St. Vincent announces Banko as new president, CEO

St. Vincent Health System in Little Rock said Peter D. Banko will be its new president and CEO.

Banko, who will start at St. Vincent on April 2, is the vice president and chief operating officer at Christus Spohn Health System in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is credited with turning that hospital system around from an $8.5 million operating loss to an $11.9 million operating profit three years later.

"We are looking forward to benefiting from Peter’s experience as a proven strategic leader in the areas of growth and development," Lunsford Bridges, chairman of the St. Vincent board of directors and of the executive search committee, said in a news release.

St. Vincent is about to begin a nearly $40 million expansion and renovation project.

"Peter’s skills and experience will serve St. Vincent well during this period of strategic expansion," Gary Campbell, senior vice president for Catholic Health Initiatives, said in a news release.

Banko is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University, where he earned a master’s degree in health administration.

"I feel privileged to be part of this team and carry on St. Vincent’s proud tradition of caring," Banko said in the news release.

Banko succeeds former St. Vincent Health System CEO Stephen Mansfield, who resigned in October. Ken Haynes, senior vice president and chief operating officer, has been interim president and CEO while the St. Vincent board of directors and parent organization Catholic Health Initiatives conducted a national search for a permanent replacement.

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