DEC Young Leaders participated in an exclusive virtual discussion with Wright L. Lassiter III, President & CEO of Henry Ford Health System, on Thursday, February 11. The conversation focused on “Leading Through a Global Pandemic” and included questions from the audience.
Wright L. Lassiter III is the President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, overseeing the $6.5 billion health system comprised of six hospitals, a health plan and a wide range of ambulatory and retail and related health services consisting of more than 250 locations and 32,000 employees.
Lassiter joined Henry Ford in December 2014 and assumed the role of President & CEO in 2016. Since his arrival, he led the Board and senior management through a comprehensive strategic planning effort to position Henry Ford for the future. Under his leadership, Henry Ford has completed two successful mergers, expanding its geographic footprint and generating an additional $1 billion in revenue. The system has significantly increased its quality and financial performance, earning top honors in several publicly reported quality programs and receiving both outlook and ratings upgrades from Moody’s and S&P services. With a major focus on collaboration, the system has inked major partnerships with a host of organizations, including the Detroit Pistons, General Motors, Syapse, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and Beckman Coulter.
A seasoned health care executive, Lassiter has nearly 30 years of experience working in large, complex health systems, including Dallas Methodist Health System and JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to joining Henry Ford, Lassiter was CEO of Alameda Health System in Oakland, California, where he was credited with leading the expansion and turnaround of the $865 million public health system, achieving eight years of positive financial performance, The Joint Commission Top Performer status, significant increases in patient engagement and reductions in patient harm.
Lassiter’s work has received many national accolades, most notably “Top 25 Minority Healthcare Executives in U.S. Healthcare” (2020/2018/2016/2012) by Modern Healthcare; “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" (2018/2017/2016) by Modern Healthcare; “Crain’s Detroit Top 10 Newsmakers” (2017), “Top Blacks in U.S. Healthcare” (2014) by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions; and “20 People Who Make Healthcare Better” in the U.S” (2011) by HealthLeaders. In 2011, Fast Company prominently featured Lassiter’s work to rebuild Alameda.
An avid community leader, Lassiter currently serves on the boards of the America’s Essential Hospitals (past chair), Association of American Medical Colleges-Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, Arsenal Capital Partners, Business Leaders of Michigan, Detroit Economic Club, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce (first chair), Detroit Children’s Fund, Downtown Detroit Partnership, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, (deputy chair), LeMoyne College, Invest Detroit, Motown Museum and Quest Diagnostics. He was recently selected as chair-elect designate of the American Hospital Association. His efforts have garnered numerous recognition including the Industry Award (2019) from Results Mentoring, Corporate Leadership Award (2018) from National Medical Fellowships, and The Legacy Award (2014) from the Jobs and Housing Coalition.
Lassiter received his master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University where he graduated first in his class and completed his bachelor’s degree with honors in Chemistry from LeMoyne College.
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