Hoag CEO announces he’ll retire

June Casagrande

Michael Stephens, the man credited with helping to make Hoag Hospital

the renowned institution it is today, has announced he will retire

next year after 30 years as president and chief executive.

Stephens, 61, said he isn’t thinking about retirement yet, but

thought an announcement should be made now so the hospital could

smoothly transition into life without him.

“Given my age and tenure, it wasn’t surprising [to the board of

directors] that I’d make such a move,” Stephens said. “But I’m going

to do this in the way that best serves Hoag Hospital.”

Stephens led the team that instituted Hoag Memorial Hospital

Presbyterian’s “four centers of excellence” -- the hospital’s term

for its pre-eminent expertise in cancer, women’s health, orthopedics

and cardiac care.

The Hoag Women’s Pavilion, a state-of-the-art facility now under

construction at Hoag’s main campus, is an example of this expertise,

said Dick Allen, chairman of the Hoag Hospital Board of Directors.

“This is more than a community hospital,” Allen said. “We’re

fortunate to enjoy a community hospital of great credentials that

also provides specialized care and Mike has played a critical role in

creating that.”

Stephens pioneered the hospital’s outreach to neighboring

communities. Nearly 10 years ago, his goal of bringing quality care

to more community members resulted in the creation of Hoag clinics in

Irvine, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Aliso Viejo.

Allen said that Stephens garnered tremendous community support for

the hospital.

Perhaps his greatest contribution, colleagues say, is that

Stephens has managed to keep the hospital financially sound, even

through tough economic times.

“So many hospitals are suffering financially,” Allen said. “Hoag

is not. You have to give credit to Mike Stephens for building a

hospital that provides quality care in a financially prudent way.”

Newport Beach City Councilman John Heffernan, a member of the Hoag

board of directors for seven years, described Stephens as the

consummate professional -- a top-notch manager and money man with a

gift for dealing with people at all levels.

“I haven’t seen anyone who is better at his job, who is more

humble or more genuine or a better strategic thinker,” Heffernan

said. “He has been a superb asset to the hospital.”

Stephens said he’d wait to start thinking about how he wanted to

spend his retirement until the date arrived, in either the summer or

fall of 2005. He added that he’d be spending a lot of his free time

with his wife of 37 years, Diane.

“She probably won’t want to see too much of me, but I’ll certainly

be happy having more time with her,” Stephens said.

The hospital board of directors will hire a consulting firm to

help find a replacement.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.