Life Link III, a not-for-profit critical care transport provider operating in Minnesota and Wisconsin, has named Josh Howell as its next CEO. Howell, who currently serves as the VP of strategy and business optimisation for the company, will succeed Steve Sterner on 2 August. Sterner has been the interim CEO for the organisation since 2019.

This appointment comes at a pivotal time for Life Link III, now in its 36th year of service. The company is now operating under its own Part 135 certificate and continues to experience substantial growth as it responds to the increasing air medical needs for its region and surrounding communities. Howell will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to achieve the organisation's objectives in alignment with the company's mission, vision and values.

“In his career both at Life Link III and within the air medical industry, Josh has an extraordinary track record that made him the ideal candidate for this position,” states board chairman Jim Leste. “He possesses the right combination of industry knowledge, strong communication and strategic and operational awareness to not only pursue our current growth plans, but to set the vision for Life Link III moving forward. Even more important is that Josh truly values the patient-centric focus of Life Link III and the needs our member-owners, healthcare partners and patients. He has been a key contributor to Life Link III's success, and we look forward to his continued leadership.”

A seasoned healthcare and medical transport executive, Howell brings extensive experience from working with some of the industry's most predominant air medical programmes. Prior to Life Link III, he served as COO for Life Flight Network, COO for San Antonio AirLIFE and a regional business development manager for Air Methods. Prior to his leadership experience, Howell served as a critical care flight paramedic, giving him unique insight to the challenges and opportunities of patient care delivery.

“I am grateful to the Life Link III board of directors for giving me this opportunity to lead Life Link III moving forward,” he says. “Our industry-leading clinical and aviation capabilities, combined with our culture of doing what is best for the patient, allows us to deliver best-in-class patient care and set the standard for air medical transport. I have seen first-hand the incredible impact that this organisation has had on our patients, our partners in healthcare, and communities. I look forward to continuing to focus on our mission of providing safe and effective air medical transport.”

Howell is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, an associate member representative of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Hospital Associations and participates in several industry advisory councils.

As he prepares for this new role, he expressed his gratitude for the exceptional leadership demonstrated by the board of directors and Life Link III's acting interim CEO Sterner: “The Life Link III board of directors has continually supported the vision and strategic growth of Life Link III. It is an honour to have been chosen to succeed Dr. Sterner, who has had an exemplary tenure as interim CEO. Together with our team of dedicated professionals, we are ideally positioned to maintain Life Link III's reputation as an industry leader in the air medical transport industry.”