Matt Hanley, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), brings more than two decades of clinical, operational, and executive experience to one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. From his early days as an emergency medicine physician to senior leadership roles across major health systems, Dr. Hanley has built a career defined by purpose, humility, and a commitment to delivering exceptional care at scale. Today, he leads NGHS through a period of rapid transformation, strengthening its culture, expanding its reach, and positioning the organization to thrive amid unprecedented growth.
In this episode of the Impactful Leaders Podcast, host and Senior Partner Dan Young invites Dr. Hanley to reflect on the experiences that have shaped his leadership journey—from private practice in Virginia to major system roles at Atrium Health, SSM Health, and Navvis. Although his career path appears expansive and intentional in retrospect, Dr. Hanley emphasizes that purpose—not planning—has been his true north. As he shares, “The thing that motivates me the most… is meaningful purpose.” This grounding continues to influence how he thinks about culture, people, and the responsibility of leading at scale.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Hanley describes the pivotal moments that pushed him toward leadership: unexpected transitions, challenging environments, and mentors who saw potential he had not yet recognized in himself. Those early experiences, he explains, “lit the fire,” giving him exposure to operations, quality, safety, and system-level change at a pace he compares to “being back in residency.” His time in both community and academic settings, as well as his work in value-based care, gave him a holistic understanding of how healthcare systems function—and why physician leadership matters.
Now at the helm of NGHS, Dr. Hanley discusses the unique moment the organization is experiencing. What was once a single-hospital system has rapidly expanded to six hospitals with a vast ambulatory footprint, serving one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. He describes NGHS as “a precocious teenager” undergoing a major growth spurt, ready to take its place on a larger stage. Looking ahead, his vision centers on three differentiators: delivering excellent everyday care, becoming a best place to work grounded in agency and reduced friction, and stewarding NGHS into one of Georgia’s best-run systems—all with a relentless focus on what matters most to patients and communities. It is leadership rooted in purpose, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to service – all of which keep the fire burning for Dr. Hanley.
