Jupiter Medical Center is pleased to announce Donald McKenna will become the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective January 2018. McKenna currently serves as the President and CEO of St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens, Georgia – a fully integrated, not-for-profit health care system that includes three hospitals serving 13 counties in northeast Georgia.
“On behalf of the Trustees of Jupiter Medical Center, we are proud of this outstanding appointment and confident that we have selected a chief executive who shares our dedication and commitment to ensuring that Jupiter Medical Center remains the leading provider of world-class health care in our region,” said Robert J. Stilley, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Jupiter Medical Center. “Don is an exemplary leader and the committee was particularly impressed with his success in establishing the first academic residency program in northeast Georgia as well as his demonstrated commitment to increasing both access and quality of care. We look forward to having his expertise and passion focused on Jupiter Medical Center.”
In July of 2017, the Board of Jupiter Medical Center convened a committee to carry out a national search for a new CEO. Over the past four months, the committee conducted an extensive and competitive search in pursuit of a talented and visionary professional to uphold and even expand upon the Medical Center’s reputation for excellence. Jupiter Medical Center is consistently ranked at the top of regional patient satisfaction surveys and maintains world-class quality scores. In addition, its clinical programs receive accolades from accrediting agencies for excellence in numerous specialties, including spine and orthopedic surgery, oncology services, stroke care, advanced imaging and more.
“Jupiter Medical Center’s mission is caring for the health and wellness of an entire region, and as a result, it has become an increasingly vital part of this community,” said McKenna, who just received the extraordinary honor of being named “CEO of the Year” by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals. “I have been extremely impressed with the Medical Center’s success in expanding the organization to provide a truly complete and integrated continuum of care without wavering in its dedication to delivering services of the highest quality. I’m honored to be entrusted with continuing this legacy of excellence.”
McKenna continued, “I am excited to take on this new role and join this outstanding contingent of passionate caregivers, providers and team members. I look forward to building on Jupiter Medical Center’s strong foundation and helping the leadership team to continue to advance the hospital’s shared purpose of caring for people’s health and wellness across the region we serve.”
This is a return to Palm Beach County for McKenna. He began his career in the early 1990’s as a Director at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. He went on to serve as Chief Operating
Officer of North Ridge Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. In all, McKenna has more than 26 years of progressive and diverse health care experience, including serving as administrator and Chief Operating Officer of Wuesthoff Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida. Under his leadership at St. Mary’s, the health care system was named a 2016 Healthgrades “Top 100 Hospital” and was recognized three times as Georgia’s “Large Hospital of the Year.”
McKenna earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as his master’s degree in public administration from Long Island University in Brookville, New York. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and serves on the Metro Hospitals Governing Council of the American Hospital Association.
McKenna plans to relocate to Jupiter with his wife, Jana, and their two teenage sons.
