Editors Update, April 2: The Tahoe Forest Hospital Board of Directors will hold a special board meeting today at 2 p.m. to discuss interim leadership, as well as a longer process to hire a permanent CEO. The meeting will be held in the Eskridge Conference Room at Tahoe Forest Hospital, 10121 Pine Ave., Truckee.
After only two months as interim CEO of the Tahoe Forest Hospital District, Virginia “Ginny” Razo announced Monday morning that she is leaving May 1 to accept a position as CEO for another health system, details of which she did not release. This comes on the heels of recent turmoil surrounding the district’s former CEO, which the board of directors had said they were trying to get past.
Razo, who was previously chief operating officer for the district, was named interim CEO on Jan. 27 after the board decided against renewing then-CEO Bob Schapper’s contract. The board approved an 18-month contract with Razo, which included $251,901 in pay and an education loan forgiveness of $36,016. The board had also decided to wait at least two months before beginning a search for a new CEO.
Razo’s unexpected announcement requires the board to take immediate action. A regular board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, and Board President Karen Sessler told Moonshine Ink that she was looking for a way to add the item to the agenda. (By law, public meeting agendas need to be posted at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting). Sessler said the board will take the next steps to do what needs to be done.
“Ginny caught us with our pants down, so to speak,” Director Greg Jellinek said. “Nobody was privy to it.”
Jellinek said he had been impressed with Razo during her short time as interim CEO and thought she could have been a strong candidate for the permanent position. He said that although the board had not begun an official search for a new CEO, they discussed what they would like to see in a new leader at its retreat last week. He said hiring a search firm is likely.
“We have a plan,” he said. “It’s not like we are walking in the dark.”
Though Razo’s departure comes as a surprise, some in the community believe the board should have started looking for a new CEO sooner.
“They have wasted months of time. Essentially, you don’t have a CEO,” said Peter Forni, former director of pharmacy, who has been critical of the district the past year. “Now the board’s only choice is to get an outside firm.”
In a brief written announcement to district employees, Razo said the new opportunity was “too exciting” for her to decline, and that she will work with the board, administration, and human resources to “ensure a smooth transition.” She also thanked the employees.
“I will always look back with affection, satisfaction, and pride of TFHD’s accomplishments,” Razo wrote, “and because TFHD is filled with dedicated, competent people, I have no doubt it will thrive long into the future.”
∼ The Tahoe Forest Hospital Board of Directors will hold its regular board meeting Tues., March 31 at 4 p.m. at the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Office, 11603 Donner Pass Rd., Truckee. For more information, visit tfhd.com.
