MaineGeneral Health selects Nathan Howell as its next President and Chief Executive Officer
MaineGeneral Health has selected Nathan Howell, a Maine native, Colby College graduate and seasoned leader, as its next President and CEO.
Howell currently serves as President of MaineHealth’s Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford, ME. He assumed that position in 2018.
Howell will replace Chuck Hays as President and CEO on July 1, 2023. Hays announced his retirement plans in August 2022 and will remain at MaineGeneral during a transition period to see Howell through his onboarding.
A national search firm, WittKieffer, facilitated the process to find a candidate to lead the third-largest health system in Maine. The robust search process included board members, senior leadership, medical staff and other stakeholders.
“We look forward to welcoming Nathan Howell to MaineGeneral,” said James LaLiberty, Esq., chair of the MaineGeneral Health Board of Directors. “His enthusiasm, track record of leadership and vision for the future of our regional health system impressed the MaineGeneral board, senior leadership team, medical leaders and others involved in the search process.”
LaLiberty praised Hays, who joined the health system in 1995 and has served as its President and CEO since 2013. “Chuck built a culture of excellence and has overseen great change during his tenure here,” LaLiberty said. “From the transformation of health care delivery in the Kennebec Valley through the COVID-19 pandemic, his inclusive style and encouragement of ground-up engagement and contributions has set MaineGeneral on a path to meet the health care needs of our community for generations to come. We have every confidence that Nathan Howell will continue this legacy and, along with the exceptional staff and leadership at MaineGeneral, will keep us on the path of providing the best possible health care and services to the Kennebec Valley.”
Hays said he shares the enthusiasm of the board and staff. “I look forward to turning the reigns over to Nathan in the succeeding months and am happy to be staying here in Maine where I’ve raised my family and called this community home,” he said. “I’m so proud of what we’ve built here together, the quality care that our community members have come to expect from us, and the prospect of continuing to meet the needs of our people into the future. We have such an amazing staff – now 4,600-strong. I could not have chosen a better group of colleagues to have by my side. They are like family and I am confident they’ll continue to achieve great things for our community.”
Howell said he looks forward to joining the MaineGeneral Health team. He visited the health system, which includes the Alfond Center for Health and Thayer Center for Health, the completion of which 10 years ago was a key step in regionalizing health care in the Kennebec Valley.
“As impressive as the Alfond Center for Health is, I was most impressed by the people I met,” Howell said. “From the medical assistants in your orthopaedics practice to the energetic and dedicated Emergency Department director, all were impressively on point when it came to reinforcing your values of teamwork and communication. Health care is only as good as the people who make it their mission to deliver it and MaineGeneral has an amazing base from which we can continue to grow.”
About MaineGeneral Health
MaineGeneral Health is an integrated, not-for-profit health care system that provides a wide range of services throughout central Maine’s Kennebec Valley. MaineGeneral’s 198-bed, state-of-the-art hospital in Augusta — the Alfond Center for Health — opened in 2013. In 2014, MaineGeneral completed renovations to transform its Waterville Campus — the Thayer Center for Health — into the largest comprehensive outpatient center in the state. The health care system includes a regional cancer center; primary care and specialty practices; long term care facilities; rehabilitation; home health care and hospice services; specialized care for people with memory loss; and community outreach programs. MaineGeneral has earned recognition for achieving high levels of patient care and safety from patients and outside organizations. In 2023, it has already earned a spot on Newsweek World’s Best Hospitals awards list and achieved 2023 Women’s Choice Awards®: America's 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experience, Best Hospitals for Cancer Care, Best Hospitals for Orthopaedics and Best Mammogram Imaging Centers. To learn more, go to www.mainegeneral.org.
