Baptist Health of Northeast Florida CEO announces retirement

A. Hugh Greene, FACHE, today announced plans to retire as CEO and president of Baptist Health of Northeast Florida. Greene, 65, joined the organization in 1989 and has served 18 years as president and CEO. He will continue to lead the health system, which is the largest private employer in Northeast Florida, until a new CEO is selected during 2019.

“Everything and everyone has their season,” Greene said. “I consider myself most fortunate to have led this great organization through almost two decades of success during a time of rapid change. I chose this time to begin a transition of leadership because we are in a position of strength at a pivotal period in health care, and I am very confident in Baptist Health’s continued success in the future.”

Under Greene’s leadership Baptist Health has consistently ranked as the “most preferred” health care provider in Northeast Florida and has drawn national attention for many of its bold initiatives, including the opening of Jacksonville’s first all-digital “paperless” hospital, Baptist Medical Center South, in 2005. Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville, part of Baptist Health, is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 50 children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Greene also is credited with expanding the organization’s focus to include the area’s largest primary care network, comprehensive adolescent and adult behavioral care, the region’s only dedicated heart hospital, and strategic partnerships and alliances such as Coastal Community Health, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center and Walgreens.

Well known for his commitment to social responsibility, Greene was the founding chair of JaxCare, a program for the working uninsured. In 2014, he was selected as the national winner of the Community Leader Award by Modern Healthcare magazine. Additionally, as chair of the Sulzbacher Center Board, he received the Excellence in Healthcare Award for his efforts on behalf of health care for the homeless.

“Baptist has thrived under Hugh’s leadership and to be honest, we wish he would remain CEO for the next 20 years,” said Baptist Health Board Chairman Richard Sisisky. “But since that’s not possible, we have the next-best scenario, which is a flexible retirement date, allowing us ample time to conduct a thorough search to ensure an excellent fit and smooth transition of leadership.”

Mr. Greene is past Chair of the Board of Trustees for the University of North Florida and was named an honorary alumnus of UNF. He currently serves on the Board of Citra Health Solutions. Locally, he serves on the Ameris Bank Jacksonville Board of Directors. He recently served on the Board of Directors of Jacksonville Bancorp, Inc. and The Jacksonville Bank, a public company on NASDAQ. He also served on the corporate Board of PSS World Medical prior to the sale of the company to McKesson. After serving numerous times on the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, he served as its chair in 2011 and chair of the JAXUSA Partnership in 2007. He is a member of the Jacksonville Civic Council, a regional CEO group.

Greene holds a master’s degree in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia and a master’s degree of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wake Forest University, where he was Phi Beta Kappa.

He is a past chair of the Florida Hospital Association Board and a current board member. He was named Grassroots Champion for Florida by the American Hospital Association in 2009 for his political involvement on behalf of hospitals, and subsequently received the Spirit of Advocacy award by the Florida Hospital Association in 2013. He recently served on the Regional Policy Board of the American Hospital Association. In 2015, he was named a keynote speaker at Becker’s Hospital Review national CEO Roundtable; and in 2016 as a panelist at the World Health Care Congress.

For nearly two decades, Greene has been active with the United Way of Northeast Florida, where he has served as chair of the Board of Trustees and as 2006 Campaign Chair. Greene was a member of the 1991 Leadership Jacksonville class, and the recipient of the Leadership Jacksonville 2006 Community Trustee Award. He was inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame in 2007 and also is a recipient of the 2012 Humanitarian Award by OneJax and the 2013 Distinguished Business Leader Award by the University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business. In 2007, the Jacksonville Business Journal named him one of the area’s 12 Ultimate CEOs and he received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Greene and Susan, his wife of 43 years, have three sons and four grandchildren.

In accordance with Baptist Health’s succession planning process, the Board of Directors will be launching a nationwide search for a successor to Greene.

“The incoming CEO could be chosen as early as next spring or as late as next winter. We are not in a hurry,” Sisisky said. “What’s most important is finding the person with the right character, cultural fit, and commitment to our mission…someone who will continue a legacy of thought leadership in Northeast Florida and throughout health care nationally.”