Our Leadership

Jerry Fulks has served as West Georgia Health’s President/CEO since August 2001. He received his Masters of Healthcare Administration from the Medical College of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Prior to his current position, Fulks held senior executive positions in Gainesville, Georgia where he was CEO of the former Lanier Park Hospital which merged into Northeast Georgia Health Services. Earlier in his career, Fulks held senior management positions with the Bon Secours — St. Mary’s Health Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. He held a variety of positions with the Hospital Corporation of America, including six years as CEO of Fairview Park Hospital in Dublin, Georgia.

Mr. Fulks is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has held leadership roles in the Georgia Hospital Association, serving as Chairman in 2000 and a member of the GHA Executive Committee from 1996 through 2001. He is also an alumnus of Leadership Georgia.

After a seven-year absence, former West Georgia Health Vice President Charis Acree returned on Dec. 1, 2003 as Senior Vice President of Operations. In her first 17 years with West Georgia Health, Ms. Acree initially served as an assistant administrator, then as the vice president for clinical services. During her tenure, she was responsible for developing Florence Hand Home, West Georgia Hospice and Hospice LaGrange from concept to reality.

Her current areas of responsibility include the laboratory, admissions, neurodiagnostics, pharmacy, pulmonary, volunteer/community services, health information management, coding, and rehabilitation services.

Tommy Britt became a member of the West Georgia Health executive team in 2013. Britt, who had previously served as the WGH Director of Human Resources since February 2007, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from LaGrange College and recently earned a Master of Science degree in human resource management from Troy University.

As Vice President of Human Resources, Mr. Britt oversees operational responsibilities in the following areas of West Georgia Health: Community Service Clinic, education services, employee health, employee safety and human resources. 

A native of Thomaston, Britt spent approximately 20 years at Milliken & Company –  two years as a production manager and 18 years in Human Resources.   Throughout his career, he has been a leader in civic involvement.  He has served on the board of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce, chairing the Existing Industry Committee.  He is past president of the West Georgia Society of Human Resource Management, as well as former chairman of the LaGrange Employer Committee.  He also has served on boards for the local American Lung Association, March of Dimes and United Way.  He served as campaign chairman of a very successful United Way drive that raised more than $1.3 million for the community.  He currently serves on the LaGrange College Leadership Council and is a board member of West Georgia Technical College.  In the fall of 2011, Britt was selected to LaGrange College’s Wall of Outstanding Alumni.  

Britt and his family are members of LaGrange First United Methodist Church.  He is married to Holly Thompson Britt and they have two children, Zack and Anna.

As Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Ms. Burton oversees nursing issues throughout the Health System, as well as operational responsibility for the following clinical nursing areas at West Georgia Medical Center: medical/surgical, operating room and post-anesthesia recovery, critical care, maternal-infant services, pediatrics, orthopedics, infection control, emergency services, and patient education.

Ms. Burton earned her Associate of Arts degree from Oxford College at Emory University and her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory. Upon graduation, Ms. Burton began working as a staff nurse at what is now West Georgia Health System. After working in various medical/surgical areas and serving as a nurse manager for 12 years, she was promoted to Director of Nursing in 1987. In 2002, she was named a vice president and the chief nursing officer.

Ms. Burton is a charter member of the LaGrange College Nursing Honor Society and a member of Emory’s Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau National Nursing Honor Society, the Georgia Organization of Nurse Executives and the Georgia Hospital Association. She is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in nursing systems and administration. She was recently named to the LaGrange College Wall of Outstanding Alumni.

As Vice President and Executive Director of West Georgia Health Physicians, David Disbrow manages the West Georgia Physicians professional services organization. In this position, Disbrow will work closely with physicians and oversee operations for the physician offices of the West Georgia Physicians professional services organization (PSO).

Having worked in the healthcare field for more than 20 years, Disbrow has a background primarily in acute-care hospital administration. He most recently served as senior business administrator for the cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary, critical care and sleep departments at the University of Cincinnati. He has also served as the executive director of Ohio Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Surgeons Inc.; administrator of Critical Care, Anesthesia, Pain Management at Cleveland Clinic Foundation; vice president of operations at Doctors Hospital (part of Ohio Health System).

David is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is an active member of MGMA medical group management association. He earned a Master of Science degree in health care administration from Central Michigan University in 1994. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Toledo in 1988.

Born and raised in LaGrange, Ms. Fritchley became a member of the WGHS executive team in 1999, serving as Vice President of Senior Services. Her areas of responsibility include Florence Hand Home, Twin Fountains Home, West Georgia Hospice, West Georgia Home Care, Vernon Woods Retirement Community, Corporate Compliance, Risk Management and Lean Performance Improvement.

Ms. Fritchley earned dual Master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and Business Administration from Georgia State University in 1999. She received a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997. Ms. Fritchley is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executive and a certified Healthcare Risk Management Professional.

In 2007, Ms. Fritchley was named one of Georgia Trend magazines Top 40 Under 40 business leaders in Georgia. She is also a member of Leadership Georgia.

She and husband Andy live in LaGrange with their three children; Aaron, Nathan and Tatum.

Tripp Penn serves as Vice President of Support Services at West Georgia Health. His area of responsibilities include the West Georgia Health Foundation; Occupational Medicine; Facilities, which includes Engineering, Grounds/Security and Environment of Care; Environmental Services; Laundry and Volunteer/Community Services.

Tripp joined West Georgia Health in 2003. He previously served as Director of the West Georgia Health Foundation, the charitable organization that exists to support the vision of West Georgia Health.  He established the Foundation in 2005. Under his leadership, in 2008, the Foundation was successful in raising more than $5 million during the campaign for WGH’s new emergency department.

He earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics and a Master of Education degree from the University of Georgia.  He obtained a Master of Business administration from LaGrange College. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

He is a member of the LaGrange Rotary Club, is active at LaGrange First United Methodist Church, is a member of the Leadership Council for LaGrange College and served on board for Leadership Georgia.

He and his wife Megan live in LaGrange with their three children: Riley, Hannah and Miller.

Paul Perrotti joined the West Georgia Health executive team in March 2004 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. A certified public accountant, Perrotti has 10 years experience in public accounting. He has worked for a large, regional not-for-profit hospital and later served as chief financial officer of Charter Behavioral Health Systems in Atlanta. Through a series of transactions and promotions, he was elevated to the position of a regional financial director and, ultimately to a corporate-level role for a national health care services provider based in Pennsylvania. He came to West Georgia Health after serving as director of finance and Six Sigma master black belt for a multinational corporation in Greenwich, Connecticut.

His areas of responsibility include patient accounts, information services, materials management, and all areas of finance/treasury.

Perrotti received a bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. and an executive degree in management from Emory University, Goizueta Business School. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Chapter HFMA.