Here is your opportunity to register for two premier events all in one place, the Gail L. Warden Leadership Award Dinner and the Organizational and Leadership Excellence Conference. During the registration process, you will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to attend both events or only one of them. The choice is yours. 

Ticket Options (Payment is accepted by credit card only. If you require a different form of payment, please contact us)

• Bundled Tickets (Join us for both events. This ticket includes both the Conference and Gail L. Warden Leadership Award Dinner Event)
  • NCHL Program Members ($1100) - You must use your organizationally affiliated email address when registering to receive the member rate 
  • Non-NCHL Program Members ($1300)

• Standard Conference Registration
  • Non-NCHL Members ($750)
  • NCHL Program Members ($550) - You must use your organizationally affiliated email address when registering to receive the member rate.​
  • ​Student and Healthcare Administrative Fellows ($350)

• ​​Gail L. Warden Leadership Award Dinner Event
  • Individual Tickets ($550)
  • Table and event sponsorship is available

• Conference Speakers, Event Sponsors, and Corporate Members
  • Please see specific instructions from the NCHL event team for registering as a speaker, event sponsor, or corporate member to assure access to special event rates.

The Organizational and Leadership Excellence Conference

Each year this event brings together an intimate, high-level audience of senior executive leaders from hospitals, health systems, graduate health management programs, and other healthcare entities, who have a passion to improve healthcare by fostering positive organizational culture, leadership excellence, and have a desire to build and influence resilient and agile organizations. 

THIS EVENT IS NCHL’S LARGEST CONFERENCE bringing approximately 200 attendees together for two days. This year’s event, kicking off with an evening welcome reception on Monday, November 15, culminating with our closing keynote the afternoon of Wednesday, November 17th. 

When: Monday, November 15 through Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Where: Swissôtel in downtown Chicago, Illinois 

Preview the agenda here. 

Conference Registration Fees:

• NCHL Program Members ($550)
• Non-NCHL Program Members ($750)
• Student and Healthcare Administrative Fellows ($350)
• Please note, special registration rates are extended to speakers, sponsors, and a certain number of Leadership Excellence Network (LENS) program members, Graduate Education Health Management (GEHM) program members, and Corporate Members. If you believe you are entitled to a special registration rate, please contact us to verify BEFORE registering. 

Gail L Warden Leadership Award Dinner

The Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award is given to an individual who has made significant and lasting leadership contributions to the health and healthcare field. To honor this awardee, NCHL hosts an award dinner. 

​THIS EVENT IS NCHL’S LARGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT and an opportunity to gather a prestigious cohort of healthcare executive leaders into one room to celebrate the tremendous contributions of the honoree. This year’s event, including a reception and dinner, will be hosted on the 42nd floor of the Swissôtel in one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ Best New Event Spaces in 2019, Élevé. This year, Maureen Bisognano, President Emerita and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has been named the 2021 Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award recipient.

When: Evening of Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Where: Swissôtel in downtown Chicago, Illinois 

Gail L. Warden Leadership Award Dinner Event Registration Fees:

• Individual Tickets ($550)
• Sponsorship opportunities for table reservations or multiple ticket bundles are available. Learn more here.
• Please note, special registration rates are extended to event sponsors, Graduate Education Health Management (GEHM) program members, and Corporate Members. If you believe you are entitled to a special registration rate, please contact us to verify BEFORE registering.

COVID-19 policies, monitoring and potential modifications

We are closely monitoring COVID-19 health and safety recommendations. Additionally, we’re staying apprised of city, county, and state mandates that may impact our ability to gather in person.   

Vaccination and Mask Requirements: For an in-person event we will require attendees to self-attest to being fully vaccinated. If you are unable to be vaccinated due to religious beliefs or medical exemption, and cannot attest to being vaccinated, you will be required to show proof of a negative COVID PCR test, within the past 3-days, upon check-in at the event.

Additionally, all attendees will be required to wear masks indoors at all times (except when actively eating or drinking). Speakers will likely be able to remove their masks during their presentation so long as a 6-foot distance can be maintained from all other attendees/panelists. See the complete policy here. 

Policies may evolve to maintain consistency with health and safety recommendations for in-person events.