UHS Leadership in the Military

UHS Behavioral Health and Patriot Support Program leadership employees are invested in our commitment to the Armed Forces and have personally dedicated themselves to the military.

Matt Peterson

Matt Peterson
Executive Vice President and President of the Behavioral Health Division
Brigadier General (Ret), U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard

Matt Peterson joined UHS in September 2019 as Executive Vice President and President of the Behavioral Health Division.  He leads the strategy, operations, growth and future success of this business providing services to over 700,000 patients annually at over 200 facilities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

In addition to his civilian business career, where besides his work with UHS, he’s also held leadership positions at OptumGovernment, and UnitedHealthcare, Mr. Peterson has served for nearly 30 years as a member of the United States Military, currently as a Brigadier General in the Air National Guard. He deployed seven times in support of contingency operations and has significant experience running complex healthcare operations on five continents.

Mr. Peterson earned his BBA in Financial Management from University of North Dakota; his MBA in Finance from University of St. Thomas – Minneapolis; and his MS in Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota. Board certified in healthcare management, he is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Sheri Hanson
Division Vice President
Military Business Development

Sheri has devoted her 30-year professional career to serving the healthcare needs of the military, veterans and their families.

She has provided thought leadership and delivered on a vision to provide timely access to healthcare for all who have served, are serving and their families for both VA and TRICARE®. Most notably, Sheri served as an Active-Duty Naval Officer, Medical Service Corp, United States Navy and is a plank owner for the design and implementation of the TRICARE® Remote for DoD.

Just prior to joining UHS, Sheri was the Acquisition Directorate, Director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. In that role Sheri developed the strategic acquisition plan for the Community Care Network Next Generation contract for the U.S. and Pacific Islands and the COMPACT Act contract change. As a Senior Director at United Health Group, Sheri prepared the solution design and proposal response for the Veteran Administration Community Care Network (VA CCN), covering 20 million lives, which Optum was awarded for all three regions in 2019, and she implemented the TRICARE® West contract for the Department of Defense (DoD). Sheri has held executive VP roles at Aetna and Multiplan developing national provider networks, call and claim center operations and leading transformational changes in how the private sector interact with TRICARE® and the Veterans Administration.

Sheri obtained a Bachelor of General Studies in Gerontology and a Master’s in Public Administration, both from the University of Nebraska in Omaha/Lincoln.

Chris West

Christopher West
Regional Vice President, Pacific Northwest and Alaska
Staff Sergeant, United States Army

Staff Sergeant Christopher West is Regional Vice President, Pacific Northwest and Alaska. He joined UHS in 2022 as the Group CEO of Fairfax Behavioral and the Northwest School of Innovative Learning.

He has been in the behavioral health field for over 18 years, serving in diverse, progressively complex leadership roles.

Mr. West spent nearly a decade in the United States Army, starting his career there at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and deploying twice to Iraq, where he provided mental health services to those in combat. He later served as a behavioral health leader in the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After obtaining his master’s degree in social work, Mr. West served as leader of the behavioral health clinics and service line operations in Virginia.

Following his military service, Mr. West oversaw the behavioral health operations of an inpatient psychiatric facility, emergency psychiatric assessment center, outpatient clinics, and behavioral healthcare of three acute care hospitals as administrator for the largest provider of healthcare services in Kansas. Prior roles include regional vice president at a for-profit healthcare company where he oversaw operations in five states.

William Weaver

William Weaver, MBA
Chief Executive Office and Managing Director, Brentwood Hospital
U.S. Army Reserves E4

Chief Executive Officer at Brentwood Hospital since 2013, William Weaver has 30-plus years of progressive experience in the behavioral health field.

Mr. Weaver is a hands-on executive who places high regard on ensuring patients and staff are provided with the best possible care in a compassionate environment. In 2019, he took on the role of Group CEO for Universal Health Services, Inc., adding operations in Louisiana and western Arkansas to his management portfolio.

Prior to his career in healthcare administration, he was a social worker and addiction counselor serving in direct patient care roles. From 1988 to 1994, Mr. Weaver proudly served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

In addition to his significant professional career, Mr. Weaver currently serves on the board of directors for St. Luke’s Episcopal Mobile Medical Ministry. He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Shreveport, La., and the Committee of One Hundred for both the Shreveport/Bossier and State of Louisiana chapters. He leads a community involvement initiative at Brentwood that includes quarterly hands-on projects supporting agencies like The Renesting Project, Care Setting Continuum Workgroup, Highland Restoration Association, and Community Renewal International, as well as sponsorship of 40 not-for-profit agencies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science from Athens (Ala.) State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Samford University, in Birmingham, Ala. Mr. Weaver is married. He and his wife have seven children.