GEORGETOWN, Ky. (Dec. 4, 2017) – William Haugh, CEO of Georgetown Community Hospital and an industry-recognized healthcare leader, has been named by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as one of the university’s top 10 graduates of the last decade.
VCU Alumni’s 10 Under 10 awards program celebrates alumni who earned their first VCU degree within the past 10 years and who have achieved remarkable professional success, made important contributions to their community and/or loyally supported the university.
Haugh can trace his career path back to his childhood, growing up in the small town of South Boston, Va.
“I specifically chose hospital administration because of the important role hospitals play in the community, especially in rural areas,” Haugh said. “I witnessed this firsthand growing up in South Boston, where Halifax Regional Health System was the largest employer in the county.”
After his first year at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., where he was studying information systems, Haugh completed an internship at Halifax Regional Health System. It was an opportunity that exposed him to various aspects of hospital operations.
In 2004, after graduating from Appalachian State, Haugh approached Halifax Regional CEO, Chris Lumsden, and asked for a job. Lumsden offered him a position with two caveats: first, Haugh would be paid minimum wage, and second, he would only have the job for one year.
“He intentionally gave me an unappealing position to make sure that I would go back to school and earn a master’s degree,” Haugh says.
The tough love paid off. Haugh was accepted into the master of health administration program in the VCU School of Allied Health Professions a year later.
“Without a doubt, the success I have been fortunate to enjoy in my career is a direct result of the education I received at VCU,” Haugh says. “My VCU education was the perfect combination of classroom instruction, special projects outside the classroom and the opportunity to network with industry leaders.”
As a student, the constant interactions with health care leaders helped him gain an understanding of how the health care system works, allowing his career to progress rapidly.
In 2008, Haugh joined Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health, which operates 71 hospitals in 22 states. He first served as chief operating officer at the 220-bed Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County (now Sovah Health) in Martinsville, Va., and then as CEO at Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville, Ky., from 2009-2012.
He joined Georgetown Community Hospital as CEO in 2012. Three years later, he was named LifePoint Health’s CEO of the Year.
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