University Hospital's Interim CEO Has a Passion for Public Service

Mary K. E. Maples, Esq. talks about her leadership transition and shares what she hopes to address as interim president and CEO.

Mary K.E. Maples, Esq., is hitting her stride just fine as interim president and chief executive officer for University Hospital (UH).

Maples had big shoes to fill in succeeding Shereef Elnahal, MD, MBA, who stepped down from his post as president and CEO at UH following a nomination from President Joseph Biden to serve as undersecretary for health for the Veterans Health Administration.

UH's mission states it is "committed to providing exceptional care to every patient, every time," while its vision highlights the organization's promise to partner with communities to improve health for generations to come. Additionally, the organization's core values include respect, reliability, teamwork, integrity, and stewardship, and Maples says she has worked to instill those into her work.

Maples, who has served as UH's chief legal officer and corporate secretary since 2018, recently spoke with HealthLeaders about her leadership transition and what she hopes to address as interim CEO, and she shares insights on her career path and leading as a woman.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

HealthLeaders: Can you share a little bit about your background in healthcare and how you landed at UH?

Mary Maples: My background is a bit of a unique one for the healthcare industry. Way back when I graduated from college, I started working at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) down in Washington, DC. I was a government major in college and began there in the Office of Security post-9/11 when there was a real focus on developing a cadre of multidisciplinary security officers. I spent the first six years of my time there specializing in investigative work from media leaks to background investigations and things of that nature.

At the time I chose to go to law school at night as well, and once I graduated from law school, I transitioned to the Office of General Counsel, where, just like any other company or government agency, there are any number of legal issues that come up that are common, whether it's HR, budget, contracts, or administrative policies. I had about six years there as an attorney dealing with a variety of issues, such as litigation, congressional affairs, and the like.

I'm originally from New Jersey and had always wanted to get back to New Jersey. When my son was two, my husband and I looked for opportunities to come back home, and that's actually how I first began professionally getting involved with UH. I found myself in the governor's office as an attorney, and my job there was in part to engage with over 50 boards, authorities and commissions, and public entities in the state of New Jersey, UH being one of them.

I spent two and a half years in both Governor Christie's and Governor Murphy's office combined as an attorney and working with UH. I attended all the board meetings and committee meetings and got to know the executive leadership team and the board well. It was at a time when there was a lot of transition going on at the hospital, and it was certainly a great opportunity for me to understand the patient population that we serve, the mission of the organization, and how the business is structured.

The chief legal officer position became available, and as soon as it was posted I jumped on it because it was an opportunity to take what I knew of the hospital and join internally and become a part of it.

That's one of the things I think that's most consistent between my time at CIA and UH: These are mission-driven organizations dedicated to public service, and that's my passion. That's what's really me.

I've been here now for almost four years as chief legal officer, and now over the last month as the interim president and CEO. It's been a real passion project getting to know the hospital from the inside and looking for opportunities to use my expertise to elevate the work that we do here.

HL: How will your background help you in your role as interim president and CEO?

Maples: I find the practice of law is most fun and most interesting when as the lawyer you're a partner to business operations, helping them achieve their goals. That's always been my focus as an attorney, to partner with the non-lawyers as closely as possible and help achieve those business opportunities and those objectives. The transition from chief legal officer to president and CEO has, in my view, been quite a natural transition.

HL: Can you share any plans for the permanent president and CEO role?

Maples: I am still the interim president and CEO, and the board is doing what a board should do. They are engaging in a very thorough and thoughtful search for who the right leader is long-term for this hospital. That speaks to the focus on governance and fiduciary duties that our board takes very seriously.

HL: What current pain points are you looking to address and solve for UH's underserved communities?

Maples: I see two big areas that require simultaneous focus.

On the patient side, we are so proud to serve the community here in the greater Newark area. It's been a real legacy point of pride for us. During the pandemic, we were putting out a lot of messaging that we coined 'care around the clock,' because we did, and continue to, want to provide care around the clock to our patients. On that front, we continue to communicate with our communities about the care they need to return to get.

Even though some people may think the pandemic is over, for us in healthcare and talking with our patients, it's still a conversation that's front of mind to talk with them about the care they missed during the height of the pandemic, but also the care that they need to continue to get and grow so that the issues that they're suffering with can be addressed appropriately. We want to focus on how we can fill those gaps when we see them.

On the team side—we're a team-based organization, and we value teamwork. I talk a lot about our team here and I don't view myself as a leader with staff, I view myself as part of the team. And this team has been through an incredible amount of stress and strife over the last two and a half years, so I can't ignore that. I know that my teammates at some points are tired, are downtrodden, are feeling just exhausted, and so my job is to continue to listen, continue to hear what their concerns may be, and try to identify pathways that we can clear to help those conversations be productive.

In May, during mental health awareness month, we unveiled an employee wellness room because we talk about the time we want to encourage our employees to care for themselves and to take a breather when they need it. It's one thing to say, but it's another thing now to have a room where we say 'It's OK that you need that time, and here's a room where you can go and find a quiet space when you need that break.'

It's also reminding ourselves about why we got into this business in the first place. We're a mission-driven organization; healthcare is a vocation and these patients need us. We are people who chose to pursue a profession where we help people when they can't help themselves. There's real power in that. But it's something that maybe throughout the pandemic, with all of the strife and struggle that this nation went through, we can lose sight of at times. So it's my job to continue to keep that in focus.

HL: Could you share your perspective as a woman leader and how that'll help impact the hospital's approach to healthcare.

Maples: I think if you talk with any woman in the professional setting, all of us have probably had those experiences where you look around the room and you realize you're the only woman at the table. Or you're the only person who is talking about the obligations that you have outside of the workplace that weigh on how you prioritize your time. As a woman leader, and in this role, it's important and it's a passion for me to just talk about those experiences.

As women, we are exceptional problem solvers, firefighters, prioritizers, teammates, and collaborators. There are so many things that I find women are wonderful at that drive business forward. It's my job as a woman leader to continue to work on exemplifying that in my own work and elevating the work that's been done by other women in our organization. We talk as a society all the time about how representation matters, and it matters in a variety of ways. It's important that other women see that women can lead, that women can lead well, and that our gender doesn't dictate our capacity for success.

HL: How would you define your leadership style?

Maples: I love collaboration. I played softball, I played volleyball; I am a team sport-minded person and I view all of this as a team sport. I am someone who enjoys getting feedback from the other leaders around the table, the other teammates that work at the hospital. I frequently round, as we all do in healthcare, on units and talk with frontline staff, middle managers, anyone doing the work here at UH to get their perspectives and their feedback. I don't pretend to have a monopoly on good ideas and I think I've done my job well when I'm not the smartest person in the room, when the experts that are in the room feel safe and comfortable raising their voices and sharing their views.

HL: What advice do you have for other women leaders working in the healthcare sector?

Maples: Never underestimate the power of asking someone for a cup of coffee.

My reason for saying that is because I think women especially put so much pressure on themselves to know all the answers, to have all the right solutions in place. We need to continue to be comfortable raising our hand and asking questions and asking somebody to sit down for a cup of coffee and tell their story.

Editor's note: This story was updated on June 23, 2022.

Related: How University Hospital Went From Struggling to Thriving