Community Memorial names new CEO
Community Memorial Health System has chosen a successor for Gary Wilde, who has announced his retirement as president and CEO of the Ventura County nonprofit hospital and clinic system.
The new top executive will be Mick Zdeblick, the former CEO of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon. He will start at Community Memorial on Jan. 9, the health system said in a news release.
Zdeblick served as CEO of Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center, the flagship health center for Asante Health System, for five years. During his tenure, he led Asante’s $500 million facility renovation and expansion master plan. Previously, he held the role of chief operating officer at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, and before that he was vice president of hospital operations at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Marquette University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
“Mick is a proven leader who possesses both the experience and vision to lead Community Memorial Health System into the future,” Community Memorial board chair Richard Rush said in a statement. “His diverse background and extensive record of success will be an asset to our health system and our community.”
In Community Memorial’s news release, Zdeblick said the “unique culture of the organization, as well as its unrivaled commitment to its mission, make it an invaluable asset to the community.”
Wilde announced his retirement in April, and Community Memorial conducted a nationwide search for his replacement, using an outside recruiting firm, Witt Kieffer.
Wilde was Community Memorial’s president and CEO for 18 years. While at the helm, he oversaw the merger of Community Memorial Hospital and Ojai Valley Community Hospital to form Community Memorial Health System in 2005. Since then, Wilde successfully supervised the planning, funding and construction of the new 250-bed Community Memorial Hospital building in Ventura as well as the Continuing Care Center, a 75-bed skilled nursing facility on the Ojai Valley Community Hospital campus.
