Trish Hannon, R.N., the president & CEO of New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH) since 2009, has announced her retirement, effective September 30, 2018. She will be succeeded by David Passafaro, NEBH’s senior V.P. for External Affairs, who will have the title of president. Hannon has been asked to serve as a trustee for the proposed Beth Israel Lahey Health system, which, if approved by state and federal regulators, will consist of a series of Massachusetts hospitals, including NEBH. Hannon is a former member of the MHA Board of Trustees. Passafaro is a former V.P. at Suffolk Construction Company, and served as chief of staff for former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) was unanimously elected president of the Massachusetts Senate last Thursday. She succeeds Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester), who was appointed to the newly created position of President Emerita. Spilka, 65, is a graduate of Cornell University and Northeastern University Law School. Prior to serving in the legislature, she chaired the Ashland School Committee. Spilka was elected to the Massachusetts House in 2000 and and has been a member of the Senate since 2005. She was the 2008 recipient of MHA’s Legislator of the Year Award.