The Salem Health Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Rodney Ferguson, of McMinnville, has accepted an appointment to the Salem board. Ferguson brings an extensive background in executive leadership and financial management in his new role.

“Rodney’s leadership skills as the chief executive officer of Spirit Mountain Casino will add value to the Board, as well as his technical skills as a CPA, and his former positions as a chief financial officer and an auditor of hospitals. His experience will complement those of the other members of the board,” said Kenneth Sherman, Jr., Salem Health board chair.

Ferguson is a member of the Board of Directors for Boys and Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties and the McMinnville Area Chamber of Commerce. “I believe that serving on boards and assisting other organizations in achieving their goals is an important role for CEOs,” says Ferguson. “As CEO of Spirit Mountain Casino, the largest employer in Polk County, I feel compelled to assist Salem Health wherever I can add value to the organization that services the community in which I work.”

“I know many people who have experienced exceptional service from Salem Health. My goal is to do whatever I can to assist in ensuring continued quality of service on a consistent basis and help meet the needs of Salem Health.”

Ferguson joined Spirit Mountain Gaming as its CEO in Oct. 2008. Prior to that he held several executive management roles with Isleta Casino and Resort, Hyatt Gaming and Trump Casino Resorts.

In 2003, Ferguson joined Isleta Casino and Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as CFO until he was promoted to the position of general manager in 2005. During his five-plus year tenure at Islets he helped transform a stand-alone casino into a full-service resort that included a 27-hole golf course, family entertainment center with a bowling alley, music park and campground facility, as well as a recently opened four-diamond-level hotel and convention center which won the 2008 Hospy Award for Best Boutique Hotel and Best Hotel Lobby.

Originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, Ferguson began is career in 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as an auditor for Coopers & Lybrand, an international CPA firm. In 1983, he entered the gaming industry in Atlantic City, New Jersey and held various positions in financial management for Harrahs, the Golden Nugget and Trump Plaza, prior to staring an accounting practice in 1991. In 1994 he returned to gaming in New Orleans as CFO for River City Casino. From 1995 through 1999 he served as CFO for Trump Casino and Hyatt’s Grand Victoria Casino & Resort, both located in Indiana. From 1999 to 2003 he provided financial and accounting services for Jefferson Wells International in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served as a sole practitioner in Newport News, Virginia.

Ferguson received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Virginia State University in 1978, after which he became a certified public accountant in 1982. He is a CPA (non-active) and a member of the New Jersey Society of CPAs.

All members of the Salem Health Board of Trustees are volunteers and serve three-year terms. The board provides overall policy setting for the health system, and is ultimately responsible for the quality of care and the financial well-being of the organization. The Salem Health board of trustees appoints members from a variety of backgrounds to ensure a broad representation of experience and skills.