The Memorial Health Board of Directors has approved a succession plan to ensure continuity of leadership for the nonprofit health system.
Effective July 1, 2024, current president and CEO Ed Curtis will assume the title of Memorial Health CEO and Kevin England, who currently serves as senior vice president and chief administrative officer, will become Memorial Health president. England will report directly to Curtis and is expected to be named president and CEO within a year, when Curtis retires.
“One of Memorial Health’s greatest strengths is the stability and the continuity of our leadership,” Curtis said. “Throughout our history, we have created succession plans to ensure that leadership transitions are as seamless as possible. This succession plan marks the beginning of a new chapter for Memorial, and I look forward to working with Kevin to ensure we continue to fulfill our mission for many years to come.”
England has served in a variety of roles in his 35 years with Memorial Health, most recently as senior vice president and chief administrative officer. He began his leadership career as director of clinical resource management at Springfield Memorial Hospital and went on to oversee a wide range of clinical areas as well as business development functions.
He graduated from the University of Illinois at Springfield with a bachelor of arts degree in management and from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a master’s degree in business administration, earning both degrees with honors. He is a member of the board of trustees for the Springfield YMCA and served on the board of directors of the Central Illinois Community Blood Center (now ImpactLife) for 14 years, with 12 of those years as board chair.
“This is a time of rapid change in the field of health care, and Memorial is well-positioned to meet the challenges of the future thanks to our tradition of strong, visionary leadership,” England said. “It’s an honor to be chosen to carry that tradition forward.”
Michael Aiello, chair of the Memorial Health Board of Directors, said that England exemplifies the qualities the board is seeking in a leader. “Kevin has shown a strong commitment to Memorial and our communities over the years,” Aiello said. “We believe his leadership, vision and deep understanding of the organization’s culture make him the ideal person to guide Memorial in the coming years.”
Memorial Health operates five hospitals located in Decatur, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Springfield and Taylorville, as well as 70 primary care, urgent care and specialty care clinics; behavioral health services; and home health services. Memorial serves more than 500,000 people across a 10-county region of central Illinois.