YOUNGSTOWN Exec starts his duties at hospital

A desire to be closer to family was one factor in the Ohio native's move.
THE VINDICATOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- James Davis left behind the sunny climes of Hollywood, Fla., to assume the top job this week at St. Elizabeth Health Center.
Humility of Mary Health Partners hired Davis, a native of Cuyahoga Falls, to take over as executive vice president of HMHP and chief operating officer at St. Elizabeth in Youngstown.
Davis came to HMHP from the 682-bed Memorial Regional Hospital in a community just south of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was senior associate administrator and chief operations officer.
Before that, he was senior vice president and COO for system operations at Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, and executive vice president, COO for Aultman Hospital in Canton.
Promoted
Davis fills a similar position left vacant when Bob Shroder was promoted to the president and chief executive slot in December. Shroder had been COO and executive vice president for HMHP.
As COO of St. Elizabeth, an HM spokeswoman explained, Davis will have the ability and the time to devote more of his energies on the hospital's specific needs and goals. He will also have some systemwide responsibilities.
Davis said St. Elizabeth is comparable to Memorial Regional. Both are Level 1 trauma centers, although the Florida facility is somewhat larger and also includes the Joe DeMaggio Children's Hospital.
Closer to family
He and his wife, Nancy, also of Cuyahoga Falls, decided to make the change largely to move closer to family, Davis said.
An avid golfer, he said the Mahoning Valley's abundance of golf courses and reasonable greens fees also made the decision easier. "In Florida, it's too expensive to golf in the winter and too hot in the summer," he said.
Davis said he's hoping to get involved in the community. In the past he's been active in chambers of commerce, the United Way and Boy Scouts.
The new HMHP executive earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in business administration, both from the University of Akron.