The Henry Ford Health System CEO will join CommonSpirit on August 1.
In an announcement released today, CommonSpirit Health has named retiring CEO Lloyd H. Dean's successor.
Wright L. Lassiter III, the current CEO of Henry Ford Health System and current Board Chair for the American Hospital Association, will succeed Dean on August 1 to lead the nonprofit, Catholic health system.
Dean announced last year his plans to retire in 2022, following a more than two-decades-long leaderhsip tenure.
Lassiter, who has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, has served as CEO of Henry Ford Health since 2016, where led the system through the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded the organization's footprint, and grew the revenue of the $6.6 billion Detroit-based integrated health system.
During his tenure with Henry Ford, Lassiter accomplished many achievements, including increasing the health system's quality performance and earning top honors in several publicly reported quality programs. Two hospitals also achieved Magnet® status under his lead.
He also helped improve the health system's financial performance, which received outlook and ratings upgrades from Moody's and S&P services.
"Wright’s accomplishments and career focus embody CommonSpirit’s vision of health care as an essential aspect of every person’s life," CommonSpirit board member and incoming board chair, Chris Lowney, said in a statement. "His experience and success with complex health systems positions him well to lead our organization on our mission to deliver better health to all Americans."
Lassiter is also known for championing health equity initiatives and his commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
"Throughout his career, Wright has demonstrated that he shares our commitment as a Catholic health system to improving the health of those we serve, especially those most in need, and advancing social justice for all people," Sr. Barbara Hagedorn, SC, president of Catholic Health Care Federation, CommonSpirit’s sponsoring body, said in a statement.
In his new role as CommonSpirit CEO, Lassiter will lead the large-scale organization's strategic priorities and the organization's next phase of growth and financial stability. He will also focus on supporting the clinical and nursing staff's health and well-being.
The Henry Ford board of directors, led by chair David Breen, will conduct a national search for Lassiter's successor, the organization announced today. During the transition period, president, health care operations and COO, Bob Riney, will lead the health system and work with Breen and the board during the search process.
In a statement shared with Henry Ford's team members, Lassiter wrote: "It has truly been one of the great honors of my life to lead the incredibly relentless, resilient, innovative, diverse and compassionate team that is Henry Ford Health. It has been said that when you need heroism at scale, when you are faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, when others say 'no,' you come to Henry Ford. I found this to be true – every day. I am incredibly proud of the transformative work we have done together in and across communities in Michigan and far beyond. I have no doubt that the influence and impact of Henry Ford will continue to grow and flourish long after my final day here."
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.