Hoosier State Today

The Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) has announced the addition of two new team members. Luke McNamee will join as vice president of government relations effective October 1, and Steve Cooke has been appointed senior director of public relations.

In his role, McNamee will help lead advocacy efforts on behalf of IHA's 170 member hospitals across the state, serving as the association's legislative liaison at the Indiana Statehouse. He joins Tim Kennedy, IHA's General Counsel, as part of the association's advocacy team. Before joining IHA, McNamee served as director of policy and government affairs for the Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) and as policy director for the Institute for Quality Education. He also formerly served as a legislative assistant for the Indiana House of Representatives. McNamee earned his law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and his bachelor's degree from Ball State University.

As senior director of public relations, Cooke will execute media relations and communications strategies to advance advocacy initiatives on behalf of the association and its members. Before joining IHA, he served as senior director of external communications for Ascension St. Vincent and as associate director of U.S. immunology communications for Eli Lilly and Company. He also previously served as director of communications for ISMA. Cooke earned his master's degree from Indiana University Indianapolis and his bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.

"Luke and Steve bring unmatched expertise in shaping health care policy across a variety of platforms and will be a tremendous asset to the IHA team," said Blake Dye, interim president of IHA. "We are pleased to extend their diverse skillset to our members as we continue to elevate our advocacy efforts and stakeholder engagement throughout the state."