Kaweah Delta Health Care District Board names CEO
VISALIA — Kaweah Delta Health Care District’s Board of Directors has named a new Chief Executive Officer — Gary Herbst.
After a comprehensive search and interviews, Herbst, Kaweah Delta’s senior vice president and chief financial officer for the past 25 years, will assume leadership of the district on Friday.
“We were all in agreement — Gary is the most qualified candidate and the best choice to lead our district in delivering the highest levels of health care to our community,” said Carl Anderson, board president of Kaweah Delta’s Board of Directors. “Gary is someone with experience running a complex health system like we have at Kaweah Delta. He has the vision and focus necessary to elevate Kaweah Delta’s delivery of healthcare services to the next level as our region grows and our patients’ needs change.”
Anderson said the board interviewed candidates from within the district and from outside the area and determined that knowledge of the region and a commitment to continuing forward on the path the district has forged were important factors for the next CEO.
Herbst says he is excited to serve as the district’s fourth CEO.
“This is an amazing privilege,” he said. “I am humbled by the faith and confidence the board has in me and I am excited to work with this amazing team of nurses, physicians, and staff to serve our patients and our community.”
As Kaweah Delta’s senior vice president and chief financial officer for the past 25 years, Herbst first came to Kaweah Delta from Fresno, where he served as a senior manager in the audit and consulting practice of Ernst & Young, one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms. Over his nine-year career with Ernst & Young, Herbst served as auditor and consultant to virtually every hospital up and down the San Joaquin Valley, including Kaweah Delta, his very first client back in 1983.
Initially hired as Kaweah Delta’s director of business development in 1992, Herbst was promoted to CFO in 1995, and senior vice president in 2001. Over his lengthy career with Kaweah Delta, he has spearheaded many important projects and initiatives, including the initial master planning for replacement of the district’s downtown campus; creation of the District Hospital Leadership Forum; development of Kaweah Delta’s cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, pediatric and adult hospitalist programs; formation of Kaweah Delta’s medical foundation partnership with Visalia Medical Clinic; and, most recently, formation of Kaweah Delta’s joint-venture integrated delivery network (Sequoia Integrated Health). All told, Herbst has been responsible for a great portion of Kaweah Delta’s strategic and financial success over the years.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Pacific and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the California Society of CPAS, a member of the American Institute of CPAS, an advanced member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, a member of the District Hospital Leadership Forum Board of Directors, the Board Treasurer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias, the chair of the Audit Committee of Health impact (a professional nurses’ association), and a member of the Rotary Club of Visalia.
Anderson said with a new CEO in place, the district will continue to build its relationship with the community it serves.
“With our new CEO in place, we hope to become even more effective at listening to our staff and to our community. This will be a key component in helping us find new and better ways to meet health needs today and over the years to come,” he said.
In January, the Kaweah Delta Board of Directors launched a national search for Kaweah Delta’s next CFO.