Quality Insights names Aaron Spurlock as next CEO

Quality Insights will elevate Chief Operating Officer Aaron Spurlock to president and CEO in February 2027 after a unanimous board vote. Current CEO Sven Berg will stay on through the transition as the nonprofit looks to preserve continuity across its health improvement programs. Why it matters: - Quality Insights is keeping leadership in-house at a time when the nonprofit serves medically vulnerable patients across federal and state health programs. - The transition is designed to protect continuity for staff, partners, contracts and patients while the organization moves toward its 2031 strategy. What happened: - Quality Insights named Aaron Spurlock, MS, FACHE, as its next president and chief executive officer, effective February 2027. - The board of directors approved the succession plan unanimously earlier this year. - Spurlock currently serves as chief operating officer and has spent 18 years with the Charleston, West Virginia-based nonprofit. - Sven Berg, the outgoing president and CEO, will remain engaged through February 2027 during the handoff. The details: - Berg joined Quality Insights 15 years ago and has led the organization as president and CEO for the past 10 years. - Berg said his retirement follows a planned succession process. - Spurlock has been a central architect of the organization’s current strategic direction and its process for integrating partner and customer feedback. - As COO, Spurlock introduced design thinking into operations and helped launch the Thinkspace rural health innovation studio. - Spurlock also supported the rollout of the 5 Steps to 5 Stars Quality Improvement Program and AwardCE, the organization’s jointly accredited continuing education service. - Spurlock guided development of The Quality Insights Way, the organization’s strategic plan through 2031. - Spurlock holds a fellowship in the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a native West Virginian. - He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in business management from Marshall University and a Master of Science in strategic leadership from Mountain State University. - Quality Insights said its programs, contracts and leadership team remain unchanged during the transition. Between the lines: - The board is signaling that continuity and internal succession matter more than a broader search. - The choice also reflects a bet on Spurlock’s existing relationships with partner and national stakeholder organizations. - Board Chair Paul T. Conway, a kidney patient and former state health leader, framed the decision as a strategic move to maintain momentum and align leadership with the organization’s mission. What’s next: - Spurlock will assume the CEO role in February 2027. - Berg will work alongside Spurlock until then to support staff, partners and the communities Quality Insights serves. - Quality Insights is expected to continue its work in VA quality improvement, CMS-contracted End-Stage Renal Disease Networks across 17 states, Washington, D.C. and two U.S. territories, and other programs including AwardCE, Thinkspace and 5 Steps to 5 Stars. The bottom line: - Quality Insights is executing a planned leadership handoff that keeps its strategy, programs and relationships intact while preparing for a new CEO.