NEW HAVEN — Deborah Wesley, vice president of Addison County Home Health & Hospice (ACHH&H), is serving as the organization’s top administrator while the nonprofit’s board of directors organizes its search for a permanent executive director to succeed Tim Brownell.
Wesley had been serving as ACHH&H’s chief of clinical services prior to her interim appointment to the agency’s top spot last month. The ACCH&H bylaws call for the organization’s second in command — in this case, Wesley — to serve as acting CEO upon the sudden departure of the presiding executive director, according to board President Bryan Young.
“We are very pleased with the way things are going under the current interim management,” Young said through an email updating the ACHH&H’s leadership transition.
As previously reported by the Addison Independent, former CEO Tim Brownell vacated his position with the New Haven-based nonprofit in early February. His departure came in wake of criticism of ACHH&H’s leadership by some past and present employees of the agency, which dispenses a variety of health care services to homebound patients and terminally ill residents. Those complaints, largely relating to administration/staff relations, were detailed in an extensive article published in the Independent’s Jan. 31 edition.
An ACHH&H board subcommittee is now gathering input from the agency’s various constituencies on the qualities the next CEO should possess, Young noted. That information will help the board formulate a search strategy, job description, and other details leading up to an open and active search, he added.
“We’re taking this opportunity to dig deeply into what has worked and what hasn’t in the last few years, think about what we want from the position, perhaps tweak the job description somewhat, and determine who we need for what roles,” Young said.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].