Jack Barto quietly became the newest member of the New Hanover Community Endowment’s 13-member board on Friday.
There was no public announcement from Novant or the Endowment, but Barto’s name appeared on the Endowment website on Friday evening (although, as of Monday morning, his photo was still “coming soon”).
[Editor's note: After this report was published, the Endowment did release a statement, which you can find at the end of the article.]
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Endowment provided a statement from Chair Bill Cameron, who said, “We look forward to working with Jack. His experience along with our board and staff will help NHCE continue our mission to improve the health, education, safety, and economic opportunity of every person in our community.”
Novant appointed Barto to the Endowment board as a replacement for Michele Holbrook, who resigned abruptly in May, citing “personal commitments,” after serving on the board since its inception in 2020.
As part of the sale of NHRMC and the creation of the Endowment, Novant was given six of the 11 original Endowment board seats; this was part of a concerted effort to prevent the Endowment from being considered a governmental entity, subject to open meetings and public records laws. Attorney General Josh Stein later required the addition of two more board seats, appointed by the board itself, to help diversify the board and add a broader range of experience.
After a long career running hospitals in Illinois, Texas, and Florida, Barto was hired by NHRMC in late 2003 and ran the county-owned hospital until 2017.
As the county explored the possibility of selling NHRMC, Barto was largely circ*mspect, while his replacement, John Gizdic, was much more vocally supportive of the idea. Still, in August of 2019, shortly after the county announced it was considering putting the hospital up for sale, Barto told the StarNews that he supported exploring the option, saying “the time is right to ask the question,” since the hospital could negotiate from a position of financial stability.
After the deal with Novant was effectively done, Barto was openly supportive. In an opinion piece published in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal in October 2020, Barto called the sale “an unprecedented opportunity,” commending both the choice of Novant as a buyer and the creation of what he called the “community trust” (which would later be known as the Endowment).
Barto also pooh-poohed concerns about the sale’s impact on NHRMC’s record of quality care.
“To even suggest that local commitment to our patients would suffer is ludicrous and insulting to those dedicating themselves to providing care,” Barto wrote.
Nearly four years later, Barto takes a seat on the Endowment board at a complicated time in the organization’s brief history.
This year, the organization has seen three high-profile resignations — Holbrook, Pat Kusek, who resigned without giving a reason less than six months after being appointed, and CEO William Buster, who was pushed out amid differences over the Endowment’s direction. The Endowment is currently searching for new CEO candidates.
At the same time, the Endowment has also continued to move forward, issuing a $6.8 million grant for the Northside Co-op in February and, just last week, launching a new housing investment strategy that will direct nearly $20 million towards affordable housing projects in 2024 alone.
Statement from Bill Cameron, released Monday morning:
On behalf of the New Hanover Community Endowment (NHCE) Board of Directors, I want to acknowledge the appointment by the Novant Health Coastal Region board of Jack Barto to the New Hanover Community Endowment Board to fill the seat vacated by Michele Holbrook.
Jack Barto has a long history of service to the region and a deep understanding of the Wilmington community, where he has lived for the last 20 years. Jack provided strong leadership for our region's largest employer from 2004 to 2017, when he served as president and CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In that time, Jack presided over tremendous growth at the hospital, including expanding the facilities, boosting staffing and growing specialty care, all while ensuring financial stability and supporting a culture centered on patient satisfaction.
Jack has supported several area organizations, including involvement with the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity, Wilmington Business Development, the Cape Fear Heart Walk, Relay for Life, the Cameron School of Business Advisory Board, and the Landfall Tradition Women's Collegiate Golf Classic.
We appreciate Jack's deep understanding of the Wilmington region, and we know he will be a valuable addition to our board. We look forward to working with Jack to advance the Mission of the Endowment.
