In June 2018, UnityPoint Health® – Des Moines announced the appointment of David Stark as the new president and chief executive officer.
“On behalf of the UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Board of Directors and myself, I am very pleased to announce David as the new president and CEO for our organization,” says Brad Brody, chair of the UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Board of Directors. “David is an outstanding leader who knows and understands our mission and our community. I am confident that he is the right person to lead UnityPoint Health – Des Moines during this time of change in health care.”
Stark began working at UnityPoint Health – Des Moines in 1995. Since that time, he has held multiple positions throughout the organization including Chief Operating Officer at Iowa Lutheran Hospital; President and Chief Operating Officer for Blank Children’s Hospital; and most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for UnityPoint Health – Des Moines.
Stark is actively involved in the community as well serving on a number of boards including Iowa Public Television, YMCA, Principal Charity Classic, Dowling Catholic Foundation and American Heart Association to name a few. In addition, he served as founding board member for the ACHE Chapter of Iowa and is an active member of DMAM Rotary.
A rigorous, national search process resulted in a large response from many qualified candidates. “We narrowed the field down to several outstanding candidates, from both inside and outside of UnityPoint Health. David was set apart by his commitment to our mission and his passion to advance our collective efforts to become a national leader in health care. I know that David will step into this role and immediately begin work to improve, grow and innovate health care here in Central Iowa,” says Kevin Vermeer, President and CEO of UnityPoint Health.
Born and raised in Iowa, Stark holds a Master’s of Arts in Hospital and Health Administration from The University of Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management with an emphasis in Operations from Iowa State University in Ames. He and his wife, Becky, have four children, Kira, Ainsley, Cael and Marin.
“I am honored to have been selected as the next leader for UnityPoint Health – Des Moines,” said Stark. “I care so deeply for the people and the work we do here. I am ready to get started and cannot wait to see what great things we can accomplish as we move forward and continue our mission of caring for our community.”
