The Board of Directors of Grey Bruce Health Services is pleased to announce the appointment of its ew President and CEO, Lance Thurston. Thurston will assume the role on August 5, 2014, taking over from retiring CEO Maureen Solecki.
Thurston has 25 years of public sector administrative experience in senior leadership positions. As the current Chief Administrative Officer of Grey County, a position he has held since March of 2010, Thurston led the development of the County’s first Corporate Strategic Plan. In this role, Thurston oversees a complex corporation with an annual budget of $118 million and 850 staff, which includes three county long-term care homes, Paramedic Services, Social Services, 1000 units of social housing and corporate properties, Transportation Services, County Planning, Emergency Management, Economic Development and Tourism and cultural heritage through Grey Roots Museum and Archives.
Prior to joining Grey County, Thurston spent almost two decades with the City of Kingston, first as Director of Planning, and then as Commissioner, Community Services.
Thurston holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on social and health care planning from Queen’s University. He has served on a number of boards, including the past four years with the GBHS Board of Directors.
“We are extremely pleased to have Lance take on the role of President and CEO,” said Joan Homer, Chair of the GBHS Board of Directors. “Through his work right here in the County of Grey, and in Kingston, Lance is known for his collaborative leadership approach, and his ability to build strong relationships with the rural and urban communities he serves. These qualities, together with his extensive strategic and operational experience running successful multi-site organizations with multiple funding sources, will be a significant asset to GBHS.”
“I am honoured to take on the role of CEO. This is an organization and a community I know well, care deeply about and wish to serve,” said Thurston. “Under current CEO Maureen Solecki’s leadership, the staff has consistently delivered quality health care services that meet the needs of patients. I look forward to building on this foundation, and expanding GBHS’s reputation as a health care centre of excellence throughout this region.”
– Grey Bruce Health Services