Our Staff

Leslie Barden joined the Southern Atlantic Healthcare Alliance (SAHA) as Chief Executive Officer in August 2023, bringing decades of leadership experience in healthcare strategy, business development, and system transformation. She has a proven track record of building high-performing partnerships and advancing innovative care delivery models that improve population health while addressing the evolving financial dynamics of healthcare.

Leslie began her healthcare career in 1986 as an Administrative Resident at United Health Services in Binghamton, New York, and went on to spend more than 15 years with the organization in progressive leadership roles. She has since held executive positions with Methodist Dallas Health, VHA (now Vizient), Blaze Advisors (now Alera Health), and St. Peter’s Health Partners, part of Trinity Health. While at St. Peter’s, she served concurrently as Chief Strategy Officer and CEO of the Innovative Health Alliance of New York (IHANY), a clinically integrated network managing accountable care contracts across Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and commercial populations.

Her work is grounded in a commitment to advancing whole-person, value-based care models while maintaining a practical understanding of the operational and financial realities facing healthcare providers. This balanced perspective informs her leadership at SAHA, where she focuses on driving collaboration, knowledge sharing, and scalable solutions that create measurable value for members.

Leslie holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. John Fisher University and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from Xavier University. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and has been actively involved in ACHE's mentorship initiatives. Outside the office, Leslie spends time with her husband and three grown children all in Dallas TX.  Travel, hiking, and cooking are her fun to do things.

Swati Bhardwaj serves as Director of Operations for the Southern Atlantic Healthcare Alliance (SAHA), where she provides day-to-day operational leadership and serves as a key liaison for member engagement. In this role, she partners closely with health system members to advance strategic initiatives focused on quality improvement, regulatory compliance, revenue integrity, patient and staff safety, and enhanced patient experience.

Swati brings extensive experience in healthcare operations and performance improvement, having led and supported initiatives across diverse care settings. Her background includes consulting on process and quality improvement initiatives, managing patient satisfaction and outcomes projects, and overseeing hospital-level registration and revenue cycle functions. She is deeply committed to advancing care delivery through evidence-based practices and collaborative learning.

She holds a Master of Health Administration from The Ohio State University and maintains multiple professional certifications, including Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS). Swati is also a certified Master Trainer for TeamSTEPPS and holds a Lean Green Belt.

An active leader in professional organizations, Swati has served on the Board of the North Carolina Association for Healthcare Quality (NCAHQ) and is actively involved with the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), where she leads the Hospital Operations Content Advisory Committee and contributes to regional education initiatives. She is also engaged with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), serving on the President’s Advisory Committee for the ACHE of Central and Eastern North Carolina chapter.

Lynn Royal brings a strong background in administrative coordination, project support, and event management to the Southern Atlantic Healthcare Alliance (SAHA). Prior to joining SAHA, she served as Conference Center Event Coordinator at WakeMed, where she managed logistics and execution for a wide range of organizational events. She also held roles supporting administrative operations and project initiatives within the Triangle pharmaceutical industry.

Lynn is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from the Gillings School of Global Public Health. She is actively engaged in her community, serving on the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) Steering Committee and volunteering with the Black Employee Alliance (BEA) at Grifols USA. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys gardening, supporting animal rescue organizations, and spending time with her family.