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LifeBridge Health Names Jennifer Nickoles CEO in Planned 2026 Transition

The Johns Hopkins Bayview president brings decades of operational experience to a phased leadership handoff.

Overview

  • Nickoles will begin on March 1, 2026, while current CEO Neil Meltzer remains through June 2026 before retiring after 13 years.
  • She becomes the first woman to lead LifeBridge Health since the system’s founding in 1998.
  • Nickoles currently serves as president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and has spent about three decades at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  • During the COVID-19 response, she helped stand up and operate the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital and later served on its oversight committee.
  • Meltzer cited her focus on community health, digital solutions and workforce support as strengths for the system’s next chapter.