Murphy’s Former Chief of Staff Joins RWJBarnabas

On Sep 29, 2023

George Helmy, who last week announced he was leaving his post as chief of staff for Gov. Phil Murphy, has joined RWJBarnabas Health as executive vice president, chief external affairs and policy officer. Additionally, the healthcare system has named Marcie Ordowich as chief operating officer for the RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group.

Helmy will oversee RWJBarnabas Health’s interactions with all federal, state and local governments, governmental agencies and associates, chiefly managing regulatory issues and developing and executing cross-divisional governmental relations strategies. Helmy will also serve as a key senior strategic advisor on policy matters, as well as the health system’s relationships with key external stakeholders.

“I can think of no more respected policy leader in our region than George Helmy, and we are incredibly pleased to have him join our team,” said Mark E. Manigan, president and CEO for RWJBarnabas. “His depth of knowledge on a wide variety of issues facing our state is unparalleled, and we recognize that his contributions to advancing our mission of service to our patients and community will be significant.”

Expressing his well wishes, Gov. Murphy commented, “You cannot write the history of this administration without recognizing George’s deep commitment and leadership over the past four and half years.”

Before assuming the position of chief of staff in 2019, Helmy served as state director to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, serving on the senator’s senior staff and overseeing the day-to-day operations of his New Jersey offices. Prior to that, he worked as the senator’s state office deputy chief of staff for two years.

Helmy has also worked in the private sector with two Fortune 100 companies and served as an aide to the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, handling issues such as gun safety and financial affairs. A native of Jersey City, Helmy received his Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and Master’s degree from Harvard University.

With over 17 years of experience as an innovative and collaborative health system executive, Marcie Ordowich brings a wealth of expertise to the RWJBarnabas Health team in her new role as COO for the RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group.

“We welcome Marcie to the organization and know that her rich experience in complex academic health systems will help us to achieve our goals of positioning our medical group as leaders not only in New Jersey, but nationally,” said Manigan.

Ordowich will play a pivotal role to advance the system’s efforts to establish a fully integrated multi-specialty, multi-faceted – community-based and academic – medical group structure, further the growth and performance of the health system through improved operations of the group and support our service line strategy in partnership with leaders throughout RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health.

Her career is marked by her remarkable achievements at esteemed institutions including Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System and NYC Health + Hospitals. Most recently, she served as vice president, service line operations at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System where she led pivotal initiatives, shaping the operational landscape and ensuring the highest standards of healthcare delivery. Her dynamic leadership and innovative strategies have been instrumental in propelling her organizations forward.

Ordowich earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from CUNY Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Georgetown University. She is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).

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