Adventist HealthCare Names New President and CEO

Terry Forde, who has been with the organization since 2011, will lead Montgomery County’s largest healthcare provider. 

Story by Tom Grant

Terry Forde is president and chief executive officer at Adventist HealthCare.

Adventist HealthCare (AHC) announced today that Terry Forde has been named president and CEO of the Gaithersburg, Md., organization. “The Mid-Atlantic Adventist HealthCare Board believes Terry is the clear choice to continue to build on Adventist HealthCare’s successful vision and, most importantly, to ensure that we fulfill our mission to ‘demonstrate God’s care by improving the health of people and communities through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing,’” says Dave Weigley, chairman of the AHC board and president of the Columbia Union Conference.

“During the interview process, Forde’s commitment and focus on patient experience, employee engagement and physician integration impressed the selection committee,” Weigley says. “In addition, Terry’s knowledge and experience with the recent changes in healthcare, especially at the local level, gave the selection committee and the board even more confidence that he is the right individual lead the organization.”

The selection committee was also impressed with the feedback it received about Forde’s collaborative leadership style and how he personally carries out Adventist HealthCare’s five core values — Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship — each and every day.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be chosen to lead an organization with a remarkable tradition of high-quality and compassionate service to the region,” Forde says. “I am blessed to work with a dedicated group of executives, employees, physicians and volunteers who are committed to improving the health of the communities we serve.”

Forde started at AHC in July 2011 as the organization’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to that, he served for eight years as an executive with Centura Health, the largest health system in Colorado. In that role, Forde helped lead a rapidly growing community health system while also delivering extraordinary clinical, patient experience and financial performance. During his time with Adventist HealthCare, he has recruited many of its top executives. He has also been instrumental in helping the organization adapt to the changes in healthcare by looking for ways to grow outpatient and community services, while ensuring that hospitals continue to provide world-class care.

“The board members are confident that Terry is the leader who will continue to enhance and expand on the great work that Adventist HealthCare has achieved in providing higher quality and safer care for our patients,” Weigley adds.

Adventist HealthCare, which has more than 6,200 employees, cares for more than 600,000 people annually and is the largest provider of charity and uncompensated care in Montgomery County, began serving the Washington, D.C. region in 1907, with the opening of Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. Over the years it has expanded its services with the opening of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, Adventist Behavioral Health, Adventist Home Care Services, the Reginald S. Lourie Center for Infants and Young Children, Adventist Medical Group and the Mid-Atlantic Primary Care ACO.

Forde is a member of Chesapeake Conference’s Spencerville church in Silver Spring, Md.