Michele Williams, MD, a member of Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital's Hospital Authority Board, resigned after the unexpected renewal of CEO Joseph Webb's contract last week, according to The Tennessean. Dr. Williams is the fourth board member to resign in the past month.
Dr. Williams said she was "disappointed" with the extension of Mr. Webb's contract without a review of his performance evaluation, The Tennessean reports. The contract was extended in a surprise vote at a May 31 meeting when Dr. Williams was not present. She was one of two members who were absent at the meeting. Two other members recently resigned, and the chairwoman, who abstained from the vote, resigned at the end of the May 31 meeting. Only six members voted, approving the contract without terms in a 5-to-1 vote.
Initially, the board planned to review Mr. Webb's performance evaluation and to vote on his contract at a June 11 meeting. Dr. Williams was on vacation last week. She told The Tennessean, "she had been comfortable missing the meeting because she was specifically told the vote on Webb's contract would be held in June."
However, the other board members pushed the vote up as they felt, "[Mr. Webb] had waited too long for job security," The Tennessean previously reported.
The board will formerly accept Mr. Williams' resignation at the June 11 meeting and will also make Mr. Webb's performance evaluation public, according to the report.