NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The former CEO and president of the county-owned New Hanover Regional Medical Center is joining the charitable endowment formed from its 2021 sale to nonprofit hospital network Novant Health.
READ MORE: Endowment board member Michele Holbrook resigns
The $1.25 billion endowment is focused on distributing grants to address systemic issues, including health, education, and equity. Jack Barto, the former president and CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center, will fill a vacancy from Michelle Holbrook’s resignation last week on the endowment’s board of directors.
Endowment chair Bill Cameron announced Barto’s selection in a press release Monday:
“Jack Barto has a long history of service to the region and a deep understanding of the Wilmington community, where he has lived for the last 20 years. Jack provided strong leadership for our region’s largest employer from 2004 to 2017, when he served as president and CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In that time, Jack presided over tremendous growth at the hospital, including expanding the facilities, boosting staffing and growing specialty care, all while ensuring financial stability and supporting a culture centered on patient satisfaction.”
The Novant Health Coastal Region board selects six of the endowment’s 13 appointees; five are appointed by county commissioners and two are picked by the endowment. Novant’s other five appointees include Cameron, Chris Boney, David Sprunt, Cedric Dickerson, and Pat Maguire.
Beyond Barto, several other endowment leaders have physician experience or affiliations with NHRMC and Novant. Maguire’s endowment biography lists him as a physician, medical director, and managing partner of Coastal Carolina Radiation Oncology — currently listed as Novant Health Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology — where he is an independent provider. Board member Khadijia Tribe Reid was the chair of Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s department of pediatrics from 2022 to January 2024. Chief Financial Officer Joel Beeson worked at Novant from 1988-2000.
PCD reached out to Novant to ask how the hospital board’s selection process works but did not receive a response by press.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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