2 appointed to Cone Health board of trustees. Hammock named senior VP of business

Cone Health said Monday that two representatives from parent company Risant Health — doctors Benjamin Chu and Nkem Chukwumerije — have been appointed to Cone's board of trustees.

The board of trustees provides guidance and community input to the organization.

Cone, one of the Triad’s largest employers, has more than 13,000 employees, including more than 700 physicians and 1,800 partner physicians. Its network has four acute-care hospitals, a behavioral health facility, an accountable care organization and a health plan.

Risant, a startup nonprofit charitable group based in Washington, D.C., took over Cone on Dec. 3.

The Risant-Cone agreement also allows for a Cone representative to serve on the Risant board of trustees. Cone trustee Mae Douglas began serving on the board in February.

Douglas has served as a Cone trustee since 2018, including a term as chairwoman. She also serves on Cone's philanthropic board.

Chu has spent more than 40 years serving patients as a physician, administrator and policy advocate. He has worked as executive vice president and group president for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California and Georgia regions.

Chu serves on several non-profit boards, including Risant affiliate Geisinger Health System, the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the SCAN Group, where he is currently chairman.

Chukwumerije works as president and executive medical director for the Southeast Permanente Medical Group in Atlanta. He is also the national leader and executive sponsor of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity of the Permanente Federation LLC.

Risant is affiliated with California-based Kaiser Permanente but operates separately. Kaiser Permanente is attempting to form a national network that combines insurance and health care.

Cone also announced Monday that Preston Hammock has been named to the new position of senior vice president of business and partnership development.

Hammock had served since 2022 as Cone’s senior vice president for its Greensboro market. Hammock also has served as president of Moses Cone Hospital and Alamance Regional Medical Center. Cone said it has begun a nationwide search for his successor.

Angie Orth, chief of staff to interim chief executive Bernie Sherry, replaces Hammock in an interim capacity until a new leader is named.

Sherry took over as interim chief executive on June 1 following departure of president and chief executive Dr. Mary Jo Cagle to address what the system calls “a serious family health matter.”

Cone also said it would conduct a national search for the next full-time president and chief executive.

Since Risant acquired Cone, there have been several executive and board changes.

On June 9, Cone announced the appointment of Shannon Scaturro as chief operating officer.

Scaturro comes to Cone with experience leading operations for large integrated health care systems, most recently chief operating officer for the University of South Alabama Health System.

In April, Boylston was named as chairwoman of Cone's trustees. Boylston is a pediatrician at Burlington Pediatrics and Mebane Pediatrics. She will serve as the board’s 11th chair.

Also in April, Tom Cone and Elise Peters Carey were named as trustees, while Ed Cone rotated off the board.

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