New executive leadership bring strength to West Jefferson Medical Center during unprecedented time

Marrero, LA – West Jefferson Medical Center is pleased to have welcomed new executive leadership to our hospital family over the last several months—leadership that we need now more than ever. Eli Smith joined us as our new Chief Operating Officer, and Jay Pennisson as our new Chief Financial Officer. Both have been contributing their strong leadership and operational experience, helping to move our hospital through these challenging times.

Eli is an accomplished healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in overseeing hospital operations, physician recruitment and strategic planning for many hospitals and health systems across the country.

He most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer for LCMC Health, after serving as Vice President of Business Development at University Medical Center New Orleans. In his previous roles, he was responsible for leading operational improvement efforts and consolidating physician practice management functions to enhance the patient experience.

Eli holds a Masters of Business Administration from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Corporate Communication from The University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Jay joins us as an accomplished healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in financial oversight of healthcare systems and facilities across the country.

He most recently served as Group Chief Financial Officer for Brookwood Baptist Health System and Chief Financial Officer of Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. In his previous roles, Jay was responsible for leading strategic financial planning and implementing revenue cycle related initiatives to improve the financial performance of multiple organizations.

Jay earned his Master of Business Administration from Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Louisiana State University. He is an active member of Healthcare Financial Management Association and is a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional honored by the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

“We are thrilled to have both Eli and Jay as members of our hospital family, especially during this unprecedented time for our hospital and our community,” said Rob Calhoun, Chief Executive Officer of West Jefferson Medical Center. “They bring a wealth of executive leadership experience, and their operational and financial expertise has been and will continue to be of tremendous benefit to the future of our hospital.”