The Bartlett Regional Hospital board of directors has narrowed its interim CEO search down to two candidates.
The board spent more than an hour in executive session during Monday night’s regular meeting. One of two items discussed during that time was the interim CEO search.
Hospital human resources director Mila Cosgrove along with board members Mary Borthwick and Dr. Nathan Peimann will continue ongoing discussions with the two finalists. Cosgrove says reference checks are also not complete.
Board president Linda Thomas hopes an interim CEO is picked within the next week. She says one of the main goals for the position “is to ensure effective communication and status updates with the hospital employees, medical staff, and other stakeholders.”
Another goal for the interim is to minimize transition risk to the longer term CEO, says Thomas.
Cosgrove adds, “The board’s been specific about wanting someone who can keep their strategic plan moving forward. They don’t want to go backwards. They want to keep moving ahead with their plans.”
In the meantime, hospital chief financial officer Ken Brough is acting CEO. Thomas says that’s the normal plan of succession within the hospital. Historically, when the CEO is gone, the CFO takes over.
Brough was part of the four-person senior leadership team that was at the center of a personnel investigation that took place this summer. Two other members of the former senior leadership team, former CEO Chris Harff and HR director Norma Adams, resigned in September.
A committee of board members Kristen Bomengen, Dr. Alex Malter, and Mary Borthwick will begin the permanent CEO search this month with HR director Cosgrove.
Thomas says the board would like to hire a permanent CEO within six months, “and the sooner, the better.”
