Kerry Watson has been selected to serve as interim chief executive officer of the Howard University Hospital Corporation, a controlled subsidiary of Howard University that manages the operations and strategic direction of Howard University Hospital. Watson will officially join the HBCU on August 1.
With decades of experience in hospital administration, Watson most recently served as interim CEO of the University of Florida Health St. Johns. He has previously served as CEO of Maui Health System; president of Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center; CEO of Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia; hospital president and system COO at Centra Health System in Lynchburg, Virginia; and hospital president of Arnot Odgen Medical System in Elmira, New York.
Earlier in his career, Watson held key executive roles with Duke University Health System, Duke University Medical Center, and Duke Regional Hospital. His new appointment marks a return to Howard University Hospital, where he previously served as an administrator from 1982-1992.
“I am very excited and privileged to be back at Howard University Hospital,” said Watson. “I look forward to partnering and working with [Howard University President Ben Vinson III], the hospital board, [College of Medicine] dean Andrea Hayes Dixon, [Howard University Hospital President Roger Mitchell, Jr.,] and the entire hospital team as we continue to support the vital needs of the patients and the communities we serve.”
A graduate of George Washington University and the University of Phoenix, Watson holds a bachelor’s degree in radiological science and a master’s degree in organizational management.
Are you kidding me? Let’s be honest for a moment. This guy Kerry Watson is decades past his most effective administrative years. This damn hire is a classic example why HBCUs continue to have administrative, operational, and fiscal problems due to hiring of people who are chronologically too damn old. It’s time for HBCUs to bring in some new young, highly motivated, and out of the box personnel.