New interim CEO steps in at Cone Health, and more | MED MOVES

Bernard “Bernie” Sherry, is now serving as the interim chief executive officer of Cone Health in North Carolina.

Bernard “Bernie” Sherry

Sherry began his new role June 1. He succeeds Dr. Mary Jo Cagle, who announced in March that she was stepping down due to a family health issue. Her last day was May 31.

Sherry has served as Cone Health’s interim chief operating officer since December 2024. Cone Health has launched a nationwide search to find the system’s next CEO.

He possesses more than 30 years of senior leadership experience at hospital systems. Before joining Cone Health, he served as the CEO and ministry market executive for Ascension Wisconsin, a system of 24 hospitals and 160 clinic locations.

Previously, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Saint Thomas Health, which is now Ascension Saint Thomas.

In December, Risant Health, a division of Kaiser Permanente, completed the acquisition of Cone Health. Based in Greensboro, Cone Health operates five hospitals, six ambulatory care centers, three outpatient surgery centers, and more than 120 physician practices.

Dave Ramsey

Vandalia Health CEO plans to step down

Dave Ramsey, the president and CEO of Vandalia Health, is planning to retire.

Ramsey announced his plans to step down as leader of the West Virginia health system in July 2026. The system said that will allow the time to find Vandalia’s next leader.

The Vandalia health system was created with the merger of Charleston Area Medical Center and Mon Health in 2022. Ramsey joined Charleston Area Medical Center in 2000.

“It is hard for us to believe that we have been in West Virginia, and at CAMC and now Vandalia Health, for almost 25 years,” Ramsey said in a statement.

“My wife and I have cherished our time here, and we will continue to be here and a part of the community,” he said. “I have been blessed in so many ways with a committed board over the years, and the great honor of working with a talented and dedicated team every day. Together we have accomplished far more than I ever imagined.”

Ramsey has spent more than 47 years in healthcare leadership positions. He also held leadership roles at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis and served as secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals for the state of Louisiana.

Kim Hodgkinson

JPS Health Network names CFO

Kim Hodgkinson has been named the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas.

The JPS Health Network is the name of the Tarrant County Hospital District, a tax-supported organization. The hospital offers 582 beds and a Level 1 Trauma Center.

Before joining JPS, Hodgkinson served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Hospital Sisters Health System. She is a certified Chief AI Officer.

Hodgkinson joins JPS as the system is in the midst of a major capital expansion, and the organization says she’ll play an important role in both maintaining strong financial performance and charting the future of JPS.

Tarrant County has seen significant growth in recent years. Fort Worth is one of the nation’s fastest growing cities. The county is home to 2.2 million people and has added more than 400,000 residents since 2010, according to data from the Census Bureau.

Michael Gaven

Availity appoints chief growth officer

Michael Gaven has been named the new chief growth officer of Availity.

The company highlights Gaven’s 30 years of experience, including work at Salesforce and Oracle.

“What attracted me to Availity was its unique market position, its mission-first culture, and its potential to drive transformative change in healthcare,” Gaven said in a statement. “This is not just a company selling point solutions—it’s a platform organization that’s solving big problems across the payer-provider ecosystem.”

A healthcare technology company, Availity works with 95% of payers and more than 3 million providers.

Russ Thomas, CEO of Availity, said Gaven’s experience meshes with Availity’s “mission to simplify healthcare through better data and collaboration.

“He brings an operator’s mindset, a customer-first philosophy, and the ability to connect cross-functional teams around a shared vision of growth,” Thomas said in a statement.