Mary Washington Healthcare President to Retire

Mary Washington Healthcare, owners of Stafford Hospital, will say goodbye to President and Chief Executive Officer Fred Rankin, who will be retiring in December this year.

Rankin joined Mary Washington Healthcare as president of Mary Washington Hospital in 1992. He was promoted in 1995 to president and chief executive officer of the not-for-profit MWHC regional system of healthcare facilities and wellness centers, which now includes 100-bed Stafford Hospital as well as 437-bed Mary Washington Hospital.

Rankin has been active in a host of community organizations, and currently serves, or has served, on the boards of the Rappahannock Area United Way, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, Micah Ecumenical Ministries, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, and Rappahannock Goodwill Industries.

On the professional front, Mr. Rankin has been very involved in the field of healthcare, serving for example as Board Chairman for the Central Atlantic Region of VHA, Inc., a healthcare provider alliance, and as Board Chairman for the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

The Akron, Ohio native and graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Pittsburgh, has led several changes and expansions to the Mary Washington Healthcare system in his time as President, including open-heart surgery, neurosurgery and the creation of Stafford Hospital.

“We’ve been blessed to have a great leader like Fred for a long time,” said John F. Fick, III, chairman of the MWHC Board of Trustees. “As a direct result of Fred’s leadership, we’ve remained ever committed to a noble mission, providing excellent healthcare for the citizens of our region regardless of ability to pay. And, through increasing grants from our Foundations, we’ve supported community organizations with more than $12 million in grant funding.”

“It has been my honor to work with the thousands of talented and caring Associates and healthcare professionals at Mary Washington Healthcare,” Rankin said. “It has been a privilege to be part of an exceptional, award-winning healthcare system that brings so many healthcare services of the highest quality to the residents of the greater Fredericksburg region. I will miss the relationships I have built with Associates, providers and community members. But I look forward to following Mary Washington Healthcare’s continued progress from my new vantage point as a retiree.”

The Board of Trustees for MWHC is currently looking for new candidates to transition into Rankin’s position, searching across the nation for qualified candidates.