Ethically rooted, helping businesses flourish.
Who We Are
Forte Advisors is a consulting firm that helps healthcare organizations transform their compliance function from regulatory obligations into strategic advantages. The firm specializes in program design, culture assessments, and leadership coaching—offering tailored solutions that strengthen oversight, foster ethical workplaces, and elevate management performance.
Our Services
Compliance Consulting
Forte Advisors provides a full range of services that enhance an existing compliance and privacy program or help build a compliance program from the ground, up. Our services range from current program assessments and evaluation to the development of policy, strategy, regulatory guidance, and more.
We excel at:
- Conducting program assessments
- Evaluating effectiveness based on OIG and DOJ guidance
- Developing risk mitigation strategies
- Providing advice on risk-based auditing
- Improving policy governance and compliance training
- Improving hotline management
- Offering independent investigation and regulatory guidance
- Providing compliance leadership services
Culture Reviews
Through observation, data collection, and stakeholder interviews, Forte Advisors provides practical strategies to leverage the compliance program and positively impact corporate culture. Our ability to conduct a constructive, unbiased analysis of the complex innerworkings of your company’s culture results in positive, powerful change, providing you a roadmap for the future.
We help companies:
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Improve employee engagement, retention and performance
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Identify long-term improvement opportunities to enhance the organizational culture
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Perform complete culture assessments and reviews
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Provide practical strategic enhancements based on data
Leadership Coaching
Built on decades of leading and developing compliance teams, Forte Advisors brings a perspective few leadership coaches can – firsthand experience leading compliance at the executive level and developing compliance professionals into high-performing, confident leaders. Leaders gain practical tools, sharper expertise and a leadership style that inspires teams and strengthens results.
For compliance professionals, we offer:
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Personalized one-on-one coaching
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Core competency development
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Enhancement of subject matter expertise
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Leadership up-skilling
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Improved compliance program management
Our Story
Forte Advisors was founded by Cheryl Wahl, who brings over 30 years of legal and compliance expertise, offering strategic guidance in regulatory compliance and building effective ethics-driven programs for complex, highly regulated organizations. A licensed attorney, she has developed award-winning comprehensive compliance and data privacy programs that align with both regulatory standards and organizational values. She is known for transforming compliance from a regulatory requirement into a strategic advantage that fosters business growth and an ethical corporate culture.
Cheryl's Bio
Cheryl’s extensive health care experience spans the full continuum of care – from large academic medical centers, post-acute care, behavioral health and physician practices to pharmacy benefit management companies, Medicare Part D insurance and a major pharmacy chain. She has guided organizations through civil and criminal government investigations, negotiated settlement agreements and led compliance efforts through the ensuing corporate integrity/consent agreements process. Her leadership helped two health systems rebuild their reputations after government investigations, ultimately earning recognition as a World’s Most Ethical Company.
Beyond compliance program implementation, Cheryl is highly skilled in conducting training, risk assessments, developing enterprise risk management programs and internal audit strategies. She has successfully navigated crises, mitigated reputational risks and collaborated with stakeholders to develop compliance-driven solutions that protect and strengthen organizational initiatives. She also has extensive transactional experience, conducting due diligence and assisting with post-transaction integrations.
Most recently Cheryl served as Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Employee Engagement Officer for an academic medical center where she designed and led compliance, enterprise risk, audit and privacy programs. She developed a program scorecard with key performance indicators and played a pivotal role in shaping organizational culture. In this dual compliance and employee engagement role, Cheryl demonstrated how a strong ethical culture enhances profitability, employee engagement, vendor partnerships, customer loyalty and community trust. Under her leadership in both compliance and employee engagement, the organization achieved an 11% reduction in turnover, demonstrating the tangible impact of a strong, values-driven workplace culture.
Cheryl is a dedicated leadership coach who empowers professionals to develop core competencies, enhance leadership skills, and drive meaningful organizational impact. She has spent over 15 years leading leadership development programs for female professionals, fostering adaptive, agile leaders who contribute to strategic business success. As a senior executive and coach, she has personally mentored and developed high-performing compliance teams, achieving the second-highest level of engagement among more than 150 departments.
Cheryl’s leadership philosophy is rooted in gratitude, appreciation, and empathy, recognizing that a positive, values-driven culture enhances productivity, engagement, and retention. She works with leaders to build resilience, improve decision-making, and lead with confidence, ensuring they are equipped to navigate the complexities of highly regulated industries.
In addition to her corporate leadership experience, Cheryl is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh where she teaches healthcare compliance. She has furthered her expertise with certifications from Harvard University in Building Organizational Cultures and MIT in Blockchain Technologies, underscoring her commitment to innovative, forward-thinking compliance solutions.
