Nathaniel Richardson, Jr. Named President and CEO of UM Capital Region Health

Nathaniel "Nat" Richardson Jr. has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer for University of Maryland Capital Region Health (UM Capital), effective May 18. After a national search, Richardson was selected to lead UM Capital in its continued efforts to transform health care in Prince George's County—a transformation that includes a focus on providing state-of-the-art clinical care with compassion and community leadership while meeting the highest standards of patient safety.

"Nat will lead the organization at a pivotal time in its history. UM Capital Region Health continues on its journey to provide compassionate, high-quality, patient and family-centered care, demonstrate its commitment to the communities it serves, transition to its new flagship hospital in Largo, and transform the Health and Wellness Campus in Laurel." says Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Maryland Medical System. "I have every confidence that Nat will deliver on his charge to expand the vision and strategy for UM Capital that will propel the organization into a bright future for its employees, patients and the community."

Richardson is a native of Houston Texas with over 34 years of healthcare experience. Most recently, he served as President of Decatur Morgan Hospital near Huntsville, Alabama. While in this role, Richardson was charged with bringing three competitor hospitals together to form Decatur Morgan, a large regional system within the Huntsville Hospital Health System. Since 2005 Richardson served in multiple executive roles within this Health System and his executive oversight has included all major service lines and divisions.

"I am very humbled and honored to have been selected to join University of Maryland Capital Region Health as President and CEO," says Richardson. "I was drawn to the passionate commitment from executive leadership, medical staff, the Board of Directors and others who are laser focused on providing high-quality patient and family centered healthcare to residents in Prince George's County and the surrounding area. I am ready to partner with staff, community leaders, and elected officials to help the organization reach its fullest potential."

Richardson also worked 18 years in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas at St. Luke's Episcopal Health System. In addition, he is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has held several board positions to include community, universities, health care and state boards. He has wide-ranging experience leading large-scale facility renovation and construction initiatives in addition to providing strategic oversight and system-wide operational leadership. He has successfully developed and implemented comprehensive, organizational culture change.

Joseph L. Wright, MD, MPH stepped into the interim President and Chief Executive Officer role at a key moment in the organization's history. He accepted the responsibility and provided stability and leadership all while also serving as the Chief Medical Officer.

"I also want to thank Dr. Wright for his outstanding leadership at UM Capital. He continues to be an important asset for the organization," says the Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr., Esq, current chair of the UM Capital Region Health Board of Directors. "There was much due diligence in the executive search that led us to appoint Nat to lead UM Capital. He was selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates. I am pleased with his selection and know he has much to offer the organization and community."

Richardson has undergraduate degrees in Radiological Sciences, Business Administration - and a Master's degree from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University

About University of Maryland Capital Region Health

Providing primary and specialty health care services to Prince George's County and the neighboring area, University of Maryland Capital Region Health was established in September 2017 upon formal affiliation with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), and is committed to making a positive impact on the health and well-being of patients and families. University of Maryland Capital Region Health operates the University of Maryland Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, University of Maryland Laurel Medical Center, University of Maryland Bowie Health Campus, and the University of Maryland Family Health & Wellness Center in Suitland. Together, community physicians and University of Maryland School of Medicine (SOM) faculty provide clinical expertise across a range of specialties and programs including: acute rehabilitation; anesthesiology; critical and chronic ventilation care; emergency medicine; neonatology (including the County's highest level neonatal intensive care unit); orthopedics; vascular surgery; a certified and designated primary stroke center; and the State's second-busiest trauma center. University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty also lead the highly-regarded cardiac surgery program at UM Prince George's Hospital Center. A new state-of-the-art regional medical center is expected to open in Largo in 2021. For more information, visit www.umcapitalregion.org.

About the University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state's future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the UM Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system's 28,000 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations and at 13 hospitals. UMMS' flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore is partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the state. In addition, UMMS operates health insurance plans serving Medicare and Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.umms.org.

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Additional Comments from Community Leaders:

Prince George's County Executive, Angela Alsobrooks: "I look forward to partnering with Mr. Richardson to address the health-related needs of our residents; needs that have been amplified in the midst of this pandemic," said Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. "He will be a wonderful addition to our community and to UM Capital, which continues to provide exceptional care to Prince Georgians."

Prince George's County Council, The Honorable Todd M. Turner, Chair, District 4: "The County Council, and I wish to congratulate University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) on a successful completion of their search process for a new health system leader for the County, and welcome Nathaniel Richardson, Jr., as the newly-appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Maryland Capital Region Health (UM Capital).

Access to quality health care, health promotion and disease prevention are priority concerns for the Prince George's County Council, in its role as the Board of Health, and for our residents. It is of critical importance that we have strong and assured hospital leadership, now heightened by the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis and the pending surge, impacting the health and safety of our residents and communities.

The Board of Health also extends its gratitude to Dr. Joseph Wright for his steadfast interim leadership in this position, and for his longstanding and future service to the County. We look forward to a productive partnership with UM Capital President and CEO Nathaniel Richardson, Jr., as we work together to address healthcare delivery in Prince George's County, and as we move closer to the opening of the new University of Maryland Capital Regional Medical Center in 2021."