"It has truly been one of the great honors of my life to lead the incredibly relentless, resilient, innovative, diverse and compassionate team that is Henry Ford Health. It has been said that when you need heroism at scale, when you are faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, when others say 'no,' you come to Henry Ford. I found this to be true – every day. I am incredibly proud of the transformative work we have done together in and across communities in Michigan and far beyond. I have no doubt that the influence and impact of Henry Ford will continue to grow and flourish long after my final day here," said Lassiter.
The Henry Ford Board of Directors, led by Chair David Breen, will conduct a national search for Lassiter's successor. President, Health Care Operations and COO Bob Riney will lead during the transition period and work with Breen and the board throughout the CEO search process.
"It has been an honor to work alongside both Wright and Bob and I am grateful for their service," said Breen. "Wright is a visionary, innovative and courageous leader. His contributions have well positioned Henry Ford Health for the future of serving our communities. And Bob's 40-plus year legacy with Henry Ford has been marked by an unwavering and selfless commitment to serving patients, team and community members. I want to thank Bob for his steadfast leadership during this transition."
Lassiter joined Henry Ford Health in December 2014. Under his leadership, Henry Ford Health completed two successful mergers, expanding its geographic footprint, and expanded globally with the 2020 opening of partner hospitals in Saudi Arabia and India.
During Lassiter's tenure, Henry Ford also significantly increased its quality performance, earning top honors in several publicly reported quality programs and two hospitals achieving the coveted Magnet® status, the gold standard for nursing excellence. Equally successful in financial performance, the health system also received both outlook and ratings upgrades from Moody's and S&P services. With a major focus on collaboration, Henry Ford embarked on major partnerships with a host of organizations, from the Detroit Pistons to Michigan State University, including five new partnerships in 2021 alone.
In 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Henry Ford Health became a leading advisor to city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. Henry Ford Health quickly charted the path for vaccine research and became a chosen leader for the Moderna and J&J vaccine trials. Under Lassiter's leadership, Henry Ford Health became the official medical advisor for Michigan's mass vaccination site and the first health system in the state to require workforce vaccination.
Often recognized for his commitment to finding solutions, Lassiter was named "2021 Newsmaker of the Year" by Crain's Detroit Business and "Michiganian of the Year" in 2020 by The Detroit News. His other accolades include multiple year recognitions as "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare; "Top 25 Minority Healthcare Executives in U.S. Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare; "Top Blacks in U.S. Healthcare" by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions; and "20 People Who Make Healthcare Better in the U.S" by HealthLeaders Magazine.
An avid community leader and advocate, Lassiter is Chair of the American Hospital Association. He was also the 2021 Chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber and has served on the boards of the Detroit Children's Fund, LeMoyne College, Invest Detroit, Motown Museum and Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Source: Henry Ford Health
