St. Johnsbury, VT – The Board of Directors for Northern Counties Health Care, Inc.(NCHC), an area non-profit organization serving the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with a rural network of five community health centers, three dental practices, and a home care and hospice division, has named Thomas Pitts, current Chief Financial Officer, as the new Interim CEO replacing Shawn Tester who will soon become the new CEO of Northern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) in St. Johnsbury. Pitts will assume the role of Interim CEO on November 26, 2018.
Pitts is a seasoned finance and operations leader serving as CFO at NCHC for the past nine years. He has extensive financial management and oversight experience. Prior to NCHC, Pitts held senior leadership positions in the machinery, paper, and waste industries working for both public and privately held corporations.
He began his career with a BS in Accounting, working for 17 years in different divisions at a multinational manufacturing company while working to earn his MBA and passing the Certified Management Accounting exam. Thomas then worked for ten years at a paper mill where he served as treasurer and general manager during which time he secured financing for a $15 million co–generation facility.
“Tom’s leadership and expertise will provide NCHC a solid foundation while they transition to new executive leadership. Tom has been a valued partner during my tenure as CEO and I am confident that NCHC is in good hands,” said Shawn Tester, outgoing CEO.
The process to select a new CEO is being led by Phillips DiPisa, a health care executive candidate assessment and selection firm located in Hingham, MA. The Board of Directors has elected a search committee to work with the search firm. The search committee is comprised of three board members and four NCHC staff members, representing a cross-section of NCHC’s divisions. Thad Richardson, Chair of the NCHC Board of Directors said that the Board “has the highest confidence that Tom will be a great steward of the organization for as long as necessary to ensure the best candidate is identified to lead NCHC forward. The Board wishes Shawn the best in his new role and looks forward to continuing the valuable collaboration with NVRH that it has today.”
