RALEIGH, N.C. (May 21, 2009) – WakeMed Health & Hospitals today announces its board of directors has elected Billie Redmond as board chair, Larry Barbour as vice chair and Tom Oxholm as secretary. These new appointments will become effective on May 25.
Billie Redmond, an accomplished businesswoman whose professional background includes experience in marketing and commercial real estate, will serve as board chair for a two-year term, replacing outgoing board chair Jill Gammon. Redmond is founder and CEO of Coldwell Banker Commercial TradeMark Properties, the largest women-owned affiliate in the Coldwell Banker Commercial network. She has been an active member of the WakeMed board since 2001. During her tenure, she has served as chair of the strategic planning committee and has worked to revise the strategic planning process. She has also been a vocal advocate for physician involvement in the planning processes.
Redmond is a native North Carolinian and is active in a number of civic and charitable activities and organizations throughout the Triangle. These organizations include the Wake County Citizens’ Facilities Advisory Committee, the YWCA and YMCA, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Kids N’ Community Foundation, the Raleigh Area Development Authority and Habitat for Humanity, among others. Redmond has received numerous awards and recognitions during her career, including the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award, been named to the Business Leader Impact list, and been named Tar Heel of the Week by The News & Observer, as well as being recognized as one of Business Leader Magazine’s Women Extraordinaire. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Paragon Commercial Bank.
“Being board chair is a tremendous commitment, and it takes a very special person to meet the demanding requirements of leading an organization the size and scope of WakeMed,” commented Dr. Bill Atkinson, president and CEO. “We are greatly appreciative to Jill for her leadership and guidance both as board member and more recently as board chair. She helped us navigate through a complex time of growth and change.
“We are also excited to welcome Billie to her role as board chair. Billie knows WakeMed well and in her time on the board she has proven herself to be someone who can get things done. She is a consensus builder and will be a terrific asset as we work through the challenges of running a multi-hospital system in a growing market,” Atkinson concluded.
With more than 35 years of banking experience, Larry Barbour, incoming vice chair for the WakeMed Board of Directors, is a former vice president of Wachovia Bank and is the current founder, president and CEO of North State Bancorp, which is headquartered in Raleigh. Barbour has served on the WakeMed Board of Directors since 2007 and has served on committees including the Joint Committee on Quality Care. He, too, is active in a variety of community and non-profit organizations including the Hospice of Wake County Capital Campaign Major Gifts Committee, for which he is the current chair, the NCSU Board of Visitors, NCSU Alumni Association, John Rex Foundation, and the Occoneechee Council of Boy Scouts of America.
Tom Oxholm, incoming secretary for the WakeMed Board of Directors, currently also serves as chair for the WakeMed Foundation Board of Directors. He has been active with the Foundation Board for more than 10 years and with the WakeMed Board of Directors for six. For the past four years, Oxholm has served as chair of the Finance Committee. In addition, Oxholm is vice president of finance and administration at Knightdale-based Wake Stone Corporation. He is also highly involved in the community focusing on making bright futures possible for local children. Not only did Oxholm serve on the Wake County Board of Education from 1999 to 2003, but he was also instrumental in helping to establish business alliances with every Wake County middle school and high school.
In other board news, Brenda Gibson, past chair of the WakeMed Foundation Board of Directors, has been selected to fill Jill Gammon’s seat as she cycles off the board after serving two five-year terms. Lorraine Wright, who is on the faculty of NC State University, has been reappointed for a second five-year term. Jack Nichols, an attorney with Allen and Pinnix, P.A., was selected by Wake County to replace Tom Fetzer on the board. And finally, the board will be discussing candidates to fill the late Senator Vernon Malone’s seat. Senator Malone’s presence and dedication to WakeMed and its mission will be greatly missed.
WakeMed Health & Hospitals Board of Directors comprises 14 volunteer members – eight are appointed by Wake County and six are appointed by the hospital system. Board chair is an elected position with a term of two years. Board members can hold their seats for up to two five-year terms. Each board member is a community or business leader who dedicate significant time and resources to ensure WakeMed Health & Hospitals is able to uphold its mission of providing outstanding and compassionate care to all who seek its services.
About WakeMed Health & Hospitals
WakeMed Health & Hospitals, one of the first hospital systems in the country, is a private, not-for-profit health care organization based in Raleigh, N.C. The 870-bed system comprises a network of health care facilities throughout Wake and Johnston Counties, including: a Level I Trauma Center and tertiary referral hospital and rehabilitation hospital in Raleigh, a community hospital in Cary, comprehensive outpatient centers and freestanding emergency departments in North Raleigh and Apex, seven outpatient rehabilitation sites, two skilled-nursing and outpatient facilities, a 100+-physician multispecialty practice, and home health services. The system includes accredited Chest Pain Centers and Joint Commission-certified Stroke Center. Throughout the system, there are an additional 60 beds under construction and 41 newly approved by the state. WakeMed also provides management services for Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn, NC. Centers of excellence include cardiac and vascular care, women’s and children’s services, physical rehab, emergency and trauma, orthopaedics, neurosciences, home care and numerous wellness and community outreach programs. WakeMed’s team of 7,000 nurses, technologists and medical support staff and more than 1,000 affiliated physicians serve the residents of North Carolina using the most advanced technologies and facilities to ensure the finest in health care.
