The board of directors at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph has appointed an interim chief executive officer of the hospital while it conducts a national search to replace Joseph Woodin, who left earlier this year.
E. Berton “Bert” Whitaker will take over for the time being, the hospital announced Tuesday. He was selected from a pool of eight applicants, according to the hospital. The search for the permanent chief executive officer is expected to take six to eight months.
Whitaker has been a health care administrator for 35 years. He was previously CEO of Calais Regional Hospital in Maine and Baptist Health in Kentucky. He is from Tennessee, received his master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and is a fellow from the American College of Health Care Executives.
“Bert is a great fit for Gifford and our community in this period of transition,” Peter Nowlan, who led the search committee, said in a news release. “He prides himself on effective communication, financial stability and quality performance.”
Whitaker said the following in a news release: “Gifford has a clear vision, a solid and engaged board, and great staff. This organization is well positioned to go through this transition.”
“My role during this period is to respond to issues as they come up, and to balance a celebration of the good things at Gifford with gathering information so I can flag any issues or problems that may need to be resolved,” he said.
