Va. Finance Secretary Aubrey Layne to join Sentara

Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne will join Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare as the health system’s senior vice president and chief of staff, effective July 1.

Layne’s responsibilities will include overseeing Sentara’s legislative affairs and corporate social responsibility teams, as well as the Sentara Foundation and the Sentara College of Health Sciences. He will report directly to Sentara President and CEO Howard P. Kern.

“Aubrey is a seasoned leader in both the public and private sectors. His experience as a public servant and his demonstrated business acumen uniquely position him to effectively lead many of the Sentara teams at the forefront of the work we do outside of our hospitals to support our communities,” Kern said in a statement released Wednesday.

Layne was appointed secretary of finance by Virginia Gov. Ralph S. Northam in 2018. Layne also served as secretary of transportation under Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

“Aubrey Layne has been at the center of every important action we have taken since I’ve been governor,” Northam said. “He has guided Virginia’s plans for financing public health, public safety, public education and much more. His stewardship has enabled Virginia to preserve our AAA-bond rating, set aside record-high financial reserves and even post a budget surplus — all during a global pandemic. Aubrey knows how to deliver results, and his experience will be great asset for Sentara.”

Before joining state government, Layne was president of An Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News, a nonprofit, public-private K-12 academy aimed at assisting children from socioeconomically challenged households. He also worked as president and principal broker for Virginia Beach-based Great Atlantic Properties, and was president of  Norfolk-based Hofheimer’s Inc, a now-defunct East Coast shoe retailer. A certified public accountant, Layne began his career at KPMG. He also served on the Commonwealth Transportation Board from 2006 to 2014, representing Hampton Roads.

“I am excited to return home to Hampton Roads and to join one of the nation’s top integrated health care systems,” Layne said. “Health care is changing fast in America, and so are the community’s expectations. I admire Sentara’s commitment to serving people, and I’m eager to help do even more. I also feel a deep personal connection: My daughter was born in what’s now a Sentara hospital and Hampton Roads is my home. I look forward to joining a great company.”

Layne holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Richmond and an MBA with a concentration in international business from Old Dominion University.

With more than 1,200 physicians and 30,000 other employees, Sentara has 12 hospitals and more than 300 care sites in Virginia and North Carolina. Sentara’s Optima Health Plan and Virginia Health Plan serve 850,000 members in Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio. Sentara is poised this summer to merge with Greensboro, North Carolina-based Cone Health, which will create a combined organization with approximately $11.5 billion in combined annual revenue. Cone Health system hass five hospitals in North Carolina, employing more than 13,000 people. Through its Medicare Advantage health plan, HealthTeam Advantage, it serves 15,000 members. Kern will lead the merged health care system.