Leadership

Chief Executive Officer

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

JW Newman was named chief executive officer of St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in August 2024.

Newman recently served as chief operating officer at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. During his time at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, he was responsible for the daily operations and business development of the 741-bed facility. As part of his role, Newman developed a $125-million capital project to support the growth of the hospital, improved patient and staff satisfaction, led efforts to expand cardiac and surgical services, and helped secure a new freestanding emergency room. Additionally, Newman provided oversight for a variety of service lines, including surgical, radiology/imaging, cardiovascular, endoscopy, laboratory, patient transport, respiratory therapy, rehab and wound care. Prior to his role at TriStar Centennial Medical Center, Newman served as the COO of Medical City Fort Worth.

Newman received his master of science in healthcare administration from Trinity University in San Antonio and a bachelor of business administration in managerial finance from the University of Mississippi.

Chief Financial Officer

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

Laura Wiess was named chief financial officer of St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in October 2017. She has more than 25 years of healthcare finance experience encompassing hospital and healthcare auditing environments.

Prior to being named chief financial officer of St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, Wiess served as the chief financial officer at Heart Hospital of Austin for three years. Before that Wiess served as assistant chief financial officer of both St. David’s North Austin Medical Center and St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. In this role, she supported the development and expansion of numerous programs and served on the leadership team that facilitated multiple facility expansions and renovations. She was also responsible for accounting, patient access, case management, health information management, information technology, supply chain and contracts and she served as the chief staffing officer.

Wiess began her career as an auditor for Ernst & Young, LLP, in Austin. After serving in that capacity for six years, she was hired as the controller for St. David’s Management Service Organization, where she was responsible for the financial operation of the St. David’s Physician Practices. Following that, Wiess served for eight years as controller at St. David’s Medical Center and then for a brief time as chief financial officer of St. David’s Georgetown Hospital.

Wiess earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. She also holds a license as Certified Public Accountant.

Chief Medical Officer

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

Michael Craun currently serves as the chief medical officer for St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. Dr. Craun is a highly qualified and experienced trauma surgeon and critical care specialist. He joined St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in 2010, serving as the medical director of trauma service, and he has also served part-time as the hospital’s chief medical officer before officially taking over as chief medical officer in January 2017.

Dr. Craun has more than 30 years of experience practicing trauma and critical care. Prior to joining St. David’s HealthCare, Dr. Craun worked as the medical director of trauma services for the Level I Trauma Center at Scott & White Medical Center in Temple. Previously, Dr. Craun was the medical director of trauma services at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado—an HCA hospital with a Level I Trauma Center in the Denver metro area.

Chief Operating Officer

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

J.P. Bartonico was named chief operating officer of St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in July 2023.

Before joining St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, Bartonico served as the chief operating officer at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant, a 373-bed acute care hospital in northwest San Antonio. In this role, he led the development of several hospital service lines including robotics, colorectal, vascular and cardiology, and he oversaw more than $50 million in capital investments for hospital construction and renovation. Bartonico also served as the hospital’s interim chief executive officer from August to October 2021.

Prior to his role at Methodist Hospital Specialty and Transplant, Bartonico served as associate administrator at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, where he helped coordinate the production and development of a $253-million expansion plan. He also served in numerous leadership roles within the Methodist Healthcare system including vice president of operations and associate administrator.

Early in his career, Bartonico helped open Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, a 242-bed facility with a 42-bed acute care rehabilitation facility, and he oversaw the acquisition of Texsan Heart Hospital, which is now Methodist Hospital Texsan.

Bartonico earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University in San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the vice chair of the governance committee for the South Central Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates annually in the Bike MS 150-mile ride and fundraiser.

Chief Nursing Officer

St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center

Tracy Rodriguez, DNP, R.N., CENP, CCRN-K, was named chief nursing officer of St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center in July 2023.

Rodriguez previously served as the chief nursing officer of St. David’s Georgetown Hospital from 2018 to 2023. While at St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, she directly oversaw the hospital’s nursing administration and house supervisors, and she also initiated a nurse mentorship program. Additionally, Rodriguez had direct oversight of the hospital’s emergency department, inpatient rehabilitation unit, 50-bed medical-surgical unit, 20-bed intensive care unit and women’s services unit, as well as rehabilitation and respiratory therapy programs. Under her leadership, the hospital’s medical-surgical and women’s services units received awards for exemplary nursing.

Prior to her role at St. David’s Georgetown Hospital, Rodriguez was the vice president of nursing at Methodist Hospital Northeast, a 179-bed hospital in northeast San Antonio, where she oversaw more than 300 nurses across multiple units. She also served in numerous nursing leadership positions at facilities across Central and South Texas throughout her career, including Methodist Hospital and Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center in San Antonio.

Rodriguez earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from The University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, and she received her doctorate in nursing from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. She is Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP) and Critical Care (CCRN-K) and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.