Health Care 2023: DENNIS MATHEIS

PRESIDENT AND CEO, SENTARA HEALTH, NORFOLK

Published August 30, 2023 by Virginia Business

Last year, Matheis became CEO of Sentara, an $11 billion not-for-profit health system with 12 hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina, employing 30,000 workers, including 1,375 physicians. He succeeded Howard P. Kern, who retired after a 40-year career at Sentara.

In May, he oversaw the health system’s rebranding from Sentara Healthcare to the shorter Sentara Health. Additionally, Sentara retired its subsidiary insurance brands, Optima Health and Virginia Premier, unifying them under the brand of Sentara Health Plans, for which Matheis previously served as president.

This summer, Sentara opened a medical office building at its new $200 million regional campus in Albemarle, North Carolina, where it’s building a new hospital expected to open by early 2025.

With a degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky, Matheis has decades of experience in health insurance, having held senior roles at Anthem, Cigna Healthcare and Humana.

In April, Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Matheis to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Revenue Estimates. He also serves on the executive committee for America’s Health Insurance Plans’ board of directors.

FIRST JOB: Working at a small family grocery store

MOST VALUED POSSESSION: My integrity

TRAIT(S) I ADMIRE: Being direct

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