Ellen Locker Retires from Hunterdon Healthcare System Board of Trustees

On April 26th, after serving on the Hunterdon Healthcare System Board of Trustees for 26 years, Ellen Locker, the current Board Chair, will conclude her final term and retire from Hunterdon Healthcare System Board of Trustees.

Under Ms. Locker’s leadership, the health system substantially expanded and experienced some of the most robust growth in its history, including the founding of Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, the expansion and renovation of both the Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit, the opening of Hunterdon Health and Wellness Centers in Whitehouse Station and Clinton Township, the formation of the Norman and Denise Guilloud Cardiovascular Center, and the establishment of multiple primary care and specialty practices in Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren, Mercer, and Morris counties.

During Ms. Locker’s tenure, Hunterdon Health achieved several long-sought milestones, including approval of the State of New Jersey Senate Health Committee to perform elective angioplasty, the addition of robotic surgery to our surgical services offerings, and the provision of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) to patients of Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.  Hunterdon Health also earned several noteworthy clinical and quality recognitions, including eight consecutive ‘Leapfrog A’ Hospital Safety Grades, four-time Magnet hospital designation, and our first 5-Star award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

In 2020, Ms. Locker championed the most significant governance reorganization in the organization’s 70+ year-old history. The revised governance model, adopted to reflect best practice in healthcare leadership, reshaped the 41-member representative board into a streamlined competency-based body of 15 Trustees. This evolution resulted in the elimination of redundancies, an increase in efficiency, and a greater alignment with Hunterdon Health’s mission and strategic direction. The monumental transformation all took place while Ms. Locker, working closely with the Board and Administration, helped navigate the health system through the unprecedented threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The innumerable contributions of Ellen Locker to the Hunterdon Healthcare System will undoubtedly reverberate for many years to come. We are exceedingly grateful for her efforts on behalf of the communities we serve and her selfless devotion to making Hunterdon Health a distinguished center of clinical excellence,” stated Patrick Gavin, President and CEO, of Hunterdon Health.

To learn more about Hunterdon Health, visit hunterdonhealth.org.