Check out our keynote speakers 

This year’s conference theme is “Arizona hospitals: Commitment to care,” which underscores the essential role hospital leaders play in advancing quality, access and transformative care while strategically guiding complex organizations in service to patients, communities and Arizona’s healthcare future. 

Featured keynote sessions 

Lead through change: Uncertain times demand more certain leaders
Juan Bendana, best-selling author of “Confident by Choice,” speaker and trusted advocate to the world’s top performers – from Olympic athletes and Grammy-winning artists to top CEOs and Fortune 100 leaders 

People aren’t speaking up. They’re holding back, second-guessing, playing it safe – while everything around them demands boldness, clarity and presence. In this keynote, Juan Bendana gives leaders tools to break through hesitation and lead with unshakeable confidence. Backed by research with over 250,000 leaders, Juan shares practical tools to navigate change that turns technological disruption into transformational momentum. With powerful stories, humor and real-world strategies, this keynote powers performance, adaptability and breakthrough leadership in this new era of AI and exponential change.  

When seconds change lives: Patient safety and system breakdowns
RaDonda Vaught, BSN 

RaDonda Vaught, BSN, shares her firsthand account of a case that captured national attention in March 2022. A jury found her guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult in the death of a patient to whom she accidentally gave the wrong medication. Beyond the headlines, this session explores what happens when system breakdowns, human error and legal scrutiny collide. Designed for healthcare leaders, this powerful discussion will examine the broader implications for safety culture, reporting and organizational trust. 

The big picture: View the 2-and-a-half day conference agenda here, including breakout session tracks with best practices in financial strategy and sustainability, innovation and artificial intelligence, and care excellence and patient safety. 

What’s next:  

Register by Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, to receive the early bird discount: $600 for AzHHA members. 

Reserve a room for the conference. Deadline to reserve a room under the conference block is Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. 

Questions? Contact communications@azhha.org.