The Baton Passes . . . but the Mission Endures

This weekly column has always been an opportunity to reflect on the issues shaping our field and to contribute to the conversations that move our mission forward. Just as importantly, it has been a connection to all of you who lead hospitals and health systems every day in service to your communities. 

As most of you know, I announced my planned retirement back in December to provide for a thoughtful succession process. After more than 500 such columns since I began service as president and CEO of the AHA in 2015, this will be my final Perspective.  

It is a moment I’ve thought about for a while because every leader who has the privilege of serving an institution like this eventually faces the responsibility — and the privilege — of passing the baton.

Moments like this naturally invite reflection. But even more than that, they inspire confidence. Confidence in the future. Because leadership is not about holding onto a title. It’s about preparing the organization for what comes next.

For 44 years, I’ve had the extraordinary privilege of serving this association … an association that has stood beside America’s hospitals, health systems, caregivers and communities for more than 125 years. For that opportunity, and for the partnership and support of so many hospital and health system leaders over the years, I will always be grateful.

I have been fortunate to serve in several roles, and through every chapter I’ve learned the same lesson: We are temporary stewards of something much larger than ourselves.

Leadership succession is not just about selecting the next CEO. It is about protecting the mission, strengthening the institution and ensuring that those who follow inherit an organization better prepared for the future than the one we received.

Earlier this year, we announced that Steve Walsh would become the next president and CEO of the AHA, and I now have the privilege of passing that responsibility to him.

I’ve worked with Steve for over 10 years, and he has been a friend, partner and first-class professional who is going to do a terrific job. 

He has an outstanding record of accomplishment in Massachusetts, and he brings to his new role exceptional political judgment and a keen understanding of public policy.

Steve is an innovator who isn’t afraid to challenge conventional thinking, while bringing people together and building coalitions that reach practical solutions.

Most of all, he is a passionate advocate for hospitals, health systems and the people we serve.

The greatest gift we can give to a successor is not a blueprint for recreating the past but the freedom, the trust and the support to build the future. 

At the AHA, we have a tradition of marking CEO transitions with an actual runner’s baton. For decades, this baton has quietly reminded each CEO that leadership is never something we own; it’s something we borrow for a time.

It was given to me by my predecessor, Rich Umbdenstock, who received it from his predecessor, Dick Davidson. And it was my honor to pass it to Steve. 

This baton is not a trophy. It is a promise.

In a relay race, the baton is not passed at the finish line. It is passed while both runners are moving — one completing a leg of the race and the other accelerating with fresh energy toward what comes next.

That is exactly how leadership transitions should work. Not as an ending, but as a continuation. Not as a loss of momentum, but as a transfer of trust and responsibility.

I know this association is in exceptionally good hands. I cannot wait to see where Steve takes it, and I know we will all be rooting for him every step of the way.

The confidence I have in Steve is rooted in the same confidence I have always had in this field. The challenges will evolve. Technologies will change. Policy debates will come and go. But the values that drive hospitals and health systems remain remarkably constant.

Of course, the work is far from finished. The months ahead will bring important debates on policies that directly affect hospitals, health systems, and the patients and communities we serve. From protecting access to care to advancing policies that strengthen the health care workforce and support innovation, there is much still to do. 

Next year will usher in a new Congress, new opportunities and new challenges. But if my years at the AHA have taught me anything, it is that this field has never shied away from difficult work, and this association will continue to be an effective voice for advancing solutions that strengthen care and improve health.

Hospitals and health systems have long been a source of strength, stability and healing for the communities they serve. When a patient arrives in an emergency department … when a family awaits difficult news … when a community faces a crisis … hospitals and health systems remain the place people turn to first. They are where people have always turned in moments of fear, crisis, hope and healing. That is as true today as it ever was. 

The baton passes. Leaders come and go. Challenges evolve.

Hospitals and health systems remain anchors of their communities.

And the mission endures. 

It has truly been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to have had the opportunity to advocate for and represent hospitals, health systems, and women and men who serve them.