In healthcare leadership, representation matters — for ensuring diverse perspectives in decision-making, as well as fostering an environment where professionals feel seen, supported and empowered. Recognizing this need, MGMA’s Black Healthcare Leaders Resource Group was established to provide Black professionals in medical management with a dedicated space for mentorship, networking and advocacy.
Led by Kem Tolliver, FACMPE, CPC, CMOM, Shawntea "Taya" Gordon, MBA, FACMPE, and Otis C. Fagan, FACMPE, the group quickly became more than just a professional network, evolving into a movement for connection and change. At its first gathering, the overwhelming response made it clear that this initiative was filling a long-overdue gap in healthcare leadership.
Creating a space for support and representation
MGMA’s Member Resource Groups were born out of a commitment to fostering inclusion and belonging within the healthcare management profession. These groups quickly became a valuable part of the MGMA community, providing safe, supportive environments where members could engage in meaningful conversations about career growth, professional challenges and industry leadership. Based on the overwhelming success of in-person resource groups at the 2023 and 2024 Leaders Conferences, MGMA expanded these efforts to include quarterly virtual meetings, ensuring that members could maintain and build these connections year-round.
"Resource groups give our members a unique opportunity to network within the healthcare space and also with shared demographics that aren't just role or job based,” explained Amanda Jensen, Sr. Manager, Member Engagement, at MGMA, who was instrumental in helping get these groups off the ground. “Also, recruiting MGMA member volunteers from these demographics to lead the groups was huge — it just wouldn’t work without that component."
When MGMA first approached Tolliver, Gordon and Fagan about leading the group, they saw it as an opportunity to build something truly meaningful.
“We were given free rein to structure what we needed to create a space where people felt seen and included and welcomed, which was indescribable,” Gordon reflected.
The group’s first meeting at the 2023 MGMA Leaders Conference in Nashville was a turning point. “When it first started, we were just kind of like, ‘Hey, we're here if you want to meet with us,’" Gordon explained. "The response was astounding. We ran out of chairs, we ran out of paper to write down names. It was incredibly emotional for all of us."
Fagan echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the powerful impact of the group’s launch. “I've been with MGMA for 25 years, and when we were approached about the resource group, I thought it was ideal not just for me as a Black man, but as a vehicle for others,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to pay it forward, to help set the path for the next generation.”
For many attendees, it was the first time they had been in a professional space surrounded entirely by Black peers. "Typically, when we walk into a healthcare conference, you often feel seen as a practice administrator or whatever your job title is, or by the people you've met before, maybe you’re there to seek out specific types of vendors," Gordon explained. "But it’s very different when you walk into a room and everybody there looks like you."
"They look like your family members; it felt like going home to a party with your family and hanging with people you know," Gordon continued. "The space didn’t just feel just professional and a place for growth — it was suddenly much more comfortable."
"There was also a lot of reflection about how appreciative we were for MGMA to identify the need for resources," Tolliver added. "Resources that you can connect with at a deeper level — and that’s what we were able to accomplish.”
Overcoming imposter syndrome and workplace barriers
Many Black professionals struggle with imposter syndrome, a challenge that stems from systemic barriers and underrepresentation in leadership roles.
"One of the biggest topics that came up was imposter syndrome," Tolliver said. "We talked about how we handle it while maintaining our ambition and propelling each other forward."
"When you're sitting at the table, you start to wonder, 'Do I belong here? Am I qualified enough to be in this space?'" Gordon shared. "But the reality is, we’ve put in the work. We’ve earned our place. And we need to own that."
Tolliver emphasized that this feeling often stems from external factors rather than individual shortcomings. "A lot of times, imposter syndrome isn’t really about us," she said. "It’s about the environment we’re in, when we don’t see enough people like us in leadership, we start to internalize that maybe we shouldn’t be there. But that’s not the truth. The truth is, we absolutely belong."
Fagan shared his perspective on the added pressure that Black professionals often face. “We tend to get placed into this box, and race does play a part in how you feel perceived,” he explained. “But I never wanted to make this about the ‘woe is me’ story. I want to talk about how we as individuals can look at things differently, how we can use our struggle as energy to become better.”
“I’ve been in rooms where I’m the only Black man, and suddenly, I’m expected to have all the answers on DEI,” Fagan continued. “Or I’m in a room where if I raise my voice, I’m seen as an 'angry Black man,' but if my white colleague does it, he’s 'passionate.' These are real experiences we face, and having a space where we can talk about them and strategize together is powerful.”
Beyond imposter syndrome and additional challenges due to race, Black healthcare professionals shared their real-time workplace struggles in the group’s discussions. "In this space, we asked, ‘Is there anything that you guys need help with?’ And I mean, people were right up front," Gordon recalled. "Like, 'I've got a boss that doesn't want to see me succeed,’ or ‘I'm struggling at work, and I'm having an issue with a coworker.'"
"It all came out," Gordon continued. "And it was incredible how quickly they were comfortable being vulnerable with us, and how many other people in the group said, 'Oh, I've been through that, too.'"
The power of mentorship and paying it forward
Mentorship has played a crucial role in all three leaders’ careers, and they are committed to extending that support to others.
"I believe that having mentors in different areas of your life is beneficial," Gordon said. "I pretty much at all times have at least three mentors because I’m in a constant state of growth and learning."
Tolliver credited multiple mentors for shaping her career, including Dr. Hector Collison, who saw her potential early on. "I started my healthcare career as his receptionist, and he saw my potential. He pushed me to further my education and pursue leadership roles."
Toliver also highlighted the influence of Deidre Spears Johnson, a leader in reproductive health and HIV prevention. "She is a phenomenal, powerhouse and entrepreneur. I definitely rely on her expertise to help ground me in all of the many leadership initiatives that I undertake; she helps pull a strategy out of me."
Tolliver also emphasized that mentorship works both ways. "We rely on multigenerational expertise in my company," she explained. "We have a relationship with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for student interns. They come in and do a rotation with us, and we get to learn so many really cool things. I can't tell you how much I've learned from Nick, Jacob, Sydney and all of our student interns."
Fagan built a successful career without a college degree, relying instead on his eight years of experience in the Marine Corps and leveraging MGMA resources and connections he made in the organization.
“My mentor, Dr. C. Robert Bandino, took me under his wing and introduced me to MGMA,” Fagan relayed. Bandino encouraged him to immerse himself in the organization, absorb as much knowledge as possible, and use it to establish his credibility as a practice manager. “That was invaluable advice that changed my career,” Fagan said.
“So now, when I look at this resource group,” he added, “I see it as a way to pass that forward, to help others who might not have had the same opportunities.”
Lifting up the next generation of leaders
Both Tolliver and Gordon are raising ambitious daughters who are already making an impact. Gordon’s daughter, Alyssa, started a diversity club at her school and is working to establish a Black Student Union before she graduates in the spring.
"Even knowing she can’t be a part of it, she’s still working to put it into place, which has really inspired me,” said Gordon. “In the fall she begins her pre-med journey and is minoring in Spanish to create spaces of comfortability for as many of her future patients as possible.”
Tolliver’s daughter, Sasha, is pursuing a PhD in kinesiology after integrating sports medicine with social determinants of public health. She demonstrated leadership from an early age. "When she and my son were younger, she told him that she was the ‘vice mother’ and that he needed to listen to her," Tolliver recalled, laughing.
Sasha’s fearless drive to succeed has been a source of pride for Tolliver. "Sasha isn’t afraid to try anything. Everything she sets her mind to, she accomplishes," she said.
Breaking barriers and advocating for change
Both Gordon and Tolliver have faced professional challenges, from being young leaders to navigating microaggressions in the workplace. Gordon shared a painful early experience.
"One of the doctors came directly to me just to ask a question, and after, [the practice administrator] came to me, looked me straight in my eye, probably about 6 inches away, and said, ‘You will never be able to do what I do, and you need to stop trying.’ It propelled me to work harder but with the worst kind of fuel.”
For Tolliver, the constant pressure to be exceptional has been a recurring challenge.
"When you’re the only person of color in a leadership role, or the only Black woman in the room, there’s this unspoken pressure to be twice as good, to never make a mistake," she explained. "Because if you do, it’s not just about you — it’s about how people will perceive everyone who looks like you."
Despite resistance to diversity and inclusion efforts, both women remain committed to lifting others up. "We have to continue lifting each other up. It’s not just about our success, it’s about creating spaces where others can succeed, too,” said Tolliver.
Looking ahead: Sustaining the movement
As they continue their work, Tolliver, Gordon and Fagan are focused on ensuring that future Black healthcare leaders have the support they need.
"Taya, Otis and I are so honored to be able to do that — to show them that regardless of all the noise and all the other things happening in the world, you have a safe place," Tolliver affirmed. "You can continue to be vulnerable."
Fagan backed that idea of vulnerability. “If you're vulnerable enough to be honest about what you’re dealing with,” he reiterated. “I guarantee you there’s someone at the table who’s been through the same thing.”
Amid growing challenges to diversity initiatives and increasing pushback against equity efforts, Fagan also stressed the importance of resilience and perseverance. “This is not the time to retreat,” he emphasized. “This is the time to press forward. We have a rightful place in this industry — not because it was given to us, but because we earned it.”
Their vision is clear: to ensure that the next generation inherits an industry that is truly inclusive — not just in principle, but in practice.
