Cooper Appoints Kevin M. O’Dowd to Senior Executive Leadership Team

On Nov 14, 2014

Governor Chris Christie’s chief of staff, Kevin M. O’Dowd, Esq., has been appointed Cooper University Health Care’s senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer. O’Dowd, who will work directly with Cooper’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Adrienne Kirby, PhD, brings more than 17 years of executive management and legal experience to Cooper as part of the senior executive management team. Serving in senior leadership and policy-making positions in both state and federal government, O’Dowd has managed large organizations and staffs. O’Dowd’s responsibilities at Cooper will include business and organizational development including the MD Anderson Cooper partnership and the AmeriHealth New Jersey relationship. O’Dowd will also oversee marketing, human resources, compliance oversight and corporate real estate and development. O’Dowd will join Cooper in January 2015.

“Kevin’s proven track record of strong management, development and implementation of strategic plans, as well as improving organization performance and productivity, will make him an invaluable member of Cooper’s senior executive leadership team and the continued growth of the MD Anderson Cooper partnership,” said Dr. Kirby. “His proven track record of leading large organizations will be extremely important as Cooper continues its expansion of programs and services throughout the region.”

Before joining Cooper, O’Dowd served in the Cabinet of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, most recently as chief of staff since January 2012. O’Dowd also previously served as deputy chief counsel to Governor Christie. Prior to joining the Christie Administration in 2010, O’Dowd served as the chief of the Securities and Healthcare Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. During O’Dowd’s seven-year tenure, he served as an assistant United States attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted cases ranging from complex health care, securities and financial fraud, international child pornography distribution, cyber crime and narcotics trafficking. O’Dowd also served as the chair of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Healthcare Fraud Task Force, which comprised the leading federal and state healthcare fraud investigators and prosecutors in the State of New Jersey.

While at the Department of Justice, O’Dowd earned an impeccable reputation for his work and integrity. O’Dowd was a frequent panelist and speaker on health care fraud and compliance matters. O’Dowd received numerous awards and honors from federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and United States Secret Service. O’Dowd was twice awarded the prestigious Integrity Award from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Award for Excellence from the United States President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency. In 2012, Seton Hall University School of Law presented O’Dowd with the St. Thomas More Medal for his distinguished public service and outstanding contributions to the law and the community.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2003, O’Dowd served as deputy attorney general for the State of New Jersey. In that position, O’Dowd’s responsibilities included providing legal counsel to the New Jersey Department of Health. O’Dowd also served as assistant counsel in the Office of Counsel to the Governor. He received his B.A. from The Catholic University of America and his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in 1997.

“Over the past decade, Cooper has quickly and dramatically expanded the scope and quality of services it provides, including the recent investment we made in AmeriHealth New Jersey and expanding partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center,” said George E. Norcross, III, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cooper. “This year, Cooper University Health Care will surpass $1 billion in revenue. Kevin, with his management experience and leadership skills, is the perfect choice to help us manage and continue this growth. We are all excited that he is joining us and look forward to his leadership and talents to help us provide world-class care to the people of the entire tri-state region.”

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