Stephen Mansfield

Stephen Mansfield recently announced his resignation as president and CEO of St. Vincent Health System, effective Oct. 15. Chief operating officer Ken Haynes was named interim CEO; a national search is being conducted for Mansfield's replacement.

Mansfield, a native of Martin, Tenn., has accepted a CEO position with the Methodist Health System in Dallas, which has seven Dallas-area facilities.

Before joining St. Vincent, Mansfield was CEO of Baptist Memorial Hospital-East, a division of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis.

Mansfield engineered a remarkable turnaround for St. Vincent in his nearly six years on the job. When he started in 2000, St. Vincent posted losses, but in 2005, the last year tax numbers are available, St. Vincent posted profits of $11.2 million.

"I'm extremely proud to have had the opportunity to successfully guide St. Vincent through some difficult times, and I have total confidence that the organization's current leadership team is fully capable of continuing the work we've started," Mansfield said.

Local banker Lunsford Bridges, who serves as St. Vincent board chairman, said, "Steve was unquestionably the right person for the job when he joined St. Vincent in 2000. Today, St. Vincent is a very different and much stronger organization because of Steve's efforts and those of the extraordinary leadership team currently in place."