Digital Debut
Meet the Board
Get to know your officers through these short interviews
INTERVIEWED BY SAHELY MUKERJI | OCTOBER 24, 2025
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Jon Van Valkenburg, CASC
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We are running a series of Q&As with ASCA’s Board of Directors to help our members get to know them better. Meet Jon Van Valkenburg, CASC, Board member and executive director of Upstate Orthopedics ASC in East Syracuse, New York.
Q: How did you get into the ASC space?
Jon Van Valkenburg (JVV): I studied biomedical engineering in college with the intent of eventually going to medical school. After graduation, life took me in a slightly different direction and I found myself working in finance and management. Eight years into that career, unsatisfied but not wanting to “start over,” I sought a way to utilize the skills and experiences gained while working in business with my interests in medicine. I heard about an ASC “back home” that was looking for an administrator with a business and finance background, so I applied. I was offered the position and have held it for the past 15 years.
Quick Facts
Personal:
Age: 44
Place of birth: Syracuse, New York
Residence: Fayetteville, New York
Family: Spouse, Jennifer; daughter, Cayleigh (15); and son, Jonny (13)
Education: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester
Career highlights: Serving our ASC community on the NYSAASC board of directors and ASCA Board of Directors.
First job: Working in the stock room at American Eagle at the mall
One-word description of self: Grateful
Go-to motto or phrase: “Be the ball”
Your “superpower”: Connecting with others
One thing most people at work do not know about you: I used to work as a security guard at a nightclub in Las Vegas.
Q: What are your aspirations for ASCA?
JVV: For ASCA to continue all of the great work it has been doing and keep growing in members and influence.
Q: Who was a great mentor for you?
JVV: My late stepfather, Jim Britton. He taught me how to connect with people, work hard, have fun and enjoy life.
Q: What are you most proud of in your ASC work?
JVV: I am most proud of the ASC community in New York State that I helped build with my friends and colleagues at the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (NYSAASC).
Q: If you could change one thing about the ASC community, what would it be?
JVV: I feel that sometimes ASC owners and leaders are so focused on what would benefit their own facility and their own interests that they fail to see the greater good of advancing our community and how doing so would benefit all. This has definitely improved over the last decade, but I think we still have a ways to go.
Q: What excites you most about the future of ASCs?
JVV: I am excited that ASCs are a part of the equation to solve many of the inefficiencies in our broken healthcare system. They are the preferred site of surgical care for both patients and physicians, while maintaining high quality and keeping ever-increasing costs lower.
Q: What legacy do you hope to leave in the ASC space?
JVV: I hope to leave a legacy of collaboration, cooperation and service to our community.