NewsTalk 101.5 FM visited with Danny Wheeler, a member of the Board of Trustees at West Tennessee Healthcare. We discussed the selection of James Ross as the new president/CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare in a question and answer session.
Question: What are your thoughts on the Board selecting and nominating James as the new CEO?
Answer: I am extremely please that the Board made the decision to select J R as our CEO. We have seen J R lead the organization as interim CEO for approximately a year, and he has done an excellent job. The fact that the CEO search committee, after reviewing many resumes and interviewing potential candidates made the recommendation that J R should be our CEO, validated our observation that he will make a great CEO for West Tennessee Healthcare.
Q: James is from Henderson, and has worked for West Tennessee Healthcare for 32 years. This has to be an asset for West Tennessee Healthcare and the community. Your thoughts that no introduction will be needed.
A: Having been with West Tennessee Healthcare for over 32 years, J R knows West Tennessee Healthcare, the health care industry, the health care needs of our community, and is involved at the state level in health care organizations. He is known and loved by people in West Tennessee Healthcare and the community. Someone from the outside would have had to learn West Tennessee Healthcare and our community to be an effective CEO. J R will be able to lead us forward without the transition issues associated with someone from the outside.
Q: How many applicants did West Tennessee Healthcare have for the position of CEO, and how many were interviewed?
A: I was not on the search committee, so I do not know this information.
Q: When did it become evident that James was the right person for the position of CEO?
A: As the Board worked with J R over the last year we realized that he could be the one we need to lead us into the future. As he stated in the Board meeting, in the beginning he did not feel that God was leading him to be CEO. We respected that, and began the nationwide search. But as time passed he began to feel the call to be our CEO. That, along with the committee’s recommendation that we make him CEO “sealed the deal.”
Q: What do you feel will be the major challenges James will face?
A: His greatest challenges will be the same as other healthcare executives are facing – the changing healthcare industry as reflected in national and state healthcare legislation and policies.
Q: What do you feel are his main strengths?
A: J R’s main strengths are – he loves people and has a servant heart. He wants the best for everyone, whether that is someone who works for West Tennessee Healthcare, a patient who is under our care or the people of the community that we serve. He is a man of his word and people trust him. These are leadership qualities that inspire people to follow his lead.
David Thomas, Twitter– @DavidThomasWNWS
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