BJC HealthCare Announces Liekweg Retirement and Leadership Transition
Rich Liekweg, CEO of BJC HealthCare, has announced he will retire Wednesday, Oct. 1. He has been a member of the MHA Board of Trustees since 2018 and served as board chair in 2023. In 2022, Liekweg was honored with MHA’s Visionary Leadership Award.
"Rich has made an incredible imprint on Missouri hospitals through his service and leadership beyond BJC HealthCare to the Missouri Hospital Association," said Jon D. Doolittle, president and CEO of MHA. "Rich was the right leader at the right time on MHA's board to help our state's hospitals navigate the global pandemic and then rebuild with an emphasis on innovation and living our values of taking care of people in an ever-evolving health care environment."
The BJC Health System Board of Directors has appointed Nick Barto, current BJC Health System president, to succeed Liekweg as president and CEO.
“MHA is thrilled that Mr. Barto, a proven Missouri-based leader, will continue to build upon BJC HealthCare’s legacy of exceptional leadership for its system and our association," Doolittle added.
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 136 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.