Following a nationwide search the Union Hospital Board of Trustees has selected a veteran healthcare executive to become the hospital?s next President and Chief Executive Officer. R. Bruce James will begin his duties at Union Hospital on July 6. He will replace William W. Harding who is retiring as president and CEO after 26 years in the position and 29 years of employment at UH.
R. Bruce James
The selection of James ends an exhaustive search process that began last fall and included consideration of more than one-hundred applications for the CEO position. Personal interviews were conducted with 14 candidates by the Board?s Search Committee. John E. Dooling of Dover, chairman of the hospital Board of Trustees, says the lengthy search process has been rewarded with an outstanding selection.
?Bruce James comes to us with an impressive resume of experience and accomplishment at some outstanding hospitals around the country,? Dooling said. ?The Board is excited by the selection of Mr. James as our next president and CEO and we?re looking forward to the leadership he will bring to our community.?
Dooling said the final candidates for the position were interviewed by members of the Board, the medical staff, hospital employees, and members of the Development and Community Relations Committee. Those participating in the interviews were asked to evaluate the candidate and their evaluations were considered by the Search Committee in making their recommendation to the Board.
James earned a Master?s degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1980 and began his professional career as a management engineer at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Following a second engineering position at Sun Health, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, James held executive leadership positions at St. Joseph?s Mercy Hospitals of Macomb in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, St. Michael Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin, Tennessee. Currently, James is serving as CEO of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, Rock Springs, Wyoming.
With family ties in the South and in Ohio, James says he is pleased to be returning to the Midwest.
?I began my professional career in Dayton and am excited by this opportunity to return to Ohio,? James said. ?Union Hospital presents a wonderful opportunity for me to join an outstanding organization that has recently earned national distinction as one of the 100 top hospitals in the United States. I?m looking forward to working with a great group of employees, physicians, and becoming a part of this outstanding community.?
June 2009
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