W. Stephen Love is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC), representing more than 90 member hospitals and 100 associate organizations across North Texas. A respected healthcare executive with over five decades of leadership experience, Love is recognized for advancing regional hospital collaboration, health policy advocacy, and data-driven improvements in patient care.
His career spans tax-exempt, investor owned, and specialty, and private hospitals, giving him deep expertise in hospital operations, finance, governance, and public policy. Love is widely regarded as one of North Texas’s most influential healthcare voices. Love served as Chief Financial Officer for Triad Hospitals, Inc., a Fortune 500 company.
Governance & Board Leadership
Love has an extensive record of board service across healthcare, education biomedical research, and community organizations, including:
- Chair – Walk for babies March of Dimes for Dallas and Fort Worth
- Greater Irving – Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce – Chair (2024-2025), former Chair-Elect, and Vice Chair for Legislative Advocacy
- Dallas American Heart Association Board – Board Member
- Dallas College Foundation Board – Board Member
- Southwest Transplant Alliance – Board Member
- Cure Glaucoma Foundation – Board Member
- North Texas Eye Research Institute – Board Member
- Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors – Board Member
- Prism Health North Texas – Board Member
- Southwest Region American Heart Association – Board Member
His governance portfolio reflects a commitment to public health, education, community wellness, and nonprofit leadership.
Awards & Recognition
Love’s contributions have been recognized with major regional and national honors, including:
- United Nations Association Global Goals Award (2018)
- D CEO Lifetime Achievement Award (2020)
- Dallas Medical Society Millard J. & Robert L. Health Award
- Theodore P. Beasley Distinguished Leadership Award (2024)
- Dallas 500 Leaders (10 years in a row)
These awards highlight his sustained impact on healthcare quality, policy, and community advocacy.
Policy & Public Engagement
Love is a frequent speaker and policy advisor on topics such as:
- Healthcare economics
- Medicare and Medicaid policy
- Hospital financial sustainability
- Community health and access
- Regional data-driven quality improvement
- Corporate governance and risk management
He has served on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, the Texas Hospital Association Trauma & Emergency Services Committee, and the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care Board.
Education
- BS degree in Business – Virginia Tech