Retiring Lee Health CEO Antonucci Reflects on Succession as Spence Prepares to Take Helm
Larry Antonucci, MD, president and CEO of Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health, used a retirement reflection published by Becker's Hospital Review on Sept. 18, 2026, to argue that succession planning should be an ongoing leadership responsibility rather than a task triggered by a retirement announcement.
Antonucci said he is confident in Lee Health's future as Ben Spence, MHA, prepares to take over the top role. He noted that Spence, like him, has spent decades at the health system and shares an appreciation for its teams, patients and community, and said he expects Spence to lead differently rather than replicate prior CEOs.
In his account, the system's strength derives from its people and culture rather than any single leader. He pointed to developing future leaders, giving staff room to take on responsibility and make decisions, and building systems and processes that do not depend on one individual as elements of preparing an organization for transition.
Antonucci also cited evolving community needs, changing care delivery technology and rising expectations from patients and team members as pressures the next leader will face. The piece was published as a first-person perspective, and no financial or operational details about the transition were disclosed.