Southern Arizona's largest health-care entity is once again looking for a permanent CEO.
The University of Arizona Health Network's new Board of Directors has transferred control of the $1.2 billion nonprofit entity from temporary President/CEO Jodi J. Mansfield to a two-member team, according to a network memo issued to employees on Friday.
That team consists of UA College of Medicine Dean Dr. Steve Goldschmid and Karen Mlawsky, who is chief executive officer of the University of Arizona Medical Center.
Goldschmid and Mlawsky will jointly manage the health network - one of the region's largest employers - until a permanent CEO is hired, confirmed Steve Lynn, who is interim chair of the new board.
Mansfield was the network's third interim CEO in a row.
The search for a permanent CEO was suspended last spring while the governor's Arizona Medical Education Oversight Task Force worked with the previous board to reorganize the board governance structure.
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Lynn said in an interview Friday that there's no timeline on a hire for the CEO position, but that a board subcommittee will conduct a national search with the help of the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer.
Mansfield's contract ends Aug. 4, and she will continue with the organization as a consultant until then, said Lynn, a local businessman.
Mansfield, a Florida executive, was hired as a temporary CEO last August. She replaced Hank Wells, who resigned as interim CEO last July due to health concerns. Wells had replaced previous interim CEO Kevin Burns, who resigned in April 2011 during a political dispute regarding oversight of the health-care network.
The network was created July 1, 2010 when University Medical Center Corp. merged with University Physicians Healthcare. At the time of the merger, Burns was CEO of University Medical Center Corp., which operates what's now called the UA Medical Center - University Campus.
"We want to thank Jodi for her service to the organization," Lynn said in a prepared statement. "Over the past nine months, Jodi has helped position UAHN (UA Health Network) for future successes. She has played an integral role in advancing key initiatives and helping with the formation of this new board. Thanks to her efforts, we are now ready to take the next step and resume our search for a permanent CEO."
Lynn said a salary for the new CEO would be "negotiable." When Burns left the position his annual base pay was $620,000.
Though there was some discussion last year about finding a CEO who is a physician, Lynn said the search will not put such restrictive parameters on applicants.
"If you look at academic medical centers across the country, there isn't a best practice to follow," he said. "We want to be open to all options and get the best candidate. Clearly the right candidate is going to have significant administrative and supervisory experience, hopefully in an academic medical center."
DID YOU KNOW?
The University of Arizona Health Network is Southern Arizona's 10th- largest employer overall, with nearly 6,000 full-time-equivalent employees.
Source: 2012 Star 200 survey
THE NEW BOARD
The Arizona Board of Regents last month approved a new 17-member UA Health Network board, which held its first meeting May 24.
The previous board, comprising 27 members, held its last meeting in April.
The new board size and structure follow recommendations by the Arizona Medical Education Oversight Task Force, which was directed by Gov. Jan Brewer.
A consulting firm and a search committee of the previous UA Health Network Board of Directors developed the slate of new board members, which was approved in a special meeting of the Board of Regents.
The new members live in Tucson, Phoenix and California. They are: Leo Brennan, Michael Covert, Dr. Mindy Fain, Martha Gilliland, Herma Hightower, Len Jessup, Kevin P. Larson, Nancy C. Loftin, Steve Lynn, Dr. Diego Martin, Dennis R. Minano, Santiago Muñoz and Dr. Ole J. Thienhaus.
There are also four ex-officio members representing the health network, the UA College of Medicine, the Arizona Board of Regents and the university president.
The network board's next meeting is June 28.
Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at sinnes@azstarnet.com or 573-4134.