Ballad Health Leader David Lester Honored with Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association “Excellence in Governance” Award

Award recognizes Lester’s decades of service strengthening healthcare access in Virginia

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) has recognized David Lester with the 2025 Excellence in Governance Award for his decades of leadership, strategic vision and commitment to strengthening rural healthcare across Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

Lester, a Bristol, Va. business leader and long-time healthcare governance champion, currently serves on the Ballad Health Board of Directors. He previously served on the Wellmont Health System Board, where he chaired the Strategic Options Committee and played a key role in guiding Wellmont and Mountain States Health Alliance through a complex and historic merger that formed Ballad Health in 2018.

“This recognition truly belongs to the boards, teams and leaders I’ve been fortunate to work with — people who care deeply about their neighbors and never lose sight of why we do this work,” said Lester in his acceptance remarks. “I’m deeply grateful to VHHA for this honor and to Ballad Health for its ongoing commitment to strong governance that puts community first.”

During his governance tenure at Ballad Health, Lester has helped ensure that patient care remains accessible in rural communities by supporting investments in essential services, quality improvements and innovative workforce development strategies. He’s also been instrumental in advancing philanthropic partnerships. Lester helped secure one of the largest charitable gifts ever made to Niswonger Children’s Hospital, which enabled major expansions in neonatal and pediatric specialty care.

“David is one of the most thoughtful, principled and community-centered board leaders I have worked with in my career,” said Alan Levine, Chairman and CEO of Ballad Health. “His leadership has helped transform what healthcare looks like in our region. Today, more patients are surviving trauma, more babies are receiving the highest level of neonatal care and more families have access to essential services. Our hospitals are stronger, more advanced and better able to attract world-class clinicians because of David’s leadership.”

“David’s steady conviction has always stood out,” said Eric Deaton, Chief Operating Officer of Ballad Health and former VHHA Board Chair, who presented the award. “Families have better access to care and hospitals remain anchors in our communities because David had the courage to stay focused on the long-term good.”

For more than 40 years, Lester has been a respected business and civic leader in Southwest Virginia, including as a senior officer and shareholder of the Nicewonder Group. His board service has spanned major nonprofit and educational institutions such as Emory & Henry University, where he was honored for advancing economic development and improving the lives of people across the region.

The VHHA Excellence in Governance Award is presented annually to a board member of a Virginia health system who demonstrates outstanding dedication to healthcare governance and improving community well-being.

“I’ve been blessed to see what can happen when people put community above politics and purpose above ego,” added Lester. “It’s humbling and inspiring to be a part of that work.”