Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc. didn’t have to look far for its new CEO.
Jaime Wesolowski has decided to postpone retirement to lead the nonprofit, which is half owner of the San Antonio hospital system he has led the last 11 years.
Wesolowski succeeds Kevin Moriarty, who until now was the only CEO Methodist Healthcare Ministries has ever had. I reported last summer that Moriarty, who has been an advocate for expanding access to health care in South Texas, planned to end his more than two-decade run atop the organization.
Wesolowski is no stranger to Methodist Healthcare Ministries. He has been president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare System, which is also owned by HCA, since 2007.
In January, I reported that Wesolowski decided to retire from the hospital system position.
“It’s just time to step back, take a deep breath and not have quite as much pressure. It’s time to calm down a little bit,” Wesolowski told me during an exclusive interview. “It’s getting harder, not easier. It’s a tough industry. But at the same time, it’s been incredibly rewarding.”
George Ricks, immediate past chair of Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ board and front person on the search committee that was seeking a successor to Moriarty, said Wesolowski’s availability was unexpected.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” Ricks said. “I figured he was too young to hang up his cleats.”
Wesolowski said this new opportunity will enable him to extend his career and to build on the successes that Methodist Healthcare Ministries had under Moriarty’s leadership. He will take on the new role once the hospital system secures his replacement. Until then, Marc Raney will continue as interim CEO for the nonprofit.
There won’t be much of a learning curve for Wesolowski.
“He knows exactly what we do and what our mission is,” Ricks said. “He gets it.”