Distinguished Alumni Award

Steven T. Plochocki, M.A. ’83, is a dynamic business leader committed to creating and improving services within the health care industry. Currently, he serves as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors for QualitySystems Inc. in Irvine, Calif. Steven earned his master's degree in business management through what today is CMU’s Off-Campus and Online Programs center in Troy, Mich. To showcase how his business practices were shaped by his time at the university, Steven often incorporates the lessons he learned during his time as a student into his various business presentations.

Earlier in his career, he served as vice president of sales and marketing for Kelly Services. Throughout his career, he also held top administrative leadership positions at several different companies and organizations such as Trinity Hospice, Apria Healthcare Group, Centratex Support Services, InSight Health Services, and Omniflight Helicopters.

Throughout his three-decade career, Steven has received numerous awards recognizing his achievements, including the two American Business Awards for Best Business Turnaround for his leadership at InSight and Trinity Hospice. This led Donald Trump to feature the business turnaround that Steven led in his book “Trump: The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received.” He also received the 2002 Orange County/Inland Empire Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in the health services category, was inducted into the Entrepreneur Of The Year Hall of Fame in that same year, and continues to serve as a judge for this prestigious competition. He was recently named Outstanding Technology CEO in TechAmerica’s 18th Annual Orange County High-Tech Innovation awards and was the recipient of the 2011 International Business Award for IT Executive of the Year.

He serves on the Board of Directors of The Forum for Corporate Directors (Orange County), a non-profit business organization committed to increasing the effectiveness of directors, CEOs and senior level executives.