Donald Baker

As regional president of UT Health East Texas, Donald Baker leads strategy and operations for 10 hospitals including an academic medical center, regional rehabilitation facilities, long-term acute services, free standing emergency centers, more than 80 physician clinics and an array of integrated outpatient and in-home healthcare services across a broad geographic footprint. UT Health East Texas offers the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and a fleet of more than 55 ambulances and four helicopters in its emergency transport services.

Mr. Baker joined UT Health East Texas in late 2019 as the chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO). Previously, he spent more than 20 years at Hillcrest HealthCare System, serving the last ten years as CFO for the market, which includes 7 hospitals, more than 80 clinic locations and over 7,000 employees located throughout eastern Oklahoma. In his tenure at the system, Mr. Baker held various senior leader roles including oversight of managed care contracting and operations, decision support, financial operations and as hospital CFO of a 700-bed urban academic medical center.

He currently serves on the Texas Hospital Association’s Council on Policy Development. Mr. Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).