MAHEC Welcomes New CEO on February 7

Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the selection of MAHEC’s new CEO, an individual who is already deeply committed to our mission of improving health in Western North Carolina. After a thorough nationwide search, I am confident that William Hathaway, MD, is the most qualified person to lead our rapidly growing organization as we strive to meet our region’s healthcare needs during this challenging and exciting time.

I can assure you that Dr. Hathaway is prepared for the challenges and the opportunities in MAHEC’s future. He has guided MAHEC for many years as a board member and, most recently, as our board chair. His steady presence at Mission Hospital during the ownership transition has been a great benefit to our community. I know he will enhance our ability to serve our region.

As Mission Health’s chief medical officer and senior vice president since 2013, Bill has worked closely with our leadership and faculty to expand MAHEC’s graduate medical education programs and clinical training opportunities.

Dr. Hathaway has been a practicing cardiologist in Asheville since 1999, but his ties to North Carolina extend back to his residency training at Duke University in Durham, NC, where he also trained in cardiovascular medicine. He has held numerous leadership roles in our community over the years and currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, YMCA of Western North Carolina, and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County in addition to MAHEC.  He has a demonstrated dedication and commitment to equity in healthcare and in our community.

I wanted to share some of Dr. Hathaway’s enthusiasm as he looks forward to his new role serving our organization:

“I’m absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to join the MAHEC family as the next CEO. I’ve come to know MAHEC well over the past 22 years while working and living in Western North Carolina. I have been awed by the organization’s commitment to patient care, serving the underserved, educating the next generation of healthcare workers, and meaningfully improving the health and wellness of our 16-county community. The opportunity to advance these goals is something I could not pass up. A special note of thanks to Dr. Heck for his transformational tenure at MAHEC. He has set the stage for unparalleled organizational success, and he will be missed dearly.  I am sincerely grateful for my time with Mission Health and HCA and look forward to our continued partnership in my new role.”

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the search committee that included state and local leaders as well as MAHEC faculty and staff.  There was a focus and commitment to conducting a thorough and diverse search process that ensured the best candidate was selected to build on the strong foundation MAHEC has created over the past 47 years. Dr. Hathaway  has the breadth of experience and skill to manage our robust GME programs and hospital partnerships, NC AHEC core services, multiple academic programs with the University of North Carolina, and more than 100 regional and statewide partnerships.

I know we will benefit from Dr. Hathaway’s proven leadership and experience as MAHEC works to transform health across Western North Carolina. Please help us make Bill and his wife Sharon and three children Sarah, Meghan, and William feel welcome as he prepares to join MAHEC as our new CEO on February 7!

Jeff

Jeffery E. Heck, MD

CEO, MAHEC

Associate Dean, UNC School of Medicine
MAHEC Education Building, 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville NC 28803-2868
Phone: 828-257-4405  FAX: 828-258-2097
jeff.heck@mahec.net
Executive Assistant  yolanda.parker@mahec.net