EBNHC Provides Update on CEO Transition Process COO Greg Wilmot to Serve as Interim CEO

Since East Boston Neighborhood Health Center President and CEO Manny Lopes made the shocking announcement earlier this month that he would be leaving his post to serve as Executive Vice President at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Lopes and the Health Center’s Board of Directors provided an update on the transition process.

Lopes and the board’s chair, Rita Sorrento, reported after a series of discussions and interviews, the Board has voted unanimously to appoint EBNHC Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Executive Director of Neighborhood PACE Greg Wilmot as Interim President and CEO effective November 1, 2021.

“Since joining the health center in 2017, Greg has made a considerable positive impact on staff, patients, and the EBNHC organization, as a whole,” said Lopes and Sorrento in a joint statement this week. “Greg’s leadership has contributed to a more than 48 percent growth in the Neighborhood PACE program, which now boasts a 95 percent satisfaction score – among the highest in the nation.”

Lopes and Sorrento said after his promotion to COO last September, Wilmot played a key role in helping to design and execute EBNHC’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, which resulted in over 100,000 doses administered in communities hit hardest by the pandemic.

“Additionally, in the wake of last year’s national reckoning on racial injustice, Greg led EBNHC’s Racial Equity Project, bringing an intentional and strategic focus to the health center’s efforts to address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as a healthcare institution, business leader, and community partner,” they said. “We feel strongly that given his experience, background, and history at the health center, Greg is a strong, dedicated, capable leader and is well-prepared to support this transition.”

Prior to November, Lopes and Sorrento said the Board will work closely with Wilmot to ensure he is familiar with key initiatives and to make introductions where necessary.

“Concurrently, EBNHC’s Board of Directors will continue to develop and define next steps to establish a permanent replacement,” they said. “We estimate that this process will take several months.”

Prior to joining EBNHC in 2017, Wilmot worked at AllWays Health Partners, a member of Mass General Brigham, where he led the organization’s MassHealth Accountable Care Organization strategy and operations. Additionally, Wilmot previously served as Boston Medical Center’s director of business development, where he partnered with clinical and administrative leaders at the hospital and across key partners to create new opportunities for growth and expand clinical services and quality goals. Wilmot also worked for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services as senior advisor and director of strategy and performance management and held various operational and management roles at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.