David J. Greenburg Founders Award Recipients

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2026 David J. Greenburg Founders Award:

Lisa Diehl Vandecaveye, Sarasota, FL

Lisa holds a J.D. from the University of Toledo as well as a Master of Business Administration degree, with specialization in health care administration. She served as an adjunct faculty member for health care law at the University of Toledo College of Law.

Lisa served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Board Secretary of The Joint Commission, where she provided strategic leadership on legal, compliance, and governance matters. Her practical approach is rooted in senior leadership roles within Michigan health care systems, including overseeing compliance, privacy, and accreditation efforts for an eight-hospital system with 5,000 physicians and 33,000 employees, as well as managing corporate legal affairs and risk management programs for a 330-bed hospital and trauma center. Earlier in her career, she served as Associate General Counsel for a major academic health care system and Senior Attorney for a multi-hospital and mental health system in Detroit.

Her service to AHLA spans nearly four decades. She served on the AHLA Board of Directors from 2006 to 2012, including roles on the Executive, Finance, Membership, Program, and Nominating Committees, and as Board Secretary. She chaired the Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Practice Group, the Public Interest Committee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Task Force, and In-House Counsel Program Planning Committee. Elected an AHLA Fellow in 2014, she later served on and ultimately chaired the Fellows Coordinating Committee from 2019 to 2022. She has also served as a mediator through AHLA’s ADR Service and presented at more than 40 AHLA programs and teleconferences. She is a frequent speaker and author.

Throughout her career, Lisa has advanced the health law profession at the local, state and federal levels. Her impact on the health law profession has been informed by her expertise, her analytical approach to issues, her optimistic outlook, and her warm personality. Colleagues consistently cite Lisa’s mentorship and collaborative spirit as transformative influences in their careers, and she truly reflects the values that the Greenburg Founders Award celebrates.

Watch the video that honors Lisa Vandecaveye

All Recipients

*denotes deceased