Several Large Hospice Providers See Leadership Transitions

New executives have stepped into c-suite and other roles at some of the nation’s largest hospice organizations as 2025 kicks off.

Empath Health’s First Chief Philanthropy Officer

Empath Health has announced that Deborah Johnson will become its first chief philanthropy officer.

Johnson will oversee the work of Empath’s several foundations — Suncoast Hospice Foundation, Tidewell Foundation, Hospice of Marion County Foundation and Trustbridge Hospice Foundation. Each organization will retain its branding and local focus under the leadership change, with the new structure intended to enhance the ability to meet rising demand and expand community initiatives.

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The newly developed role marks an important milestone for the Florida-based nonprofit, according to CEO Jonathan Fleece. Empath has fueled its focus to provide “full-life care,” — a strategy the company has dubbed to offer the full continuum of services to support seniors and the seriously ill throughout their health care journey.

“Deborah’s appointment is a transformative step for Empath Health,” Fleece said in a statement shared with Hospice News. “Her passion and expertise will allow us to scale our impact and ensure the lasting success of Full-Life Care for the patients, families and communities we serve.”

Johnson previously served as president of the Trustbridge Hospice Foundation, since 2022. The news comes alongside the retirement of Kathy Rabon, president of the Suncoast Hospice Foundation.

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Under Johnson’s leadership, Empath Health aims to strengthen donor relationships, scale innovative programs and create meaningful opportunities for colleague engagement. She is charged with overseeing the home health and hospice provider’s Colleague Assistance Fund, which supports employees during times of personal need.

Empath Health offers hospice, home health, palliative care, bereavement support, adult day services, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) programs, and primary, elderly and geriatric care. The nonprofit organization has grown into one of the largest hospice providers in the nation.

Empath in 2024 completed an affiliation process with Trustbridge, which offers palliative care, hospice care, support services and more. Empath serves 1 in 5 hospice patients across Florida, the company reported. The organization cares for 5,000 patients daily, employs more than 5,000 staff and has roughly 3,000 volunteers.

Shifts at Pennant’s Board

The Pennant Group Inc.’s (Nasdaq: PNTG) board of directors has seen a recent change of guard, with CEO Brent Guerisoli as its new chairman and CFO Scott Lamb named as its lead independent director.

Lamb joined Pennant’s board in 2019 as chairman of its auditing committee. He previously served as treasurer and CFO at ICU Medical Inc. from 2008 to 2020.

Guerisoli stepped into the CEO role in 2022 and has served on Pennant’s board since 2023. He succeeds Barry Smith, who will serve as board chairman of the company’s nominating and corporate governance committee.

“The board has great confidence in Brent, which he has earned through his inspiring leadership, consistent performance and transparent communication,” Smith said in a recent announcement. “He will make an excellent chairman to lead Pennant forward.”

The announcements follow the recent closing of Pennant’s $80 million acquisition of Signature Healthcare at Home’s hospice and home health assets.

Pennant is the holding company for a group of independent hospice, home health and senior living providers located across 14 states. The company operates 122 home health and hospice locations and 57 senior living communities.

Traditions Health Taps New Chief Growth Officer

The home health and hospice provider Traditions Health has named Kim Baldwin as its new chief growth officer.

In her new role, Baldwin oversees the company’s growth trajectory and enhances its strategic development initiatives. She brings 20 years of experience in hospice, home health and palliative care, holding several leadership roles in the post-acute care industry.

Baldwin most recently served as chief growth officer at Kara Health since 2023 and held leadership positions at Moments Hospice and Compassus prior to that.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kim to the team as our chief growth officer. Her wealth of experience and strategic development vision will be invaluable as we continue driving growth and fostering excellence at Traditions Health,” CEO Brian Lantier said in an announcement shared with Hospice News.

Franklin, Tennessee-headquartered Traditions provides hospice, home health and palliative care as well as consulting services across 18 states.

Traditions Health is a portfolio company of the private investment firm Dorilton Capital. The hospice provider topped Inc. magazine’s 2024 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The company in 2008 opened its first location in Texas.

Atrium Health Names New Palliative Leadership

Atrium Health has tapped Holly Davis to lead its clinical operations community-based palliative care program.

Davis also serves as pediatric division chair at the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care, serving at the organization since 2013. She also has held executive director positions at Gentiva Hospice and St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii. Davis additionally served as pediatric team manager at Gilchrist Cares, among other roles in the pediatric hospice and palliative care space. 

Atrium is part of Advocate Health, which is among the largest nonprofit health systems in the United States. Advocate operates 69 hospitals and more than 1,000 health care locations and has roughly 155,000 employees.

Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered Atrium Health offers hospice, palliative and pediatric care, behavioral and women’s health, emergency and primary care, as well as other services. The health system has 733 locations across North and South Carolina.

The health system in January announced the opening of a new pediatric primary care practice dubbed as Atrium Health Levine Children’s Pediatric Extended Care. The practice is located in Huntersville, North Carolina, and offers care during evenings and weekends to surrounding areas. Its launch marks the first of multiple extended care locations that Atrium plans to launch.

“We have and always will be committed to meeting families where they are, with the best care possible,” Callie Dobbins, senior vice president of Levine Children’s, said in a statement. “Recognizing many families have roles and responsibilities that can make it hard to get their kids to the doctor during the week, Levine Children’s set out to create a first-of-its-kind solution with a practice dedicated to serving families with both sick and well visits during hours convenient for their schedules.”

AAHPM Announces Interim CEO

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) has named Steve Smith as its interim CEO.

Smith served as AAHPM CEO from 2007 to 2020, holding the same role at Association Management Center (AMC) prior to that. AAHPM is in part supported by Chicago-based AMC.

His previous roles included interim executive director of the American College of Academic Addiction and senior director of business development and management services at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Smith has also held leadership roles at the Alzheimer’s Association.

“We are incredibly grateful to have Steve back in the role of CEO for the next few months,” Dr. Vicki Jackson, AAHPM’s board of directors president, said in a press release. “He is an outstanding leader with deep knowledge of AAHPM and association management. He is passionate about the field of hospice and palliative medicine and will help us continue our work to move our strategic priorities forward.”

AAHPM is currently in the works of finding a candidate to permanently fill the CEO role, anticipating to complete the hiring process within the first half of 2025.

Established in 1988, AAHPM is a professional organization for hospice and palliative care clinicians, social workers and other health and spiritual care providers in the space.

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