Texas Health Resources announced a leadership change that will bring a historic first for the system with 29 hospitals across 16 counties. A woman will become Chief Executive Officer.
Current CEO Barclay Berdan will retire this fall, bringing an end to four decades of service.
The Board of Trustees announced that Winjie Miao, currently senior executive vice president and chief operating officer, will be promoted to president, effective April 5. The president’s role was intentionally created by the Board to identify the executive who will assume the chief executive officer role at a future date.
Miao will be the system’s third CEO and the first woman in the role following Berdan and Doug Hawthorne. Hawthorne led the system as CEO until 2014 when Berdan assumed the role. Hawthorne transitioned to CEO Emeritus and fully retired in 2019.
A news release on the Texas Health Resources website says Miao has served as chief operating officer since 2022, leading enterprise-wide operations across hospital, provider, and ambulatory settings. Previously, she served as chief experience officer, advancing a more consumer-focused approach to care delivery across the system. She joined Texas Health Resources in 2000 and has held multiple senior leadership roles during her tenure.
In a 2024 interview with D CEO, Miao discussed the change she would make in the healthcare industry. “My grandmother immigrated to this country when she was in her thirties and worked in a garment factory until her seventies. When our care processes — clinical, social, and administrative – are easily accessible and understood by my grandma (and yours as well!), then I know we will have made progress,” she said in the issue that named her one of the Dallas 500.
As part of the leadership transition, the board also moved Laura Irvine into the role of senior executive vice president and chief operating and growth officer. Irvine’s expanded role will focus on enterprise operations with an emphasis on patient and care team experience, while supporting continued growth through geographic expansion, including virtual services.
The leadership changes mark a historic first for Texas Health. Two women will lead the system that has more than 4,400 licensed hospital beds, 6,400 physicians with active staff privileges, and nearly 29,000 employees.
“This transition reflects thoughtful planning by the Board and positions Texas Health Resources for continued stability and long-term success,” said Hunter Hunt, chair of the Texas Health Resources Board of Trustees, in the statement. “Barclay’s leadership has shaped this organization in enduring ways, and Winjie and Laura bring the experience and perspective needed to build on that foundation.”
