Catherine Grubbs

Chief Executive Officer

Catherine joined Circle of Life in 2009. She previously served as Vice President of Performance Management for Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, a regional hospital and clinic organization that is part of the fifth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. Catherine has more than 15 years of healthcare management experience. She is passionate about continually improving the quality of care and services provided to patients and families within her community.

Catherine graduated with a B.S. from Oklahoma State University and a M.S. in Healthcare Administration and Community Health from the University of Arkansas, is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), and a Six Sigma Green Belt.

Diya LeDuc, LCSW, ACHP-SW

Chief Clinical Officer

Diya LeDuc joined Circle of Life in 2007 and serves as Chief Clinical Officer. She has worked with individuals and families suffering from grief, loss, and trauma for over 20 years with additional focus on program development. Diya participated in a research study and co-authored the first edition of Forensic Evaluation of Children. This protocol is research based and has been adopted by Children’s Centers across the country. Diya also worked as a lead in implementing and further developing a Mother’s Advocate Program which was designed to support the primary caregivers during the investigative process. This program is now called the Family Advocate program and has also been adopted across the country. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Family and Child Development from Auburn University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama. Diya is a licensed, certified social worker with an additional certification in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Ryan Langston

Chief Financial Officer

Ryan joined Circle of Life in 2008 as a member of the Board of Directors and as a staff member in 2009. Prior to joining Circle of Life, he served as Vice President for Lightning Electric, Inc. and as a Project Manager for Nabholz Construction. Ryan’s multi-industry experience has provided Circle the needed expertise for growth and expansion of services and facilities. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas and later completed his M.B.A. from his Alma Mater.

Dee Vaughn, CFRE

Chief Development Officer

Dee joined Circle of Life in 2013 as Director of Development. She previously served as a Regional Major Gifts Officer for Mercy Health Foundation of Northwest Arkansas. Dee has more than 20 year’s of experience in fundraising, marketing and operations in healthcare, hospitality and non-profit. Dee is most proud of founding the Northwest Arkansas Business Women’s Conference in 1998. She was also instrumental in forming the NWA Mercy Family YMCA and served on the board for many years. She is a graduate of Rose State College and the University of Central Oklahoma and is a CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive).

Andrea Read, DO, FACP, CHCQM

Executive Medical Director

Dr. Read serves as Medical Director of Circle of Life Hospice. She joined Circle of Life in 2021 and serves in our Earlene Howard Hospice Home in Springdale.

Dr. Read earned a Medical Degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she graduated in the top 10% of her class. She completed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She went on to complete an additional Board Certification as a Physician Advisor in Healthcare Management, Quality Assurance, and Utilization Review. She dedicated the first part of her career to Primary Care for underserved, pediatric, and adult populations in a solo practice setting. Her love for patient care led her to Hospitalist and Hospice roles at St. Bernard’s Medical Center in Jonesboro.

Along the way, she developed a passion for educating others and implementing quality improvement and leadership initiatives. She took on additional responsibilities as an Assistant Professor and Dean at Arkansas State College of Osteopathic Medicine and remains active as an Adjunct Professor. She previously served as a Hospitalist at Northwest Health and Chief Medical Officer for the Community Quality Alliance. Dr. Read is currently working on obtaining her Board Certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.