Henry C. "Hank" Wagner, president and chief executive officer of Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services (JHHS), has been selected as the 2004 Voice-Tribune Person of the Year in recognition of his contributions in making the Louisville Metro area a better place to live and work.

Wagner was born in Charleston, W.Va., in 1942, and received a master's degree in hospital administration from Duke University in 1966. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1966-68, based at the Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox.

In 1968, he became associate director of University Hospitals of Cleveland, a position he held until 1973, when he became executive vice president of Jewish Hospital in Louisville. Wagner was named president and CEO of the hospital in 1980.

Under his leadership, the organization evolved, and in 1983 Wagner became president and CEO of JHHS, the parent company of a regional health care network providing services in more than 50 locations in Kentucky and southern Indiana.

From his first days in Louisville, he has has been a committed community volunteer serving on numerous boards and civic organizations. Wagner is board chair of the Greater Louisville Fund for the Arts and vice chair of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute Board. He also serves on the boards of the Downtown Development Corp., the Louisville Medical Center Development Corp. and Greater Louisville Inc.

Long devoted to economic development issues, especially those involving the downtown area, Wagner was the founding chair of the Louisville Health Enterprise Network. He served on the boards of the Greater Louisville Economic Development Partnership, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, The Speed Art Museum, the University of Louisville, Spalding University and The Jefferson Club.

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