NRHA CEO Alan Morgan brings a lifelong commitment to rural healthcare and public policy to ATSU’s Board of Trustees
Posted: October 6, 2026
When it comes to joining ATSU’s Board of Trustees, Alan Morgan, MPA, says it was a “perfect fit” both personally and professionally.
Morgan was born in rural northeast Kansas and has always been passionate about rural healthcare and serving underserved populations. He dreamed of becoming a newspaper reporter; however, his career path ultimately took him in a different direction.
After graduating from the University of Kansas, Morgan began working on Capitol Hill, where he developed an interest in public policy and healthcare issues. He eventually transitioned into healthcare advocacy, lobbying for healthcare organizations before finding a home at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) nearly 25 years ago.
Morgan initially joined NRHA to lead the organization’s lobbying activities. Drawn to the opportunity to advocate for an issue he cared deeply about, Morgan moved from the for-profit sector into the nonprofit space, serving as NRHA’s head lobbyist for four years before being named CEO more than two decades ago.
As CEO, Morgan oversees the organization’s conferences, educational opportunities, and networking opportunities and serves as a resource to the national media.
“My job is to tell an accurate story of what’s happening in rural healthcare today,” he says. “So, in that sense, I’m back to being a journalist, but now telling the story of small town America.”
His commitment to improving healthcare access and serving communities in need is also what drew Morgan to ATSU’s Board of Trustees. After being recruited to join the board in 2020, Morgan quickly recognized the alignment between ATSU’s mission and the work he had dedicated his career to advancing.
“It was a perfect fit for me. For the past 25 years, osteopathic health has been a guiding point for our organization,” Morgan says. “We’ve always had osteopathic clinicians in our leadership. It just was a good fit all the way around.”
Morgan says his own professional background in rural healthcare, public policy, and healthcare organizations allows him to bring a unique perspective to board discussions.
“Your background always, both personally and professionally, influences how you operate in a leadership context,” he says. “I feel like I’m able to add an important voice to the discussion of where ATSU is now and hopefully where it’s heading in the future.”
Looking ahead, Morgan hopes ATSU continues its trajectory of growth while remaining grounded in its founding mission.
“ATSU’s growth has just been phenomenal, certainly during my tenure on the board,” he says. “Seeing such significant growth while still managing to stay true to the mission — that’s not always an easy task, and ATSU absolutely excels at it.”
As healthcare continues to evolve, Morgan believes ATSU has an opportunity to help shape the future of clinical education and practice through thoughtful adoption of emerging technologies, ultimately advancing ATSU’s mission of improving access to compassionate, patient-centered care.
“I don’t think anyone goes to medical school because they love to fill out paperwork,” Morgan says. “The promise of utilizing new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can hopefully allow the clinician to spend more time face-to-face with the patient and utilize cutting-edge tools to fulfill the promise of what ATSU is all about.”