Wright Lassiter, III

Wright L. Lassiter III is the President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, overseeing the $6.6 billion integrated health system comprised of five acute care hospitals, three behavioral health facilities, a regional health plan and a wide range of ambulatory, retail and other health services consisting of more than 250 locations across Michigan and 33,000 employees.

Lassiter joined Henry Ford in December 2014 as President and assumed the role of President & CEO in 2016. Since his arrival, he led the Board and senior management through a comprehensive strategic planning effort to position Henry Ford for the future. Under his leadership, Henry Ford has completed two successful mergers, expanding its geographic footprint, and generating an additional $1 billion in revenue. Additionally, the Henry Ford brand has expanded globally under his leadership with the 2020 opening of partner hospitals in Saudi Arabia and India. The System has significantly increased its quality and financial performance, earning top honors in several publicly reported quality programs and receiving both outlook and ratings upgrades from Moody’s and S&P services. With a major focus on collaboration, the System has inked major partnerships with a host of organizations, including the Detroit Pistons, Michigan State University, General Motors, Syapse, Acadia Healthcare, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and Beckman Coulter.

A seasoned health care executive, Lassiter has 30 years of experience working in large, complex health systems, including Dallas Methodist Health System and JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to joining Henry Ford, Lassiter was CEO of Alameda Health System in Oakland, California, where he was credited with leading the expansion and turnaround of the $865 million public health system.

In 2021, Lassiter received the Crain’s Detroit Business Health Care Heroes – Corporate Achievement Award. Cited for his commitment to finding solutions, he was named “Michiganian of the Year” in 2020 by The Detroit News, as well as appearing in the 2020 “Top 10 Newsmakers” list by Crain’s Detroit Business for the second time in three years. His other accolades include multiple year recognitions as “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare; “Top 25 Minority Healthcare Executives in U.S. Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare; “Top Blacks in U.S. Healthcare” by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions; and “20 People Who Make Healthcare Better in the U.S” by HealthLeaders Magazine. In 2011, Fast Company prominently featured Lassiter’s work to rebuild Alameda Health. In addition to health industry recognition, Lassiter has received the Industry Award (2019) from Results Mentoring, the Corporate Leadership Award (2018) from National Medical Fellowships, and The Legacy Award (2014) from the Jobs and Housing Coalition.

An avid community leader and advocate, Lassiter is the 2021 chair-elect for the American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees and will assume the AHA chair role in 2022, becoming the top-elected official of the national organization representing America’s hospitals and health systems. Other non-profit board service includes Detroit Regional Chamber (Board Chair), Detroit Children’s Fund, Invest Detroit, Motown Museum and Downtown Detroit Partnership. Additionally, Lassiter’s board expertise is shared with several corporate interests, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) and DT Midstream, Inc (NYSE: DTM). He also serves as an advisor to Arsenal Capital Partners. Lassiter received his master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University where he graduated number one in his class and completed his bachelor’s degree with honors in Chemistry from LeMoyne College.