The No. 2 executive at WakeMed, one of Wake County's largest private employers, is leaving to run a hospital in Milwaukee.
Deborah G. Friberg joined WakeMed in 1995 and has served as chief operating officer since 2006. The Raleigh-based hospital system has hospital campuses and clinics across Wake County and about 7,700 employees.
She is moving to Columbia St. Mary's in Milwaukee, a health system of four hospitals, 62 clinics, a nursing college and several urgent-care facilities. The system is preparing to open a $500 million hospital that Friberg will oversee as president.
Friberg grew up in the Midwest and the move will put her closer to family, including her mother, who lives in Milwaukee. She will begin her job in Milwaukee on Jan. 11.
“Deb is an exceptional leader and Columbia St. Mary’s is very fortunate to have recruited her,” said WakeMed CEO Bill Atkinson, in a prepared statement.
WakeMed will assign some of Friberg's duties to other executives for now, and plans on hiring a new administrator for its main Raleigh campus. The system has been cutting costs and some jobs as it struggles with increasing volume of uninsured patients and declining fees from government programs.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or 
