Indicted interim CEO picked to lead Broward Health

The board for the five-hospital Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was supposed to pick the system’s new CEO from a group of four finalists, ending a two-year executive search. Instead, it selected interim CEO Beverly Capasso, who is currently indicted on charges of breaking the state’s open meetings law in firing her predecessor as interim CEO.

The Sun-Sentinel reported the vote was 4-1 in favor of Capasso, with those board members arguing the finalists received “mediocre” scores, adding that Capasso has only been charged with misdemeanors and should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

“I really believe that the four candidates we had to review were not the best thing for Broward Health right now. I’d hate to make a mistake and make matters worse,” said board member Nancy Gregoire.

Adding to the controversy is the possibility Capasso fails to meet the academic prerequisites for the job running the public hospital system. The job description said a master’s degree is required, but Capasso’s master’s in health administration comes from a shuttered online college called Kennedy-Western University that was deemed a “diploma mill” by federal investigators. She is a registered nurse and has previous leadership experience from serving as CEO of Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Board chairman Rocky Rodriguez was the lone dissenting vote, saying the action would “corrupt the process” of the CEO search. Former board member Joseph Cobo accused the board of conducting a “sham” search when its intention was to hire Capasso.

“I have never, ever, in the 40 years I’ve been around this place, seen a staff more scared from the retaliation that has been occurring,” he said. “You need a change. Yes, there are some very good people in this organization. But a lot of people have been hurt.”

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