Preparing for the future: Baptist Health CEO shares retirement plans and succession strategy

In a planned leadership transition that reflects strong internal succession planning and continuity, Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, announced today that he will retire from Baptist Health in December 2026. To ensure a seamless transition of leadership, Dr. Mayo and the Baptist Health Board of Directors have initiated the selection process for the new CEO, with a goal of naming an internal successor before the end of 2025.

“This announcement of my retirement and transition timeline is part of an intentional, multi-year succession and leadership development process that I have worked on with our Board for a very long time,” said Dr. Mayo. “From the moment I became CEO, it was clear that a long-term, structured succession strategy would help ensure Baptist Health would be well prepared with a pipeline of senior leadership for the future.”

“While I am not officially retiring from Baptist Health until December 2026, my plan is to step down as CEO on January 16, 2026, and transition into a more narrowly focused executive-in-residence role,” Dr. Mayo continued. “This timing aligns well with our strategic planning cycle and will allow me to continue to advocate for our community, Baptist Health and our industry as I fulfill my current terms on the boards of the Florida Hospital Association and American Hospital Association.”

Dr. Mayo’s 32+ years of health care executive experience include serving for more than a decade as president of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville before he was selected in 2021 as president and CEO of Baptist Health. As CEO, he has guided the organization through significant growth, major technological advances, and transformational initiatives within the organization and in the community, aligned with the health system’s mission and strategic plan, which prioritizes people, quality and the careful management of resources to serve others and sustain long-term impact.

Since 2021, Baptist has been recognized as one of the Top Places to Work in Healthcare (Becker’s Hospital Review), Best Employers in Information Technology (Computerworld), Best Employers for Diversity, (Forbes), America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women (Newsweek), underscoring the health system’s unwavering commitment to excellence across industry, geography and gender.

Under Dr. Mayo’s leadership, Baptist Health has expanded services and facilities to increase access to critically needed care for children. By partnering with the Florida Legislature, the health system secured the funding necessary to double the capacity of new pediatric and adolescent behavioral health beds in our community and significantly increase the number of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds available for the care of the rising number of newborns who have low birth weight, are premature, or critically ill.

In addition to his role as president and CEO of Baptist Health, Dr. Mayo also serves as CEO of Coastal Community Health—a regional alliance between Baptist Health and Southeast Georgia Health System—established to improve quality, efficiency and value for patients across North Florida and South Georgia. When the transition of leadership occurs in January 2026, the incoming CEO of Baptist Health will assume this Coastal Community Health role as well.

Beyond our region, Dr. Mayo is a prominent advocate for health policy, representing hospitals and the communities they serve at both the state and national levels. He serves on the Board of the American Hospital Association and chairs its Regional Policy Board 4, which represents the Southeastern U.S. He also sits on the Florida Hospital Association Board of Trustees, representing Region 2, and leads its Quality & Patient Safety Committee.

Deborah Pass Durham, chair of the Baptist Health Board of Directors, stated: “The Board is enormously grateful for Michael’s leadership. He has truly set the tone for the entire organization —strengthening relationships, representing core values and demonstrating a deep understanding of the organization’s future needs.” She continued, “I feel fortunate to have worked closely with Michael to ensure Baptist Health has a robust succession plan and strong internal bench of talent to ensure continued momentum toward all the great things ahead.”