Golden Plains Hospital Chief Operations Officer, Melody Henderson Retires

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Melody Henderson, RN, PhD retired as Chief Operations Officer/Chief Nursing Officer (COO/NO) of Golden plains Community Hospital on June 5, 2024. James Fesser, RN will be serving as the Chief Nursing Officer following Ms. Henderson’s’ retirement.

Ms. Henderson received her RN license in January 1983 and continued to pursue her education until receiving a PhD in Rural Health Care Management in 1995. She achieved her Fellow designation with the American College of Healthcare Executives and was board-certified as an Advanced Nurse Executive. 

Ms. Henderson served as the COO/NO for Golden Plains for 24.5 years, with 10 years prior experience in the same role before coming to Borger.

Mr. Fesser served as a Paramedic in the Fort Worth and Weatherford areas for twelve years prior to becoming a nurse, this is followed by twenty-two years of nursing experience including direct care, middle management, and senior management levels.

He attended Tarrant County College, Weatherford College, and Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City. 

Notable accomplishments include serving in adjunct faculty positions on a community college level, serving as the director of two Emergency Departments encompassing a total of twelve years, and four years of prior service as a Chief Nursing Officer, prior implementation of LEAN management principles as well as multiple customer service initiatives including the Studer Group and Custom Learning Systems. 

Outside of work, James has been married to his beautiful wife Amy for twenty-six years resulting in multiple children and grandchildren, not to mention Dolly the Aussie-Doodle. 

He is a self- described, quintessential Gen-Xer, who enjoys antiques, church activities, reading, classic cars (particularly his 1955 F-100), road trips while listening to the likes of Bob Seger, Journey, The Eagles, and Heart as well as hunting, and shooting sports. 

Regarding this position, he says, he is unbelievably thankful and extremely blessed to be serving this great team here at GPCH and this wonderful community in a position that allows him a front row seat to see such amazing people do amazing things as they live out their God given calling in life.