Leadership
At HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center, our experienced and knowledgeable leadership team is committed to improving the quality of care and helping our community.
Sam Pena
Chief operating officer
Sam Pena, MBA, BSN, was appointed as chief operating officer (COO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center in July 2024.
Pena joined HCA Healthcare in 2012, holding various nursing positions at Corpus Christi Medical Center and was part of the inaugural HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division Emerging Leaders Academy. He later served as director of patient care services, vice president of cardiovascular services, and most recently, as vice president of operations.
Committed to his community, Pena served as an executive leader in the American Heart Association Corpus Chapter. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division Young Professionals Colleague Network and the Latino Colleague Network.
Pena attended Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi earning his bachelor's degree in nursing and master of business administration degree in healthcare administration. He is a 2024 graduate of HCA’s Executive Development Program.
Melissa Mendoza
Chief financial officer
Melissa Mendoza has served as chief financial officer (CFO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center since September 2023.
Mendoza has more than 20 years of experience in financial services. She began her HCA Healthcare career at HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland as the assistant CFO (ACFO). In this role, she supported the accounting team and four facilities within the Gulf Coast Division. She completed various duties such as standard monthly accrual, balance sheet reconciliation reviews, internal audit controls, charge master approvals, and ad hoc reports. She also successfully completed the 2023 budget for HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and provided support and oversight for the HCA Houston Healthcare Mainland 2023 budget.
Before joining HCA Houston Healthcare, Mendoza served as controller for Kindred Hospital in El Paso and later as ACFO for the Tenet Healthcare system in Detroit, Michigan.
Mendoza earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting and business management from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Ann Byerman
Chief nursing officer
Ann Byerman, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, has served as chief nursing officer (CNO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center since August 2021. In her role, she coordinates the hospital's nursing care and daily operations while also developing nursing leaders.
Byerman is a tenured nurse leader with comprehensive clinical experience spanning more than twenty years with HCA Healthcare. Throughout this time, she has served in multiple nurse leadership roles, including most recently as assistant chief nursing officer at HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe.
As a clinical leader, Byerman seeks to leverage her ability to form strategic partnerships, identify leaders and foster growth and development in nursing to create a culture of excellence at HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ohio University – Athens and a Masters of Science in Nursing Leadership and Administration from Texas Tech University.