Adventist HealthCare Names Dwayne Leslie as General Counsel

Adventist HealthCare (AHC) has named Dwayne Leslie as its new senior vice president and general counsel, effective January 1, 2024. Leslie currently serves as vice president, deputy general counsel and chief compliance/integrity officer, and replaces Ken DeStefano, who is retiring after serving as general counsel for 25 years.

Leslie holds more than 25 years of legal expertise, drawing on an array of previous roles including working as a health law attorney for international law firms, serving as in-house counsel for health care finance companies, and co-founding a specialty pharmaceutical company. Leslie’s experience also encompasses serving as the director of government affairs at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for eight years. Since joining AHC in 2019, Leslie has served as a legal advisor on a wide range of legal issues and has overseen the health system’s compliance, organizational integrity, internal audit, grants management, and institutional research programs.

“Dwayne’s extensive experience and thoughtful insight has been a blessing over the past four years,” said Terry Forde, president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “I am confident that we will enjoy a seamless transition and that Dwayne will continue our commitment to organizational transparency as we fulfill our mission of extending God’s care through the ministry of physical, mental, and spiritual healing.”

Adventist HealthCare is a comprehensive health system serving the Washington, D.C., region since it was founded in 1907 as the Washington Sanitarium. The system now includes three acute care hospitals, two rehabilitation hospitals, and two community cancer centers along with a full range of imaging and home care services and has established a clinically integrated network of over 2,000 health care providers. Adventist HealthCare also manages the historic Howard University Hospital in the nation’s capital.

“I look forward to supporting Adventist HealthCare’s leadership in making critical decisions on how best to provide hope and healing to our community,” Leslie said. “This is a time where health care is looked at to support whole health and total well-being. Together with my AHC colleagues, I will continue to strive to help our community members have peace of mind in trusting Adventist HealthCare to provide high-quality, compassionate care in their moments of need.”

Leslie earned his undergraduate degree at Andrews University, with honors, and his law degree at University of California, Berkeley, along with management certificates from Harvard and Yale. A lifelong and active member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he resides in Maryland with his wife, Marissa Leslie, a psychiatrist who specializes in treating depression and PTSD in children and adolescents, and their daughter.