Item Description:
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Appointing Dr. John Cumming as the Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc., Chief Executive Officer, effective April 10, 2026; delegating authority to the HHS Board Chair to negotiate employment agreement
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Section 383B.907, subds. 1 & 2, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, acting as the governing body of Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc., (“the HHS Board”) appoints Dr. John Cumming, MD, MBA as the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. (“HHS”), to exercise the powers and duties of the HHS Chief Executive Officer under HHS Bylaws and policies, effective April 10, 2026; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the HHS Board makes this appointment of Doctor Cumming to serve on a temporary basis, to serve until the appointment of a permanent CEO; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the HHS Board delegates authority to the HHS Board Chair to negotiate an employment agreement with Dr. John Cumming, and that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the HHS Board Chair is authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of HHS.
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Background:
On August 12, 2025, in Resolution 25-0297R1, the Hennepin County Board took action to remove the prior corporate board of HHS, in order to resume interim management of its subsidiary corporation, including the Hennepin County Medical Center. At the time of that action, Dr. Thomas Klemond was serving as Interim CEO of HHS.
On January 13, 2026, in Resolution 26-HHS-0004, the County Board, acting as the governing body of HHS, vested the powers and duties of the HHS administrator (per statute) and of the HHS CEO (per HHS bylaws and policies) in Dr. J. Kevin Croston and Mr. David J. Hough as interim HHS co-administrators. Dr. Croston was then serving as a consultant to the county; Mr. Hough is the former Hennepin County Administrator and remains employed by the county.
Through this action, the Board is appointing Dr. Cumming as the new Interim CEO for HHS, effective April 10, 2026. Dr. Cumming is trained as trauma surgeon, first joined Hennepin Healthcare System’s medical staff in 2000, was Vice President of Medical Affairs and President of the Medical Staff from 2015 to 2019, and served as Interim CEO of HHS in 2019-2020, during a leadership transition. He is an outstanding, proven leader.
Dr. Croston recently resigned from the role of HHS interim co-administrator, and Mr. Hough has notified the County Board of his intention to resign from the role of HHS interim co-administrator effective April 10. This has been an important phase of transition and stabilization for HHS, and the leadership and contributions of Dr. Croston and Mr. Hough have been deeply appreciated.
Current Request: Appoint Dr. John Cumming as the HHS CEO, and delegate authority to the HHS Board Chair to negotiate an employment agreement.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval