Nancy Howell Agee will become President and Chief Executive Officer of Carilion Clinic on July 1, 2011, succeeding Edward Murphy, M.D., who is stepping down to take positions with TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., a New York and London-based investment firm. Murphey will also be assuming duties as Chairman of the Board of Sound Physicians an investment firm and physician company.
“The decision to leave Carilion was difficult, but the time is right”, said Murphy. “At Carilion, the building blocks for successful transformation are in place, especially in light of our new relationship with Aetna. The organization is in good position to move forward with excellent, stable leadership. This opportunity with TowerBrook and Sound Physicians will allow me to work on hospital / physician integration and ACO development, nationally.”
Dr. Murphy joined Carilion in 1998 as Chief Operating Officer, and became President and CEO in 2001. He led the organization through its transition from a hospital-based system to a multi-specialty clinic, that presently has hospitals and outpatient centers serving a million people in Virginia.
“We are greatly appreciative of Dr. Murphy’s work and the milestones we have achieved during his tenure,” said James Hartley, chairman of the Carilion Clinic Board of Directors. “Our organization is fortunate to have someone of Nancy Agee’s caliber to take the lead. As one of the architects of our vision with more than 30 years of service to our employees, patients, and communities, she will continue our growth and focus on improving health and patient-centered care.”
Agee holds degrees with honors from the University of Virginia and Emory University. She began her career in nursing at Carilion, serving in various management roles over the past 20 years. In 1996 she was appointed Vice President of Medical Education. In 2000 she became Senior Vice President of the organization, advancing to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in 2001. At the beginning of 2011, Agee was appointed President and CEO of Carilion Medical Center, Carilion’s Roanoke-based hospital services. She will officially begin her role as President and Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2011.
“This is a unique organization, with truly remarkable people, and I am honored to have this opportunity,” Agee said. “I still remember the faces of my patients back in 1973 and as I see our patients today I know that even with new technology, new facilities and a new medical school our core mission remains the same – providing high-quality, coordinated, compassionate care tailored to meet the individual needs of our patients every day.”
Agee has been at the forefront of the successful 2006 initiative to reorganize Carilion into a patient-centered clinic, working to develop a leadership infrastructure of physicians. She says both employed and private physicians will continue to play a key role in the organization’s success.
“I am grateful for the leadership of our physicians, whose energy and insight are driving meaningful advances in treatment and improvement in quality,” Agee says. “I look forward to working with them as we continue our commitment to establishing new standards for patient-centered care.”
Plans for Agee’s successor as Chief Operating Officer of Carilion Clinic are currently under development.
