J. Thomas Shepherd is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Gwinnett Hospital System, Inc (GHS). He earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia in 1984, and earned an MBA from Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia in 1989.

Mr. Shepherd started his hospital career with Doctor’s Hospital in Tucker, Georgia in 1974, as a medical technologist. He joined the Gwinnett Hospital System in 1978 as a medical technologist on the evening shift. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a Laboratory Manager for Gwinnett Medical Center. He served as Night Administrator from 1986 to 1988.

From 1988 to 1992 he served as the Administrator for Joan Glancy Memorial Hospital. From 1992 to 1999, he served as Vice President for Operations and as Administrator of Gwinnett Medical Center, and from 1999 to 2005 as the Vice President, Strategy and Planning, for Gwinnett Hospital System.

From 2005 to 2007, he served as the Chief Executive Officer for Dodge County Hospital in Eastman, Georgia.

He re-joined GHS in July 2007.

He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Georgia Hospital Association. He is a member of the Lawrenceville Rotary club where he is past President. He is also past President of the Snellville Rotary Club (Sunrise). He was a guest lecturer at Moscow Medical Academy in 1992 on various healthcare topics. This was a result of his experience as part of a Group Study Exchange through Rotary. Mr. Shepherd has been a Rotarian since 1992.

He is a graduate of the 1992-93 Leadership Gwinnett Class.

Mr. Shepherd lives in Dacula with his wife of 41 years. He has 2 children, a son and a daughter, and twin grandchildren (2 girls).