Mr. Tarwater, 61, joined the health system in 1981 and became its CEO in 2002. Under his tenure, Carolinas expanded to include 40 hospitals and 900 care locations, growing from $94 million in annual net revenue to $8.7 billion in net revenue for 2014.
Mr. Tarwater said he gave notice now to give the board time for a transition.
“There will be no goodbyes today, we still have lots to do.…It’s just shocking how fast 34 years go by,” he said at a regular quarterly board meeting.
The board will hire an executive search firm to find a replacement, and Chairman Edward Brown said the next CEO will inherit “a very healthy organization,” according to the report.
