Mark Benedum's kids used to introduce him like this:

"This is my dad. He runs a hospital, but he's not a real doctor."

While he may not be a "real" doctor, Benedum is still an important asset to Highline Medical Center in Burien.

"As a CEO, I keep the Board [of Trustees] informed and make sure people have what they need to get the job done. A lot of what I do is meetings, coordination and strategic planning," he said.

While Benedum has only been CEO for two years, he has been with Highline for 24, starting out as associate administrator. He transitioned to CEO in Jan. 2007, replacing former CEO Paul Tucker, who had held the position for 29 years.

"He's very smart and understood the hospital," Tucker said of Benedum. "He's very capable and very honest [and he is] doing an excellent job."

After earning a bachelor's degree in biology at Cornell, Benedum earned a master's degree in healthcare administration at the University of Washington.

"After college, I felt like I was most interested in healthcare [and] I knew this is what I wanted to do," he said.

Though Benedum said that Highline is a successful organization, he pointed out room for improvement.

"My top three [things to improve] are clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and high physician and staff satisfaction," he said.

In spite of these, one huge improvement is coming to Highline. He is reminded of it every time he looks outside his office window: the construction of a new emergency room facility.

"It's a big upgrade for us," Benedum said, adding that the current facility is too under-sized to accommodate staff and patients.

"[The] staff are literally on top of each other," he said. With an improved facility, Benedum said that standards could finally match the quality care that staff has been giving with limited resources.

"I wouldn't be here without the nurses, doctors and staff [and] if I didn't have such a good mentor [in Paul Tucker]," the CEO said.

On top of the new emergency room and staff, Benedum said he was proud to be a huge part of the Burien community.

"I think what's going on in Burien [such as the reconstruction of downtown] is exciting and I like to think that Highline is a part of that."

Aside from his work at Highline, Benedum hopes to organize a local lacrosse team, having played the sport in college.

If he was not a CEO, Benedum said there were two other things he would have pursued.

The first seems appropriate. He would have studied to become a doctor.

The second, not so obvious. "Surfing," he said without hesitation and a bright grin on his face.