Jessie Tucker, III, will serve as president of Wayne UNC Health Care and Steve Burriss will serve as UNC Health COO.
North Carolina–based academic health system UNC Health announced two new executive leadership appointments on Wednesday. "The executives will help lead operations at UNC Health, the state’s leading academic medical system, and fulfill its mission of improving the health of all North Carolinians," the press release said.
Effective December 14, Jessie Tucker, III, PhD, FACHE, will serve as president and CEO of Wayne UNC Health Care, a nonprofit hospital located in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Tucker has over two decades of experience in healthcare leadership and is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel.
He will succeed current President and CEO Janie Jaberg, who announced this past August her upcoming retirement at the end of this year.
"We are fortunate to have Jessie join the UNC Health family," said President of UNC Health Network Hospitals Chris Ellington in the press release. "His strong experience in teammate and provider engagement will enhance the already positive culture at Wayne UNC."
Effective March 1, 2021, Steve Burriss will be promoted to COO of UNC Health.
Burriss currently serves as president of UNC Health's Triangle Region, which includes overseeing the operations of UNC Medical Center, UNC REX Healthcare, and UNC Health's ambulatory division. In his new role as COO, he will continue to oversee operations of the Triangle Region, as well as "oversee all UNC Health system clinical operations, including inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory care across the state."
He will succeed Gary Park who announced this past July his upcoming retirement at the end of February 2021.
"I look forward to working closely with Steve as chief operating officer," said CEO of UNC Health Dr. Wesley Burks in the press release. "Steve's experience in our health system along with his deep knowledge of hospital operations makes him the ideal person to assume this role."
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
Photo credit: Exterior of UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, N.C (Photo courtesy of UNC Health)