Ballad’s Pam Austin named Tennessee CIO of the Year

Published 9:14 am Friday, August 1, 2025

Pam Austin, chief information officer for Ballad Health’s information technology team, has been recognized as one of the top information technology leaders in the state by the Tennessee ORBIE® Awards.

Austin is one of eight CIOs awarded as a Tennessee CIO of the Year for 2025. Hundreds of CIOs across the state are considered for the prestigious recognition every year, which showcases the excellence in leadership, innovation and vision of top technology executives across the state.

“Our information technology team has flourished under Pam’s leadership for the past five years, and she’s more than deserving of this recognition,” said Marvin Eichorn, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Ballad Health. “Pam is on the frontline of a landscape that is constantly changing, and her fortitude as a leader in technology and her oversight have led to many successes on the technology front at Ballad Health.”

Austin’s IT career began in 1996 as a senior analyst with Mountain States Health Alliance. She gained roles of increasing responsibility until she was promoted to senior vice president and chief information officer of Ballad Health in April 2019.

Under Austin’s leadership, Ballad Health successfully converted the health system to the electronic health system Epic in a process that took careful planning and several months to implement systemwide. In her day-to-day, Austin oversees various IT projects across the health system and is heavily involved in efforts to continuously improve IT performance and enhance cybersecurity.

Austin’s recognition is particularly notable in a field where women remain underrepresented. In the U.S., women make up about a quarter of the IT workforce, and even fewer hold executive roles. For every 100 men promoted to management, only 87 women get the same promotion. Female CIOs are especially rare in the healthcare industry, making Austin’s leadership and accomplishments an important example of progress and representation.

“Working in IT means keeping a constant finger on the pulse of new and emerging technology, and I’m fortunate to be on a team that is dedicated to using technology to help improve patient care every day,” Austin said. “The successes of our department can’t be attributed to a single person — it’s everyone on our team and the hard work and dedication they bring to their jobs every day. I consider it an honor to lead them.”

This is the second year in a row that a member of the Appalachian Highlands community has been recognized as an elite leader in IT. In 2024, Aldo Noseda, chief information officer at Eastman and a dedicated member of the Ballad Health Board of Directors, was named as a Tennessee CIO Global ORBIE® Award winner. His recognition reflected not only his leadership in digital innovation at Eastman, but also his commitment to advancing technology and providing strategic guidance in support of Ballad Health’s mission.

“We’re grateful to have the expertise of IT professionals like Pam and Aldo to support our region,” Eichorn said. “While their work is mostly behind the scenes, it’s crucially important in every sector that supports our region’s economy and, by extension, the well-being of our community.”

Winners of the annual ORBIE® Award are considered based on criteria including leadership and management effectiveness, business value created by technology innovation and engagement in industry and community endeavors. Finalists are selected through an independent, peer-adjudicated process led by prior ORBIE® Award recipients. To learn more about the ORBIE® Awards, visit www.orbie.org.