Russ Keene is an accomplished nonprofit leader with 30 years of executive experience, now offering Interim Executive services to organizations undergoing leadership transitions. With a distinguished career in healthcare leadership, Russ served as president and CEO of Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, NH, for nearly 20 years. He later became the president of North Country Healthcare, overseeing a collaborative network of four hospitals in New Hampshire’s North Country. Additionally, Russ was the executive project manager for The Doorways-NH, a critical initiative aimed at addressing the state’s opioid crisis. For the last five years, Russ served as President and CEO of HealthFirst Family Care Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC). During his tenure, he expanded the number of health center locations from two to four, thus increasing access to quality primary and behavioral health care in the region, and was awarded the prestigious Healthcare Business of the Year award in New Hampshire in 2024, just before his semi-retirement.
Russ is a seasoned nonprofit leader with extensive experience across a variety of organizations, including not-for-profit hospitals, FQHCs, primary care practices, home health agencies, and state government. He has a proven track record in strategic planning and has played a key role in numerous hospital mergers, home health agency integrations, and primary care practice consolidations. Known for his ability to build consensus and foster cultural advancements, Russ has earned a reputation as a transformative leader. With a diverse skill set, including experience as a CFO, COO, and CEO, Russ is uniquely equipped to elevate organizational performance, identify challenges, and diagnose critical issues that impact growth and success.
An example of his most proud accomplishments includes being the visionary behind North Country Healthcare, which found $7MM in savings in 18 months. In rural New Hampshire, providing quality healthcare locally has become an extreme challenge over the last two decades. Attracting the best talent was equally challenging, and having access to state-of-the-art technology was fiscally impossible. A vision was developed to shape rural New Hampshire’s healthcare for decades to come by allowing the four major hospitals in the distinct area to share resources, increase the buying and negotiating power of the organizations, and provide affordable best-in-class healthcare locally that could be sustained in the future. This success was the culmination of a two-year process. It included convincing four previously competitive service areas to join forces to meet the challenges of a fluid healthcare environment. In addition, he worked tirelessly with regulations to receive approval for the system to move forward.
With a wealth of experience in the healthcare industry, Russ brings a unique skill set to help organizations navigate leadership transitions and thrive in today’s competitive healthcare market. He served four years in the United States Air Force and received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA from Plymouth State University.
Russ and his wife, Edwina, have two adult sons and 5 grandchildren.