently expanded to include Take 5 Oil Change franchises in Mississippi and Tennessee. Montgomery has served on several industry-related boards, including President of both the Title Pledge Association of Mississippi and currently the Financial Service Centers of Mississippi. He currently also serves on the Board of Directors for the Financial Service Centers of America.

In addition to his professional service, Montgomery serves on the Mississippi Community College Board. He has also served as President of the Itawamba County Development Council, Chair of the Itawamba First Foundation and is a graduate of Leadership Mississippi. He is also a member of the Community Development Foundation and the Bulldog Angel Network.

Vishal Sachdev, M.D, is a cardiothoracic surgeon at NMMC-Tupelo. He completed undergraduate and medical school at Louisiana State University. Dr. Sachdev completed his general surgery and cardiac surgery residencies at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson before moving to Tupelo in 2000. Dr. Sachdev also completed an endovascular fellowship and a master of business administration at the University of Tennessee and is a certified physician executive. Dr. Sachdev has served NMMC as section chair of Cardiac Surgery, Chief of Surgery and Chief of the Medical Staff. He is married to Dr. Pami Taylor, an internist, and has two children.

The Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi is the philanthropic arm of North Mississippi Health Services. HCF fuels the mission of NMHS by supporting patient assistance, employee assistance, health career scholarships and special community projects in the NMHS service area. For more information, visit www.nmhsfoundation.org.