MaineHealth top execs to retire; successor search begins

Courtesy / MaineHealth MaineHealth announced that Bill Caron, left, will retire as CEO of the health care system at the end of 2020, while Richard Petersen will retire as president of MaineHealth and CEO of Maine Medical Center six months later. Both were honored as Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year in 2019.

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By Renee Cordes

MaineHealth on Wednesday announced plans by its two top executives to retire, along with the formation of a committee to find their successors.

Bill Caron, 66, who has been a leader of the health care system since its founding in 1988, plans to retire as CEO at the end of the 2020.

Richard Petersen, 63, who served for years as president and CEO of MaineHealth's flagship hospital, Maine Medical Center in Portland, and currently serves as president of MaineHealth and CEO of Maine Med, plans to retire six months later, on June 30, 2021.

Both were honored as 2019 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year in the large nonprofit category. MaineHealth, the largest health care system in northern New England, is the state's largest private employer, with a workforce of more than 19,000.

"Our organization and the 1.1 million people in our service area in Maine and Carroll County, New Hampshire, have been incredibly fortunate to have leaders of such skill and vision,” said Bill Burke, chair of the MaineHealth board of trustees, in Wednesday's news release.

“Together, Bill and Rich have built an organization capable of providing world-class health care in a challenging environment; one that delivers every day on its vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America."

He added that while replacing Caron and Petersen won't be easy, "we are confident that the opportunity to lead such a dynamic health care organization, with a talented team and a culture of excellence, will attract a top-notch pool of applicants."

Search committee formed

Burke said the board has formed a search committee, led by former board chair George Isaacson, an attorney.

The search committee will include physicians and other experts drawn from the board in areas including human resources, finance and business.

A MaineHealth spokesperson said the search committee will look at both internal and external candidates, but said there are no identified successors yet for the roles.

Caron and Petersen both said the time is right for the leadership transition, for them personally as well as for the organization.

“We are at a time when someone can come in and provide a new perspective, and that’s a good thing," Caron said in the release.

Petersen added: “I’ve always said that new ideas are the engines of change, and in that sense this transition represents an opportunity for the organization to do even more on behalf of the communities we serve.”

Both are fixtures at MaineHealth and MaineMed with a clear appreciation for each other's management skills and approaches.

In an interview with Mainebiz earlier this year at MaineHealth's Portland headquarters, Petersen lauded Caron as an "incredible strategic thinker,” while Caron expressed admiration for his colleague's interpersonal skills.