Baptist Health President and CEO Michael A. Mayo will retire in December 2026, according to a Sept. 30 news release.
Mayo and the Baptist Health board of directors expect to name his internal successor by the end of this year.
“While I am not officially retiring from Baptist Health until December 2026, my plan is to step down as CEO on January 16, 2026, and transition into a more narrowly focused executive-in-residence role,” Mayo said in the release.
“This timing aligns well with our strategic planning cycle and will allow me to continue to advocate for our community, Baptist Health and our industry as I fulfill my current terms on the boards of the Florida Hospital Association and American Hospital Association.”
Mayo was selected as president and CEO of Jacksonville-based Baptist Health in 2021. Before that he worked for more than a decade as president of the Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.
Baptist Health has expanded services and facilities under Mayo.
It secured state funding to double the capacity of its pediatric and adolescent behavioral health unit. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) also grew to allow staff to better care for newborns who have low birth weight, are premature, or are critically ill.
On Sept. 17, Mayo oversaw the groundbreaking for the construction of the hospital’s McGehee Family Tower, which is part of the expansion of two emergency rooms – one for adults and another for children. The $187.38 million project is at Baptist Medical Center and Wolfson Children’s Hospital on the Downtown Southbank.
“This tower really does take the last of the available footprint of the campus and now we are going vertical,” he said at the ceremony.
Mayo also serves as CEO of Coastal Community Health — a regional alliance between Baptist Health and Southeast Georgia Health System — established to improve quality, efficiency and value for patients across North Florida and South Georgia.
Part of the 2026 transition will see the incoming CEO of Baptist Health assuming this Coastal Community Health role as well.
Mayo serves on the Board of the American Hospital Association and chairs its Regional Policy Board 4, which represents the Southeastern U.S. He also sits on the Florida Hospital Association Board of Trustees, representing Region 2, and leads its Quality & Patient Safety Committee.
“The Board is enormously grateful for Michael’s leadership. He has truly set the tone for the entire organization — strengthening relationships, representing core values and demonstrating a deep understanding of the organization’s future needs,” Deborah Pass Durham, chair of the Baptist Health Board of Directors, said in the release.
“I feel fortunate to have worked closely with Michael to ensure Baptist Health has a robust succession plan and strong internal bench of talent to ensure continued momentum toward all the great things ahead.”