Hackensack Meridian Health chief executive Robert C. Garrett will retire next summer, the health system announced Monday.
The New Jersey-based nonprofit health system’s board of directors will begin a national search for its next CEO, with plans to name a successor by the end of the first quarter of 2027. Garrett will retire June 30 and stay on as CEO emeritus for up to one year to assist with the transition.
Garrett started his career at Hackensack University Medical Center in 1981, later serving as president and CEO of the Hackensack University Health Network from 2009 to 2016.
In 2016, Hackensack University Health Network merged with Meridian Health to create HMH. Garrett served as co-CEO of HMH until 2019, when he became sole CEO, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The health system now includes 18 hospitals and 41,000 employees, according to HMH. It also operates the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
“Leading Hackensack Meridian has been the privilege of a lifetime,” Garrett said in a statement.
The CEO’s retirement comes at a time of growth and increasing profits for HMH. In June, HMH and Hunterdon Health, another New Jersey nonprofit, signed a letter of intent to merge, though the deal has not yet been finalized. Executives said the deal would enable the combined organization to meet the rising demand for medical services.
HMH also launched a new health and wellness center in April close to a New Jersey transit hub, part of a $3 billion infrastructure expansion effort. The system also opened a $40 million youth mental health facility in June.
