Hospital Authority committee recommends not to renew CEO Joseph Webb's contract

A Hospital Authority CEO Performance and Contract Committee voted to recommend that the full board not extend or enter a new employment agreement with CEO Joseph Webb when his contract ends on June 30, 2025.

The recommendation followed extended discussion by committee members about Webb’s leadership, the authority’s relationship with Meharry Medical College and Metro government, persistent financial and audit problems, and employee complaints. A former employee, Laura Cantrell, used public comment to urge the board not to renew Webb’s contract, alleging favoritism, unpaid vendor invoices and “a pervasive toxic work environment.”

The committee’s discussion emphasized forward-looking concerns about who is best positioned to lead the hospital into what several members described as a critical planning phase for a new facility. Mr. Esquivel, a committee member, said that while Webb “brought stability” and created programs such as the food pharmacy, the board needs “a leader who is best positioned for the next chapter” and questioned the hospital’s ability to build the broad coalition necessary for a new hospital project. Dr. Fagan, a board member and Meharry alumnus, responded that he has seen improvements over many years and said he believes Webb “can do the job.”

Public comment and committee remarks cited several recurring concerns raised during the meeting: delayed vendor payments and accounts-payable issues that had placed vendors on credit hold; continuing material deficiencies in audits; employee and physician survey results the committee characterized as modest; reports of nepotism and retaliation raised by current and former employees; and slow progress on a public-sector agreement (PSA) and on aligning Meharry Medical College and Metro government around a new facility plan. In public comment, Laura Cantrell said, “the CEO consistently created positions for his friends and family and promoted those with close personal ties to him regardless of their qualifications.”

The committee also reviewed and approved a drafted FY2025 CEO performance evaluation and recommended it to the full board. The draft contains goals and measurable criteria across growth, financial performance, quality, customer service and board relations. Specific numeric or deadline items discussed in the draft include a target 15% increase in patients seen across clinics and hospital, a requirement that the prior-year audit be finalized by Oct. 31 and a Metro-audit timeline by Dec. 31, and a target to reduce days-payable delays to 60 days or fewer. The draft also set turnover goals for key associates and survey-score targets; the committee approved forwarding that document to the full board.

After debate, a committee member moved that the committee recommend the hospital authority not extend the current agreement, not enter a new employment agreement, and discontinue the employment relationship when the contract terminates on June 30, 2025; a second was received and the motion passed. The audio transcript records ayes and at least one abstention; individual roll-call votes were not recorded by name in the transcript.

Committee members said they will present the recommendation and the approved FY2025 performance goals to the full Hospital Authority board for final action. The full board will determine whether to accept the committee’s recommendation on the CEO agreement and will consider next steps on leadership transition and decisions about a new facility.