Sentara hires VCU’s Hancock as chief administrative officer

Sentara Healthcare has hired Melinda S. Hancock as senior vice president and its first chief administrative officer, the Norfolk-based health system announced Thursday. Hancock, who starts July 19, is currently the chief administrative officer and chief finance officer for the VCU Health System, where she’s been since 2016.

Her duties will include overseeing several teams, including internal audit, compliance, legal services and privacy, and she will supervise the health care provider’s supply chain, enterprise analytics, strategy and mergers and affiliations. This is a new position, and Hancock will report to Sentara President and CEO Howard P. Kern.

Hancock previously was a partner at Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, where she led the payment model team, and was senior vice president and CFO for the Virginia market of Bon Secours Health System. She also worked in leadership roles at Culpeper Regional Hospital, as well as Ernst & Young and Deloitte.

She holds degrees in business administration and accounting from William & Mary, as well as an MBA in health care administration from the University of Phoenix. Hancock serves on several national and state boards, as well as volunteering with the American Heart Association and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“Melinda’s wealth of knowledge in managing complex administrative health care functions in the public and industry sectors will benefit us greatly. She brings extensive leadership experience and a strategic planning background that will be instrumental to Sentara’s continued growth,” Kern said in a statement. “She will be an excellent addition to our team that is dedicated to improving the health of our communities across all regions we serve.”

Hancock’s appointment follows Wednesday’s announcement that Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne will join Sentara as its senior vice president and chief of staff in July. The high-profile hires come as Sentara prepares to merge with Greensboro, North Carolina-based Cone Health, creating an organization with approximately $11.5 billion in combined annual revenue. Later this year, Sentara will add five Cone hospitals in North Carolina to its current portfolio of 12 hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina. The health system currently employs more than 1,200 physicians and 30,000 other employees.