Mr. Russell F. Cox

Mr. Russell F. Cox lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. Cox assumed his current position of CEO ofNorton Healthcare on Jan. 1, 2017. He joined Norton Healthcare in September 2000 as vice president of support services. He was appointed senior vice president, operations and development, in October 2002; executive vice president in September 2004; and executive vice president and chief operating officer in September 2005. Mr. Cox has more than 38 years of executive experience in health care. Before joining Norton Healthcare, he spent six years as executive director of resource operations at Caritas Health Services in Louisville. Before that, he worked for Humana Inc., Galen Healthcare and Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., in various executive roles, including human resources, development and acquisitions, and operations support.

Mr. Cox is active in the community by serving on various nonprofit and volunteer boards. He currently serves as chair of the Bellarmine University Board of Trustees and is a member of its Executive Committee; Kentucky Chamber Board of Trustees; chair-elect Greater Louisville, Inc. Board of Trustees; Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, LHCC, Inc.; Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents; and Simmons College of Kentucky’s Kerner Commission 2.0. He previously served on the Downtown Development Corporation Board as treasurer and member of its Executive Committee; Kentucky Country Day School Board of Trustees as board chair and member of its Executive Committee; and as past chair of the Leadership Louisville Foundation Board. In 2018, he was honored by the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana with the “Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout” award. In 2019, he was named one of the Most Admired CEOs in the Louisville area by Louisville Business First. In 2020, he was inducted into the Kentuckiana Business Hall of Fame; and in 2021, he was named a Health Care Heroes Health Equity Champion by Louisville Business First.

Mr. Cox earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development. He also attended the Vanderbilt University Owen School of Management in Nashville, Tennessee, and completed the requirements for certification from its Executive Development Institute. Mr. Cox was appointed to replace Dr. Gail Henson, whose term had expired. He will serve a six-year term that expires in 2027.