Richard J. Liekweg

As CEO, Rich oversees the $10 billion health system and the region’s largest employer, with 44,000 employees, 24 hospitals, and hundreds of clinics, service organizations and physician offices in Missouri, southern Illinois and eastern Kansas. BJC Health System serves its Eastern Region as BJC HealthCare, and its Western region as Saint Luke’s Health System.

A prominent health care industry executive with decades of experience leading large, multifaceted academic health care organizations, Rich joined BJC HealthCare in 2009 as president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and group president of BJC HealthCare.

In 2015, he was promoted first to executive vice president and then to president of BJC HealthCare. In 2018, Rich was named BJC HealthCare’s chief executive officer, and in 2024 he became CEO of BJC Health System, the parent organization of the integrated health system comprised of BJC HealthCare in the east and Saint Luke’s in the west.

Prior to joining BJC, from 2003-2009, Rich served as chief executive officer and associate vice chancellor of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center. Before that, he spent nearly two decades at Duke University Health System.

Rich holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and master’s degrees in health services administration and business administration, both from the University of Michigan. He serves on the boards of professional and community organizations including Vizient; Washington University; Cortex; St. Louis Regional Health Commission; Greater St. Louis, Inc.; BioSTL; and Forest Park Forever.