Christopher Clay

By Samantha Cart

Christopher Clay’s career path did not begin in health care. After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from King University, Clay worked at an accounting firm in Tennessee before moving into financial sales, which brought him home to West Virginia. After consulting and working with online businesses, he finally landed in his current role as chief financial officer (CFO) and information technology (IT) director for Rainelle Medical Center, Inc. (RMC).

“I can’t say I chose this area of practice, but building something that is meaningful, serves others and benefits the world was always something I was seeking,” Clay says. “When the opportunity came to help grow and improve health care in Southern West Virginia, it wasn’t something I could pass up.”

Clay hit his stride at RMC, due in large part to the leadership and mentorship of CEO Kristi Atha-Rader, a strong staff and supportive board of directors. As CFO and IT director, Clay’s core function is reporting financial results and providing strategic guidance to RMC leadership.

“I am always identifying our core strengths to leverage and weaknesses to mitigate, planning for ways to capitalize on opportunities, developing guidance on navigating the challenges of the health care industry and communicating this in actionable insights to leadership throughout the organization,” he says.

Clay has supported the modernization of RMC’s IT stack and overseen the overhaul of its accounting system, which positions the organization to be able to manage major growth over the coming decades. He credits strong relationships and teamwork for all the success he has experienced and overseen, both personally and professionally.

“All glory, career or otherwise, is God’s, and my relationship with the Creator is of utmost importance in all things,” he says. “He has blessed me with a true companion in my wife, Stephanie, with whom I have raised four successful children. Everything I’m recognized for professionally is the result of teamwork. Rural health care only works when finance, operations, clinicians and community pull together, and I’m grateful to serve alongside people who do that well.”

Clay’s Mountain State roots run deep, tracing his family back to 1775 settlers of what is now Mercer County. As such, he is passionate about West Virginians and ensuring they are not overlooked.

“A major challenge in health care finance is resisting the temptation to reduce people to line items,” he explains. “The system typically sees people as a revenue source or payroll expense. Generally accepted account principles, tax laws and regulations do a poor job valuing people. Compliance matters, but the real work is building systems that protect care, honor staff and keep the organization sustainable.”

Clay recognizes the value of others, from patients to employees to family, which is obvious in his business and community commitments.

At RMC, he is currently working alongside partners such as ZMM Architects & Engineers to plan and open a 9,000-square-foot integrated health care practice in White Sulphur Springs. Personally, he has donated all proceeds from his book “Five Principles for a Meaningful, Fruitful Life” to God’s Way Home, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on helping men experiencing substance use disorder. He has also chaired the Rainelle United Methodist Church council, served as pulpit supply for local churches when pastors are absent and served on the board of trustees for Greenbrier Valley Medical Center. He is currently a member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and the board for the Rainelle Community Development Corporation.

Looking ahead, Clay hopes to see RMC employ hundreds more people and build its next phase, including scalable systems and facilities and technology that let its teams deliver integrated care with excellence. 

“I always try to leave things better than I found them,” he says. “We want RMC, our staff, our community and especially ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday. Every day is a new opportunity to grow, get smarter, build each other up and shine a light in the world that will last beyond our lives and leave a legacy that points beyond ourselves.”