Claudio Fort resigns as president and CEO of RRMC

Rutland Regional Medical Center Board chair Mark Foley, Jr. announced Nov. 22 that president and CEO Claudio Fort has resigned his position and will leave the hospital at the end of December. Fort joined Rutland Regional in April 2018 and led the hospital and the Rutland community through the unprecedented response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In an internal email to staff, Claudio Fort said, “I have come to a personal decision that I need to make some definitive changes, which includes stepping down from my role as CEO to take some extended time off and focus on my health.”

Judi Fox, chief financial officer and vice president of finance at Rutland Regional has been named the interim president and CEO. Fox has been employed at Rutland Regional for more than 32 years, serving the last six years as the CFO.

In addition to her role at Rutland Regional, Fox is a member of the Board of Directors for Brattleboro Retreat and the United Way of Rutland County. She also represents Rutland County serving on the Finance Committee of OneCare Vermont. She is a member of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and participates in several workgroups to support Vermont’s vision to transition to fixed payment systems. Fox also serves as an advisory member for the American Hospital Association.

During the transition, Fox will lead collaborative efforts with physicians and the leadership team as they work to continue to improve the health of the local community through the delivery of high-value care at RRMC.

“I am honored to serve as the interim CEO at Rutland Regional Medical Center,” said Fox. “The hospital is important to our community, and we will work to ensure that our patients continue to have access to timely high-quality care while maintaining Rutland Regional’s reputation as a great place to work.”

“We sincerely appreciate the dedication and leadership that Claudio Fort has provided Rutland Regional and our community during the past four years,” said Board Chair, Mark Foley, Jr. “We are grateful to Judi Fox for her ability to step in as interim CEO. She is an experienced leader, and she and the leadership team have the full confidence of the board of directors to continue to move the organization forward.”

A search committee has been formed, and the board will engage a firm to recruit a permanent CEO.