Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) Chief Executive Officer Jennifer DeCubellis has notified the HHS Board of her intent to step down from her role effective May 10, 2025.
"Every leader has a season," DeCubellis told the HHS Board of Directors on Wednesday. "We are all destined for a specific purpose, and a strong leader passes the baton when the time is right. That time for me is now."
DeCubellis was instrumental in leading Hennepin Healthcare – the state's largest safety net healthcare system – since assuming the CEO position just two weeks before Minnesota's first COVID-19 case in 2020. She successfully guided the organization through the pandemic, prioritizing patient access to life-saving care, promoting the safety of Hennepin Healthcare team members, and securing National Guard support to help the healthcare system respond to the surge. Additionally, she played a critical role in managing the organization through periods of civil unrest and overseeing the rebuilding of the East Lake Clinic to maintain essential healthcare access for the community.
She has also been instrumental in defining a path forward in partnership with Hennepin County for the investment in a new inpatient tower, so that our community continues to access the best healing and care for many decades to come.
Hennepin Healthcare Board Chair Mohamed Omar praised DeCubellis for her steadfast, ethical leadership amid ongoing challenges, such as staffing shortages, increasing service demands, and barriers to patient discharge. He acknowledged her tireless advocacy at the state and federal levels for public policy reforms aimed at improving community health and access to care. One of her significant achievements was securing the first directed payments in Minnesota, providing a $140 million annual boost to support Hennepin Healthcare's critical safety-net functions.
DeCubellis led the organization to stabilize staffing and prioritize team member well-being, resulting in a 92% retention rate, a decrease in first-year turnover, and increasing representation to 42%. She has also made significant investments in improving community relations, healthcare partnerships, and advancing health equity as part of a strategic effort to transform healthcare for the communities HHS serves.
"We are grateful for Jennifer's leadership over the past five years. She has gone above and beyond for the organization during the most challenging period in healthcare in the last century. Her expertise and relationships across all levels of government have been invaluable to our healthcare system," said Omar.
The HHS Board will name and announce an interim CEO on Thursday, April 3, and will conduct a national search for a permanent successor.
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About Hennepin Healthcare
Hennepin Healthcare is an integrated system of care that includes HCMC, a nationally recognized Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and acute care hospital, as well as a clinic system with primary care clinics located in Minneapolis and across Hennepin County. The comprehensive safety net healthcare system includes a 484-bed academic medical center, a large outpatient Clinic & Specialty Center, and a network of clinics in the North Loop, Whittier, and East Lake Street neighborhoods of Minneapolis, and in the suburban communities of Brooklyn Park, Golden Valley, Richfield, and St. Anthony Village. Hennepin Healthcare has a large psychiatric program, home care, and operates a research institute, philanthropic foundation, and Hennepin EMS. The system is operated by Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc., a subsidiary corporation of Hennepin County.
