When Zach Butts joined Kettering Health as a high school student, he couldn’t have predicted how far the opportunity would take him. Today, as a system director, his journey highlights how Kettering Health (KH) supports growth at every stage of a career.
“I attended Kettering Fairmont and was in the Allied Health Tech Prep program,” said Butts, the current System Director of Perioperative Services and the Staffing Resource Office at KH. “Junior and senior year, half of your day is focused on healthcare classes.”
A Kettering native, Butts’ first experience at KH came as a patient transporter during high school. That experience set the tone for his career.
“I saw nurses connect with patients during my transporter days, and that really resonated with me,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to help people. Nursing aligned really easily.”
After acquiring an associate degree from Sinclair College, Butts worked as a registered nurse and eventually a team leader in surgical care and recovery at the KH Miamisburg campus.
A passion for direct care evolved into a desire to shape the experience more broadly. Driven by a growing interest in leadership, he returned to school to earn his B.S. in Nursing (BSN) at Kettering College.
“From the very beginning, it was clear that Zach wanted to improve how we did things,” said Dee Toadvine, a nursing professional development specialist who’s been with KH for almost 40 years. “He was always looking at schedules, workflows, and how we could do better.”
With his BSN, strong work ethic, and dedication to whole-person care, Butts was promoted to a clinical nursing manager position before assuming his current role in 2020. Along the way, he earned his M.S. in Nursing (MSN) from Western Governors University.
“It was about committing to doing more if I wanted to be better,” said Butts, whose two brothers, Cooper and Cody, also work in the system. “Leadership gave me the opportunity to make a bigger impact, not just for patients, but for the people caring for them.”
It marked a shift in his career.
“He’s evolved from providing direct patient care to shaping how care is delivered,” Toadvine said. “That transition is significant, and he’s done a great job with it.”
Others have noticed, as well. Butts was recently named one of the Dayton Business Journal’s 2026 Rising Stars of Health Care.
With encouragement from mentors like Toadvine and by taking advantage of his opportunities, Butts has gone from bedside nursing to system leadership, all while growing alongside an organization constantly evolving to better serve patients.
“I’ve always felt seen here, as an individual,” said Butts, who lives in Centerville with his wife and two daughters. “Leaders have helped shape and inspire me, and there’s always been support when I wanted to grow.”
So, what’s next?
“My goals now are really about impact,” he said. “How can I make things better for patients and employees? That’s what drives me.”
