Leadership

Rachael Prather, RN, BSN
Chief Executive Officer

Rachael joined Ferrell Hospital in 2015 as the Quality Risk Manager and was soon promoted to Chief Nursing Officer and then to CEO in May 2025. She brings 11 years of nursing leadership experience and healthcare knowledge to her position. Prior to joining Ferrell, Rachael worked at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, IL as the director of a 66- bed medical/surgical unit where she was responsible for improving quality and patient satisfaction scores, implementing best practices to provide quality of care and opening an orthopedic unit.

  

Greg Wright, MBA
Chief Financial Officer

Greg joined Ferrell Hospital in October 2023.   He brings over 25 years of healthcare financial management experience by serving in various finance roles at Southern Illinois Healthcare, the last being Corporate Director of Finance.   He earned his both his undergraduate degree in business management and MBA from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.  He has been as a board member and national treasurer of the SIU Alumni Association since 2017.  He is certified as a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), and has served as President of the Southern Illinois Chapter of HFMA.

 
Jessica Carter, RN
Chief Nursing Officer

Jessica Carter is the Chief Nursing Officer at Ferrell Hospital, a role she assumed in May 2025 after more than 14 years of service to the organization. She previously served as Director of Nursing Services, stepping into that leadership role at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where she was instrumental in leading nursing staff through unprecedented challenges while maintaining high standards of patient care and safety. An ICAHN “4 Under 40” Hospital Leadership Award recipient, Carter is highly respected by her colleagues and community, and she is deeply involved in outreach and education, providing CPR, ACLS, and PALS training to healthcare professionals, students, and first responders, and serves on multiple professional and advisory committees.


Caleigh Bruce, MBA
Chief Compliance Officer
Chief People Officer

A native of Eldorado, IL, Caleigh Bruce became part of the Ferrell family in 2012 when she was named Director of Human Resources. In 2014, she assumed greater responsibility in the organization by accepting the additional role of chief compliance officer. Caleigh's career in human resources began in 2009 when she worked as a human resources assistant at Southern Illinois Healthcare. 


Nate Oldham, MD
Chief of Staff
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Nate Oldham is a native of Eldorado, IL, graduating from Eldorado High School in 1999. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Illinois in 2003, and went on to complete his doctorate from SIU School of Medicine in 2007. After completing his Family Medicine Residency at Deaconess Hospital in 2010, he returned to Eldorado in July 2010 to join Ferrell Hospital due to his desire to serve his hometown community. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, and has practiced inpatient, outpatient, and emergency medicine at Ferrell. He has served on the Ferrell Hospital Board of Directors since 2013, and became the Chief of Staff in July 2015.