Kenneth Kozel

President and CEO, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health

Kenneth Kozel joined UM Shore Regional Health in October 2011 as president and CEO. Kozel is a proven leader with an extensive background in building and managing collaborative teams, overseeing multiple clinical and nonclinical divisions and departments, and achieving strategic objectives. He brings extensive expertise in strategic, operational, fiscal and programmatic planning to support the mission of UM SRH.

Prior to assuming the leadership of UM SRH, Kozel served Upper Chesapeake Health as president overseeing Harford Memorial Hospital and Upper Chesapeake Medical Center.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?

The most important lesson I’ve learned is the importance of building and maintaining relationships. So much about health care revolves around change. In order to effectively adapt, manage, anticipate and define change, you need to understand the subject matter, listen to your community and work collaboratively with colleagues and partners to navigate change successfully. One key ingredient which promotes success is strong relationships. With strong relationships, everything is possible.

Who have been the biggest mentors in your career?

The biggest mentors in my career include my parents, who worked in health care and taught me the importance of being a servant leader, former CEO’s and board chairs who believed in me, trusted in me and provided me with opportunities to excel, and those physicians and leaders who took the time to teach, coach and help me throughout my professional journey.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Power 100 list for 2022. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com or in our digital edition.