Former Roman making his mark as hospital COO
Joshua Murfree is chief operations officer for the FultonDeKalb Hospital Authority.
Doug Walker / Rome News-Tribune
Joshua Smith (left) and Wilfred Robinson, both of Sporting Concepts in Flowery Branch, spread a new bonded rubber surface over a new playground area in Ridge Ferry Park.
Grady Memorial Hospital is a well-known pillar in the Atlanta area and has been serving the community since 1892.
Although it is known nationwide, many are not aware of its foundation and backbone: The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority. This volunteer board governs the Grady Health System which operates Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation. In recent years, the FDHA has progressively developed initiatives to improve the hospital’s operations and its reach in the community. As a part of those efforts, they have recently named Joshua Murfree the new chief operations officer.
Murfree’s position as COO is very significant and important to the success of the FDHA. His number one responsibility is to advise, assist and support the chief executive officer and the FDHA Board of Trustees. He is charged with coordinating the activities of the various hospitals and healthcare facilities under the FDHA, the Fulton and DeKalb County governments and their board of commissioners and the business community.
In this undertaking, Murfree will also focus on building partnerships with school districts and government, community outreach and “keeping the organization moving.”
He shares that he accepted this role because it involves his passion of community outreach and because of the challenge. His desire is that all hospitals come together to serve the indigent community and he has already begun developing plans to do so through the FDHA. He states that T. Boone Pickens says it best: “A fool with a plan is better than genius without one.” Everyone needs to be educated in everything they do.
The goal for the FDHA is to try “to make a difference and connect the dots with other organizations” in order to better serve the community, explains Murfree. He would like to work with the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County to help the homeless people, decrease the number of people going to the emergency room at Grady Memorial and increase how we serve our children and youth who suffer with chronic health issues. His immediate plan is to utilize social media, send invitations to meet people in the community and, most importantly, to “get out from behind the desk.” He currently walks the streets of downtown Atlanta so that he can stay in touch with the community.
This hardworking COO brings an impressive background to the FDHA. He received his undergraduate degree from Fort Valley State University on a basketball scholarship. He went on to obtain his master’s degree from Valdosta State University and his doctorate from Howard University.
Murfree believes that people should always move and not stand still and this is a feat that he continues to exhibit. Throughout his career, he has held various roles which include being named the 14th superintendent of schools in Albany, vice chairman of the board control for the Southwest Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, executive assistant to the president
and administrative chief of staff and director of athletics at Albany State.
At his alma mater, Murfree served, at times simultaneously, as chief of staff, director of the honors program and Center for African-American Male to name a few.
Not only has Murfree excelled in the academic world, he is also making major contributions with the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., serving as the founding president of the Rome chapter, national/international mentoring chairman and vice chairman of Programs on the Executive Committee. He has also worked with the Andrew Young Leadership Institute. Most recently, he served as director of intercollegiate athletics at FVSU.
The profound accomplishments of Murfree are no surprise when getting to know him. An avid reader, he lives by a saying of one of his favorite authors, Rabindranath Tagore, who stated, “You cannot cross the sea by merely standing and staring at the water.”
During Murfree’s short time in his role as COO, he has developed a vision and numerous plans of where he would like to take the FDHA. He loves his new position and wholeheartedly thanks Mr. Thomas Dortch, the CEO and the Board of Directors for FDHA for the opportunity to make a positive change in the community. He shares that he works with a great staff and team who truly love what they do, which makes it a great fit for him.