Membership Votes Changes to Adventist Health’s Governance
Adventist Health’s membership voted changes for the organization’s governance at its annual membership meeting on Sept. 15. A series of actions appointed a new board member, reappointed two board members and named one new representative to the membership, a self-perpetuating legal body that controls the corporation’s governance process.
The membership voted to appoint Steve Herber to Adventist Health’s board of directors to serve a three-year term. Herber, a plastic surgeon, practices at St. Helena Hospital in California.
Herber’s appointment is a result of the rotation of physician representation. Arthur J. Brinckerhoff has served on Adventist Health’s board for four terms, a total of 12 years, and his many years of experience as a physician have provided him with a unique perspective and thoughtful insights regarding the advancement of clinical care throughout Adventist Health. While he is retiring from the board, he will continue to practice as a physician in Paradise, Calif., with privileges at Feather River Hospital.
According to Jere Patzer, North Pacific Union Conference president and Adventist Health’s board vice chairman, Brinkerhoff was a dedicated board member throughout his lengthy tenure. “We appreciate the many years of service that Art gave to Adventist Health,” stated Patzer. “He brought a wealth of experience and invaluable insights to his position, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
The membership also voted to reappoint Lynn Creitz and Meredith Jobe to three-year terms on Adventist Health’s board. Creitz is the vice president of operations for MML Diagnostics Packaging Inc. a contract manufacturer of medical devices based in Portland, Ore. In addition to his service on Adventist Health’s board for the past three years, Creitz also sits on the board at Adventist Medical Center in Portland. Jobe is a partner at Jobe & Stoterau Law Firm in Glendale, Calif., and has been a member of Adventist Health’s board for three years. He also serves on the board at White Memorial Medical Center in East Los Angeles.
In addition to these board reappointments, the annual meeting produced two modifications to the organization’s membership. The outgoing representative is Duane Montgomery, one of the membership’s 14 lay representatives, who recently resigned from his post. The incoming representative is Jobe, who was appointed to finish the remaining two years of Montgomery’s five-year term.
Adventist Health’s board members and membership representatives are reappointed and/or elected at the organization’s annual membership meeting through a process that is intended to ensure that Adventist hospitals are operated in keeping with the Adventist Church’s philosophy. Designed as a body to represent a cross-section of church membership, the group includes six union representatives, nine local conference representatives, two Adventist educators, four corporate executives, three hospital or regional presidents, three physicians and up to 14 lay representatives.
From left: Jere Patzer, North Pacific Union Conference president and Adventist Healths board of directors vice chairman; Arthur J. Brinckerhoff, physician; and Donald R. Ammon, Adventist Health president and chief executive officer.
