Spezia to step down as CEO of Covenant Health; VanderSteeg to take helm

Anthony Spezia, longtime president and CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Covenant Health, will step down in April.

The not-for-profit nine-hospital system announced Friday that Spezia would retire after leading Covenant for over 15 years. He will become CEO emeritus. Jim VanderSteeg, executive VP of operations, will take his place as president and CEO.

Spezia, 66, began working at Covenant in 1996 and became president and CEO in 2000. During that time, Covenant acquired four hospitals and invested over $1.2 billion on facilities and technology, including the construction of three replacement community hospitals and improvement projects at three other hospitals.

As CEO emeritus, Spezia will support Covenant leadership in strategic development and public policy efforts, among other initiatives. During his time as CEO, he was also chairman of the American Hospital Association's Health Systems Governing Council.

VanderSteeg joined Covenant in 2007 after 20 years at Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corp. Between 2004 and 2006, he served as administrator and CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital Memphis, the system's flagship hospital.

Spezia was one of three winners of Modern Healthcare's 2009 CEO IT Achievement Award, recognized for a major overhaul of the system's technology infrastructure and strategies.