Birmingham’s Baptist Health System (BHS) has named Shane Spees as its fifth president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective Feb. 1.
Spees, 36, the youngest CEO in BHS history, currently serves as president of Valley Baptist Hospital Holdings Inc., a member of Valley Baptist Health System in southern Texas. Before that, he was senior vice president and CEO of the 600-bed Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen.
Wayne Pate, chairman of the BHS board of trustees, said board members unanimously selected Spees because of his strong relationship with Jesus Christ and his hands-on experience with hospital work. "It is not unlike calling a pastor. We were looking for a leader who has the heart to do what we need to do — touch lives through our hospitals. He has that calling."
Spees earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He and his wife, Parker, are lifelong Southern Baptists and are members of First Baptist Church, Harlingen, Texas. They have a 6-year-old daughter, Addy-Parker.
"The opportunity to lead the health care ministry of Baptist Health System is truly a blessing for me and my family," Spees said.
He enters BHS at the tail end of a three-year restructuring process aimed at getting the system out of financial woes. The effort was led by former CEO Beth O’Brien, who retired in June 2006. BHS has four hospitals — Citizens, Princeton, Shelby and Walker Baptist medical centers — and part ownership in Trinity Medical Center (formerly Montclair).
As Spees comes on board, the restructuring is "more than 90 percent complete," according to Pate, with BHS closing the last two years with a reported profit. Now with Spees at the helm, the system will focus on clearing profit from not just its investments but also the operations of its hospitals, Pate said.
A large part of Spees’ role will also be reconnecting with BHS’ constituents and building relationships with fellow Baptists.
Neil Glausier, a BHS trustee and moderator of Birmingham Baptist Association, said, "I was impressed with Shane from the beginning. He’s a fine, dedicated young man — trained and very articulate. We are very honored to have him join our system."
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