Barton Health fires CFO after 7 months

By Kathryn Reed

Steve Neff, chief financial officer of Barton Health, was fired today.

Neff had been on the job since August.

Steve Neff

“He got fired today. I’m not at liberty to give all the reasons behind that,” Kirk Ledbetter, chairman of the board, told Lake Tahoe News. “It was something the leaders at Barton felt was appropriate.” Ledbetter sent a memo Wednesday letting the rest of the board know what was going on.

The CFO reports to the chief executive officer. Only the CEO reports to the board.

CEO John Williams was not available Wednesday afternoon. However, the morning of March 11 he sent an email to staff saying Neff had been terminated.

Mindi Befu, spokeswoman for the South Lake Tahoe-based healthcare organization, told Lake Tahoe News because it’s a personnel issue the reasons for Neff’s firing could not be disclosed, but added that the terms of his contract were followed.

Befu would not say what Neff’s salary was. His predecessor was making about $400,000 a year.

Neff joined Barton after Dick Derby, who had the position for 14 years, retired last summer. Before coming to Tahoe Neff had been a partner with Renaissance Healthcare Partners in Massachusetts for 17 months. He has been in health care for more than 30 years, with 14 of them in leadership positions.

At the time he was hired, Williams in a statement said, “We look forward to his experience and leadership in the coming years.”

Recruiting for another CFO will begin in the next month. Ledbetter expects the board to be updated on matters at the March 26 meeting.