Executive Leadership

Troy Daniels is a Forrest Health Vice President and also serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer and Designated Institutional Official.

Daniels serves as the designated officer for the Family Medicine Residency Program and provides administrative supervision for the Family Medicine Residency Clinic, Pharmacy, Human Resources, Payroll, and the Foundation.

A graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi, Daniels is a former Cobra helicopter pilot and Adjutant for a 400+ Army Air Cavalry Squadron. He also served as Protocol Officer for the 18^th Airborne Corps. He holds SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional) credentials.

Active in the community, Daniels currently serves on the Forrest Health Foundation Board and the Mississippi Telehealth Board of Directors. He is an active member of various committees within the Mississippi Hospital Association.

Vance Green serves as a Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Forrest Health.

He has been a part of Forrest Health for 42 years. During that time, he has served in several different capacities including Computer Programmer, Systems Programmer, Systems Administrator, assistant director of Information Services, director of Information Services, CIO, and vice president. His areas of responsibility include Information Services, Telecommunications, Bio-Med, Engineering, Construction, and Public Safety.

Green attended Jones College, where he served as president of the Student Government Association, and a member of the 1981-82 Jones College Bobcat football team. After Jones, he continued his education at the University of Southern Mississippi with a major in Computer Science. 

Frank Hux, MD, serves as Chief Medical Officer for Surgery at Forrest Health where he oversees OR/General Surgery, Cath Lab, Physician Liaison/Subspecialty and Trauma Surgery, Anesthesia, Wound Care, and Radiology.

A neurosurgeon, he is also affiliated with the Lowery A. Woodall Outpatient Surgery Facility in Hattiesburg. He has experience in treating spinal fusion, spinal stenosis, and spondylosis, among other conditions.

He received his medical degree from Kansas City University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and served his residency in neurological surgery at Ascension Providence/MSUCHM. He served a fellowship at Michigan State University.

His specialties are neurosurgery and general surgery.

Thomas E. “Clay” King, III, MD serves as Chief Medical Officer for Hospital Services at Forrest Health where he oversees Hospitalist Services, Intensivists, Neurohospitalists, GI Hospitalists, Emergency Medicine, Physician Liaison Ancillary Services, Cardiology, Primary Stroke Center, and Physician Liaison Medical Subspecialties.

He is also a physician with Hattiesburg Clinic Hospital Care Service.

He has served as the Chief Medical Informatics Officer dealing with numerous EPIC projects. He also is instrumental in moving patients at The Orthopedic Institute through the system as he carries out duties in the surgical co-management hospital role.

Dr. King attended medical school at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine where he also served in internship and residency in Internal Medicine.

Susan Slaughter is a Forrest Health Vice President and Chief Behavioral Health Officer.

She has a 30-year career in healthcare in the Hattiesburg community having served as Director of Development at Pine Grove, and then Director of Physician Relations and Practice Development at Hattiesburg Clinic.

Slaughter oversees Pine Grove Behavioral Health Services, Rural Health Care Clinics, Forrest Health Trauma Clinic, Wound Care Clinic, and Outpatient Neurosurgery Clinics.

She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s in Health Services Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Slaughter currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hattiesburg Public Library, as well as the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation. She also serves as president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Shawn Carpenter is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator of Pearl River County Nursing Home in Poplarville.

Carpenter earned his bachelor of science degree in Community Health Sciences: Health Policy and Administration from The University of Southern Mississippi. His leadership has been recognized with the Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award, an honor awarded to administrators who sustain a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for three or more consecutive year – an achievement that reflects consistent excellence in quality outcomes and patient care.

A native of Poplarville, he is an active member of the Rotary Club and serves on the Board of Directors for Main Street Poplarville.

Kevin Hedgepeth is Administrator of Pearl River County Hospital in Poplarville.

Prior to this role, he served as acute care director at Highland Community Hospital in Picayune.

A nurse for 37 years, Hedgepeth’s experience includes work in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Pediatric ICU, and Cath Lab. Fourteen of these years he was director of patient care areas including Emergency Department, ICU, Med-Surg, and Respiratory Therapy.

He has served as president of Picayune Chamber of Commerce, board member of Pearl River County Economic Development District, board member of local youth sports associations, as well as a Picayune Kiwanis and Poplarville Rotary member. In 2022, he was chosen as Pearl River Community College Alumnus of the Year.

Hedgepeth received his associate’s degree as a registered nurse from Pearl River Community College and his bachelor of science nursing/registered nurse from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Tomaz McCarty is Hospital Administrator for three of Forrest Health’s regional hospitals – Walthall General in Tylertown, Marion General in Columbia, and Jefferson Davis Community in Prentiss.

He oversees operational performance, regulatory compliance, financial stewardship, and patient care initiatives. His leadership focuses heavily on strengthening rural healthcare access, improving hospital efficiency, and developing innovative service line expansions, including tele-nephrology and acute dialysis initiatives.

He is also a military veteran, having served eight years in the United States Air Force.

McCarty earned a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration with a minor in Emergency Management, as well as a Master of Public Health and Community Health Sciences from Tulane University. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health degree from Walden University.

Kevin Hedgepeth is Administrator of Pearl River County Hospital in Poplarville.

Prior to this role, he served as acute care director at Highland Community Hospital in Picayune.

A nurse for 37 years, Hedgepeth’s experience includes work in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Pediatric ICU, and Cath Lab. Fourteen of these years he was director of patient care areas including Emergency Department, ICU, Med-Surg, and Respiratory Therapy.

He has served as president of Picayune Chamber of Commerce, board member of Pearl River County Economic Development District, board member of local youth sports associations, as well as a Picayune Kiwanis and Poplarville Rotary member. In 2022, he was chosen as Pearl River Community College Alumnus of the Year.

Hedgepeth received his associate’s degree as a registered nurse from Pearl River Community College and his bachelor of science nursing/registered nurse from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Shenika Russell is the Administrator and Director of Nursing at Perry County General Hospital, designated as an REH – Rural Emergency Hospital.

Russell started her career at Forrest Health as a surgical tech in 2002. From there, she worked as a patient care manager at The Orthopedic Institute before moving into the administrative role at PCGH in 2022.

She holds membership in the Mississippi Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, Emergency Nurses Association, and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Russell received her certified surgical technologist credential and associate’s degree in nursing from Pearl River Community College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from South University and completed her master’s degree in nursing and a master’s in business administration, both from Walden University.

Jimbo Turnage serves as the Administrator of Highland Community Hospital in Picayune, and oversees regional laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology services at Forrest Health’s six outlying facilities. 

Turnage began work as a radiology technologist before becoming a radiology director. At Forrest Health, he has served as regional director of Radiology and administrator of Marion General Hospital in Columbia. He has played a key role in growing radiology services throughout Forrest Health’s regional facilities. 

Involved in the community, Turnage has served as a board member for the Picayune Chamber of Commerce. He completed both the Pearl River and Marion County Leadership programs. He also serves as a board member for Manna Ministries and the Southeast Mississippi Air Ambulance District.

A resident of Columbia, he graduated from Pearl River Community College with a degree in radiology technology.