Larry Olive
Larry Olive credits his recent job promotion to the degree he earned at the UT Arlington Fort Worth Center.
In 2003 he received his Master of Science Degree in Health Care Administration. After overseeing operations at Arlington Memorial Hospital for more than nine years, he has advanced to the system officer level for Texas Health Resources as AMH’s vice president for operations and support services.
“The degree most definitely helped me,” Olive said. “I knew when I enrolled that the HCAD program would enhance my knowledge and further my professional growth.”
He joined the AMH staff in 1994 as director of managed care. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with the All Saints Healthcare System in Fort Worth and eight years with Irving Community Hospital.
He has been AMH’s vice president for operations since 1998, one year after the Texas Health Resources system was formed. He is responsible for operations, fiscal management, strategic planning and human resources, as well as patient safety and quality performance of eight ancillary support departments: Laboratory, Radiology, Pharmacy, Plant Operations, Respiratory Care, Rehabilitation Services, Food & Nutrition Services and Social Services.
The UT Arlington Fort Worth Center offers the HCAD program in a cohort format that allows students to take two classes per semester but only one class at a time in accelerated five- to seven-week sessions. At this pace, students complete the degree in 24 months.
The curriculum consists of industry-focused courses built on a foundation of business core courses, culminating in an integrated capstone class and research project or residency. It covers all key functional areas of business, including accounting, economics, finance, information systems, law, management and marketing.
Olive, a Texas native, was born and raised in Petersburg, near Lubbock. He and his wife of 31 years, Elaine, came to the DFW area in 1976.
He is a board member of the Arlington Life Shelter and in 2007 was named the organization’s vice president of evaluation and planning. He also belongs to the Arlington Child Care Council and the American College of Health Care Executives.
“I’m proud to be an alumnus of UT Arlington,” Olive said. “I’m honored to be an active member and part of the first graduate-level HCAD program. The only thing I would encourage others considering graduate school is to not wait as long as I did.”
