[UPDATED] Executive Exodus Continues at Broward Health

By Thomas Francis Tue., Feb. 23 2010 at 3:32 PM

Categories: Broward, Business, Health, Politics

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Dawn Javersack

Chief Financial Officer Dawn Javersack is the latest member of the Broward Health executive staff to tender her resignation, following last month's power shift on the hospital district's board. On Friday, Javersack gave a one-month notice. She will be joining Boca Community Hospital, according to an email announcement by CEO Frank Nask, who expressed appreciation for Javersack's "high degree of integrity."

But despite those well wishes, there's talk that Javersack had grown frustrated by the influence that Nask's friend, Deborah Breen, had exerted over the CFO's position. Breen, the district's vice president of financial operations, had acted as interim CFO for much of 2008.

"She couldn't take it anymore -- Debbie Breen was overriding everything [Javersack] was doing," says a Broward Health employee who requested anonymity. "She was totally powerless."

There were signs in the Juice comments field that Javersack's days were numbered, like this comment by "Dr. B" on Jan. 26:

How can a great CFO like Javersack do any good (which I know she can) when her boss is carpooling with the real decision maker (aka the real CFO Breen). The administrator at the district have their hands tied; no wait a minute, have their hands super glued, chained and pretty much useless under the current regime.

In January, Commissioner Robert Bernstein had placed an item on the board's agenda demanding answers for how Breen was allowed to keep the bigger of two pay raises she received while serving as interim CFO. But that meeting was delayed after two commissioners supportive of Nask didn't attend. The next day, Gov. Charlie Crist removed Bernstein from the board, along with Commissioner Dan Gordon, and the agenda item was removed.

Another executive who is said to have clashed with Nask, Coral Springs Medical Center CEO Patrick Maloney, resigned earlier this month.

District spokesperson Sara Howley says that Nask does not have a permanent replacement for Javersack in mind but says that the job has already been posted.

Update: Howley conveyed to Haversack my question about whether her departure was related to any difficulty in dealing with Nask and Breen. Javersack wrote this response:

I have accepted the CFO position at Boca Raton Community Hospital as it presents a new challenge and the opportunity to work with the new CEO, who is a former colleague of mine. My experience at Broward Health has been a positive one and I feel privileged to have been part of the management team for such a fine organization.

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