Hospital Authority limits outgoing CEO’s authority, names acting manager and begins CEO search

The Metro Hospital Authority board voted to suspend portions of its bylaws and adopt interim guidelines that remove certain powers from CEO Joseph Webb effective March 14, the board’s vice chair said. The board also appointed Dr. Veronica Elders as acting manager effective at close of business on March 14 and began steps to conduct an interim and permanent CEO search.

The board’s vice chair and finance committee chair, who presided at the meeting, said the actions follow a letter from Dr. Webb stating he would not seek a contract extension and naming March 14 as his last day while requesting pay through June 30. Board member Mister Lester moved that “to the extent the proposed guidelines on our agenda are inconsistent with our bylaws, I move that the bylaws be suspended and the guidelines, if adopted, constitute a superseding interim policy order regarding Dr. Webb’s contract.” The motion was seconded and the board approved it by voice/hand raise; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Under a subsequent motion the board adopted a set of five interim restrictions that the motion text states will take effect on March 14 and last through the conclusion of Dr. Webb’s employment. The guidelines, as stated on the record, eliminate the CEO’s authority to: execute new contracts or amend existing contracts; hire, fire, promote or demote employees; increase or decrease employee salaries or rates of compensation; approve or obligate the hospital to reimburse or advance travel, lodging, or registration expenses for employees to attend meetings or conferences; and incur any obligation to a single payee greater than $5,000 without the written approval of the hospital authority vice chair. The motion to adopt those guidelines was seconded and approved by the board; no numerical vote counts were specified in the transcript.

The board also approved a motion instructing Dr. Webb to return all hospital equipment provided to him — including desktop or laptop computers, tablets and mobile phones — on or before 5 p.m. on March 14. That motion was moved, seconded and approved on the record.

Separately, the board announced Dr. Veronica Elders will serve as acting manager effective at close of business March 14. The presiding board member said Elders has worked at the hospital for 10 years, has been chief nursing officer since February 2019 and holds a Doctor of Health Care Administration, an MBA and a master’s degree in nursing. The presiding member described Elders as a collaborator focused on patient care and quality. The appointment was reported on the record; the transcript does not show a roll-call vote for the appointment and indicates the chair used an authority in the bylaws that allows appointment of an acting manager.

Board members discussed next steps for a search for an interim and permanent CEO. The board chair’s designee proposed collecting candidate materials through a shared email box for board members, and members debated whether to form a new search committee or use the existing CEO evaluations and contract committee. Several members suggested the search process include employee and medical-staff input, interviews with community stakeholders and representation from Meharry Medical College. The board did not adopt a formal policy for committee composition at this meeting; members agreed to address committee selection at the next board meeting and to forward expressions of interest to staff for consideration.

The meeting record shows the board emphasized a brief transition period between March 14 and the appointment of an interim CEO and underscored the need for transparent, collaborative decision-making during the transition. No public comments were recorded during the public comment portion of the meeting.

The board adjourned after taking the actions above and agreeing to revisit CEO search committee membership at its next meeting.