Mr. Herndon leads all aspects of the finance function at Beth Israel Lahey Health, one of the largest health systems in New England, with 39,000 employees across 14 hospitals and net operating revenue of $9.7 billion. Since joining in 2025, he has advanced the system’s financial recovery, which produced an operating gain of $93 million last year. His leadership in revenue cycle optimization is projected to yield more than $50 million in improvement in fiscal 2026, and the system is deploying AI to optimize overall revenue cycle performance. Mr. Herndon has also enabled record capital deployment planned for fiscal 2026, ensuring investments across the system are aligned with strategic priorities. He plays a central role in supporting long-term efforts, including the Dana-Farber Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Collaboration, which will lead to New England’s only dedicated adult inpatient cancer hospital. Before joining the system, Mr. Herndon spent nearly a decade at ST. Louis-based Ascension, where he held successive finance leadership roles, most recently senior vice president and CFO of system and strategic finance, and previously served as CFO at Kendall Regional Medical Center in Tamiami, Fla. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Medical Group Management Association.
