MORRISTOWN, NJ – June 1, 2021 – Atlantic Health System is sharing exciting changes to the leadership and composition of its Board of Trustees. The integrated care delivery system, which serves 4.9 million people in 11 counties across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce its new chair, Robert E. McCracken and vice chair, Gita Rothschild, Esq.  The system also welcomes new trustees: Jeanine D. Liburd, Arthur Orduña and Dennis G. Wilson.

Dexter D. Earle, Atlantic Health’s chair since 2018, has assumed the role of Immediate Past Chair through May 2022, ensuring leadership continuity as the system continues to provide the highest quality care throughout a global pandemic.  Since joining the Board in 2009, Earle has played a critical role in driving performance and growth, including expansion to more than 400 sites of care, 7 hospitals, 16 urgent care centers, and one of New Jersey’s largest multi-specialty physician practices.  Earle is a retired Partner of Goldman Sachs & Company, where he served as co-head of the Global Equities Derivatives Department.  He previously served as Chair of Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Foundation Board, President of the Trustees Emeritus of Brooklyn’s Berkeley Carroll School, and a member of the Mid West Stock Exchange’s Board of Governors.

“Our entire system of care has been strengthened by Dexter’s commitment to quality, sound counsel and strategic leadership,” said Brian Gragnolati, president and CEO, Atlantic Health System.  “We are grateful his ongoing service as Immediate Past Chair gives us the opportunity to continue to benefit from his wisdom and passion for improving the health of our community.”

After joining the Atlantic Health Board in 2011, Robert E. McCracken advanced the system’s mission to build healthier communities through his longstanding service as chair of the Board’s Governance Committee and as an Executive Committee member.  He is former Chair of the Newton Memorial Hospital Board and following its merger with Atlantic Health became Chair of the Newton Medical Center Advisory Board.  McCracken is the former owner and acting manager of Smith-McCracken and Wood Funeral Homes.  He sits on the Board of Directors of Lakeland Bank Corp, Inc. and is chair of its Executive Compensation Committee and former chair of its Nominating and Governance Committees.

“I cannot imagine a better choice to take the helm at this stage of Atlantic Health’s journey to value-based care than Bob McCracken.  His invaluable years of service as Governance Chair and Trustee enabled us to transition to a competency-based Board composition, which has elevated our strategies for making care more accessible and affordable for all,” said Dexter D. Earle, Immediate Past Chair, Atlantic Health System.

Gita Rothschild assumes the role of Vice Chair after serving as a Trustee since 2010.  Through her longstanding service as Chair of the Board’s Quality Committee, Rothschild has enthusiastically pursued her passion for advancing clinical quality and patient safety.  She has also served as a member of the Board’s Executive, Medical Staff Leadership & Development, and Governance Committees.  A partner at McCarter & English, LLP for 33 years, Rothschild practiced in areas of complex litigation, including insurance coverage, class actions, products liability and commercial contracts.  A member of the American Law Institute, American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association and International Association of Defense Counsel, Rothschild is a frequent lecturer who has served on the Editorial Board of The New Jersey Lawyer, as faculty of the Defense Trial Academy, and as Chair of the District V Fee Arbitration Committee of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

“Our work in health care is founded upon an unwavering commitment to the highest quality care and patient safety.  No one is more passionate in her advocacy on these issues than Gita Rothschild,” said Brian Gragnolati, president and CEO.  “We are very fortunate that she devotes her time and talent to helping us deliver safe, high quality care to our friends and neighbors.”

Atlantic Health is proud to announce the appointment of three new trustees to its Board.

Jeanine D. Liburd is the Chief Social Impact and Communications Officer for BET Networks, a unit of ViacomCBS Inc., the leading provider of quality entertainment for the African American audience and consumers of Black culture globally.  An innovative strategic communications, marketing and social impact professional with over two decades of corporate, political and non-profit experience, Liburd leads a portfolio of multiplatform social change initiatives that empower BET Networks’ audience to have an impact on critical issues facing the Black community.  She also leads BET’s corporate communications, social responsibility and event production teams, through which she works to create awareness and build action-oriented campaigns.  Liburd oversees strategic partnerships and community engagement at the local and national levels, ensuring integration with BET’s long-term strategy, programming and events.

Arthur Orduña is currently a senior advisor to Newlab, an award-winning disruptive technology accelerator in Brooklyn, NY, and also to EQT, a leading European private equity firm. Until November 2020, he served as the first Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Vice President of Avis Budget Group, a leading global provider of mobility solutions, operating three of the industry’s most recognized brands – Avis, Budget and Zipcar – with 11,000 locations in nearly 180 countries, 30,000 employees and reported 2019 revenue of $9.17 billion.  In this role, he led new technology, product and partnership strategies and also the organization’s mobile and data-driven digital transformation.  He previously served as Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Vice President at ADT Corporation, a leading security, automation and smart home solutions provider that serves consumer and business customers through 200 locations, 9 monitoring centers and the United States’ largest network of security professionals.

Dennis Wilson is president and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey.  He joined the Atlantic Health Board in November 2020 and serves on its Quality and Governance Committees.  Wilson was formerly president of Coventry Health Care, an Aetna Company, and served as national lead for High Performance Network and Accountable Care Organization Business Development for Coventry Health Care. He serves as chair of DeltaUSA’s Board of Trustees and the Board of Encara, Inc. and as vice president and trustee of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation.  He is immediate past chair of Community Foundation of New Jersey and a trustee of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.  Wilson has been recognized by the Northeast Business Group on Health, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce and was the 2017 recipient of an NJBIZ ICON Honors Award, recognizing New Jersey business leaders for distinguished successes and exemplary leadership.

“Our competency-based Board composition enables us to bring targeted expertise and experience into our system’s highest levels of governance and strategy creation,” said Brian Gragnolati, President and CEO.  “We are delighted to welcome Dennis, Arthur and Jeanine to the Atlantic Health family and look forward to working closely with them to hone our consumerism and insurance strategies to support the health and well-being of every patient who entrusts us with their care.”

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 17,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 11 counties and 4.9 million people.

The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, and Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ.

Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.

Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 16 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.

Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of seven regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across seven health systems in New Jersey.

Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.