). As an executive of the state’s flagship academic health system, Mr. Watson has been an instrumental financial and business leader through significant transition and growth. This is evidenced by many accomplishments, including when OU Health divested from Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA in 2018 and acquired the faculty practice plan and clinics in 2021 to become an integrated academic health system. In a difficult post-Covid 19 environment, his focus led to improved credit outlooks from both Moody’s and S&P. Overseeing a budget of more than $3 billion across three hospitals and 15 outpatient locations, his leadership has included financial oversight of the statewide expansion of OU Health’s NCI-designated cancer center and the expansion of the footprint of the state’s only comprehensive children’s hospital to include Oklahoma’s only pediatric behavioral health facility. Mr. Watson’s career has spanned for-profit and nonprofit health systems. He began his executive career at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, served at HCA and served as CFO for OU Medicine (now OU Health) 1998 until 2011, prior to its integration. He was executive vice president and CFO at The University of Chicago Medical Center before returning to OU Heath six years ago.
