Jack O. Bovender Jr. is the former

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Hospital Corporation of America HCA Healthcare, Inc. (historically known as Hospital Corporation of America) is an American for-profit operator of health care facilities that was founded in 1968. It is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and, as of May 2020, owned and operated 186 ...

from 2002 to 2009.

Early life and career

Bovender was born on August 16, 1945 in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

. He attended high school in

King, North Carolina King is a city in Stokes County, North Carolina, Stokes and Forsyth County, North Carolina, Forsyth counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,096 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. King is part of the Piedmont Tri ...

. He began his career in hospital administration as a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

lieutenant stationed at the

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth The Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), formerly Naval Hospital Portsmouth, and originally Norfolk Naval Hospital, is a United States Navy hospital, medical center in Portsmouth, Virginia, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States. It is the oldest ...

. He continued to work in the health care industry until his retirement in 2009 from Hospital Corporation of America. Bovender is the retired chairman and CEO of Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America. HCA owns and operates approximately 160 hospitals and 100 surgery centers in the United States and England. He became president and CEO in 1992, and he served as chairman and CEO from 2002 to 2009. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Nashville Health Care Council and serves on the boards of several human service and arts organizations. Bovender graduated from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

in 1967, with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and in 1969 with a

Master of Health Administration The Master of Health Administration, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), or Master of Health Management (MHM), is a master's-level professional degree granted to students who complete a course of study in the knowledge and competencies need ...

. Bovender has served on the

Fuqua School of Business The Duke University Fuqua School of Business (pronounced ) is the business school of Duke University, a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina. It enrolls more than 1,300 students in degree-seeking programs. Du ...

Board of Visitors for several years. He is a former member of

Duke Divinity School The Duke Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 ...

's board of visitors and former chairman of the Duke University Divinity School's capital campaign committee. He has also served on the executive committee of the Duke Annual Fund. He is currently a member of the university's board of trustees, serving as vice chair of the board, chair of the audit committee, vice chair of the business and finance committee, and a member of the executive committee. He was named by

Institutional Investor magazine ''Institutional Investor'' magazine was a periodical published by Euromoney Institutional Investor. It was founded in 1967 by Gilbert E. Kaplan. A separate international edition of the magazine was established in 1976 for readers in Europe and A ...

as "Best CEO in America" for healthcare facilities in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Philanthropy

Bovender and his wife donated $25 million to Duke in 2011.

Personal life

Bovender is married to his wife, Barbara, and has one son, Richard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovender, Jack O. Jr. HCA Healthcare people American health care chief executives Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni Duke University faculty Living people Businesspeople from Nashville, Tennessee People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1945 births