S. Hughes Melton, Class of 2016
S. Hughes Melton, MD, MBA
Chief Deputy Commissioner, Virginia Department of Health
Bristol, VA
What is new and exciting with you now or since your time with Lead Virginia?
I am currently working in Richmond and commuting back and forth from Bristol. I also recently completed my service as the President of the American Academy of Family Medicine Foundation and I am now serving as the Senior Deputy HHS Region III representative to the Association for State and Territorial Health Officers.
How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
Lead Virginia provided me with a broader understanding of Virginia’s diversity and the needs and capabilities of the different regions of the Commonwealth. It also introduced me to other leaders in Virginia from whom I continue to learn and seek advice from through my work in the government.
Since Lead Virginia, how have you put your social capital to work?
Since Lead Virginia, I have identified and recruited key senior leaders into the Virginia Department of Health. I've guided the Cooperative Agreement hospital system merger in southwest Virginia, and I've helped strengthen the state’s response to the addiction epidemic; specifically connecting senior leaders with community leaders across the Commonwealth.
What did you expect from Lead Virginia going in? Did the program exceed your expectations and broaden your horizons?
I expected the program to teach me about regions of the state unfamiliar to me; I didn’t expect the program to introduce me to so many excellent leaders across the state both in my class and as part of our regional visits. The program exceeded my expectations and continues to do so through its alumni network activity.
What was your biggest takeway or lesson learned from Lead Virginia that continues to stick with you today?
My biggest takeaway was that Virginia’s amazing diversity requires significant flexibility in how problems are solved and communities developed to achieve greater well-being across the Commonwealth.