The Wisconsin Hospital Association announced that President and CEO Eric Borgerding will retire next year and be succeeded by WHA Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Kyle O’Brien.
Borgerding, who has been with WHA for 23 years, including the last 10 as president and CEO, will step down June 30. O’Brien, a 12-year veteran of WHA, assumes his new role on July 1. Borgerding will continue as senior advisor through the remainder of 2025.
“Under Eric’s outstanding leadership, WHA has become one of the most influential advocacy organizations in Wisconsin, unifying and amplifying the voice of hospitals and health systems across the state,” said David Hartberg, president and CEO of Vernon Memorial Hospital and Chair of the WHA Board of Directors.
Borgerding’s government relations career in Wisconsin spans nearly 40 years. At WHA since January 2002, he was named President and CEO in 2015.
“Representing Wisconsin’s hospitals and health systems and working so closely with the dedicated people who lead and staff them has been a privilege for which I am immensely grateful,” Borgerding said. “I am also very proud of the talented team that has come together at WHA over many years. It is an honor to work beside such outstanding colleagues and friends, especially now as one of them, Kyle O’Brien, prepares to take the reins.”
O’Brien brings 15 years of experience in government relations and advocacy to the top WHA post. He was recruited by Borgerding in 2012 to join WHA as vice president, government relations and was promoted to senior vice president in 2015.
“Under Eric’s leadership, the WHA team has focused on serving our members with credible knowledge and strategic advocacy,” said O’Brien. “During my tenure at WHA I’ve walked the halls of countless hospitals, oftentimes alongside state lawmakers, witnessing the positive impact hospitals have on the people of Wisconsin. There is no other industry I’d rather represent with a talented WHA team that includes some of the brightest healthcare policy minds in the state.”
O’Brien began his career in Wisconsin politics working for several members of the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate, including staffing the state’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. Prior to joining WHA, O’Brien served under Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith and Deputy Secretary Kitty Rhoades as the Legislative Advisor.
