The promotion recognizes Lokenauth’s financial leadership, contributions to enterprise transformation, commitment to disciplined financial stewardship and the academic health system’s commitment to developing leaders from within as the system continues to grow.

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tampa General Hospital (TGH) announced today that Lijah Lokenauth, CPA, CFE, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 4, 2027. Lokenauth, who currently serves as senior vice president of finance, will oversee the financial strategy and operations supporting Tampa General’s long-term sustainability and strategic priorities as Florida’s premier academic health system, helping ensure the resources, financial discipline and long-term planning needed to advance its mission.

The promotion reflects Tampa General’s commitment to developing leaders from within while ensuring continuity in its financial leadership. Since joining TGH in 2018, Lokenauth has assumed increasingly complex responsibilities and helped strengthen the financial systems and decision-making capabilities supporting the academic health system. His work has included financial reporting, decision-support and productivity management improvements, as well as partnerships with clinical and operational leaders. Working closely with his predecessor, Mark Runyon, he has helped position the organization for its next phase of financial and strategic leadership.

“Lijah is a steady, collaborative and highly respected leader who has earned this opportunity through his accomplishments, skill, and his strategic collaborative approach to his work and supporting his colleagues,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center | Tampa General. “He has demonstrated sound judgment under pressure, a willingness to take on new challenges and a commitment to leading with the professionalism, curiosity, kindness, consistency and initiative that reflect our values. I’ve witnessed his growth firsthand, and I have tremendous confidence in his ability to lead our complex financial operations as we continue to expand access to academic medicine across Florida.”

Lokenauth has worked closely with Couris and Runyon over the past several months to advance several of Tampa General’s key strategic initiatives, including its ambulatory care partnership with Mass General Brigham and the addition of TGH DeSoto to the academic health system earlier this year. These efforts are part of TGH’s broader strategy to expand access to academic medicine and strengthen its network of care throughout the state. His work reflects the importance of aligning financial strategy, disciplined resource allocation and operational priorities as the organization evolves.

Lokenauth began his career at Tampa General as corporate controller in 2018 and subsequently advanced to vice president of accounting and finance before assuming his current role as senior vice president of finance. In that capacity, he oversees the academic health system’s financial operations, including budgeting and financial performance, revenue management and operational optimization across the organization and its affiliated partners.

“I’m grateful for John’s confidence and leadership, the trust Tampa General has placed in me, and Mark’s mentorship and partnership over the years,” said Lokenauth. “What makes this next chapter exciting is not just how much we’ve grown, but the opportunity to build on that progress. As we look ahead, our focus will be on maintaining a strong financial foundation, making disciplined decisions about how we allocate our resources, and positioning the organization to navigate both the opportunities and challenges ahead. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and look forward to continuing that work alongside an exceptional leadership team.”

“It has been a privilege to work alongside Lijah and see his growth as a leader,” said Runyon. “He brings a deep understanding of our organization, a thoughtful and collaborative approach to decision-making, and an unwavering commitment to our vision of becoming the safest and most innovative academic health system in America. Lijah is exceptionally well prepared for this role, and his promotion reflects both his accomplishments and the confidence we have in his ability to guide Tampa General’s financial strategy into the future.”

Prior to joining Tampa General, Lokenauth held financial leadership responsibilities at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he led internal controls and finance teams and worked with operational leaders to advance financial stewardship initiatives that strengthened reporting and resulted in multimillion-dollar savings.

Lokenauth earned a Bachelor of Arts in accounting and information systems, with honors in business and liberal arts, from Queens College at the City University of New York. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and certified fraud examiner (CFE). In 2018, he was selected to participate in the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants’ Leadership Academy. Lokenauth was named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2023 40 Under 40 class and recognized as a 2023 Up & Comer by Tampa Bay Business & Wealth.

As part of the planned leadership transition, Runyon will assume the role of executive vice president of executive special projects, reporting directly to Couris. Runyon, who joined Tampa General in early 2020, has helped guide the academic health system through a period of significant growth and financial transformation. His leadership has included navigating the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising more than $1.2 billion in capital through bond financing, securing a credit rating upgrade and modernizing systemwide financial reporting.

“Mark has been an invaluable partner and trusted adviser during some of the most significant moments in Tampa General’s history and in the process has become a dear friend,” Couris said. “His contributions have strengthened our financial position and helped prepare our organization for the future. This transition reflects the strength of that partnership and the importance of thoughtful succession planning. I’m grateful that Mark will continue lending his expertise and leadership to TGH.”

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, Florida’s premier academic health system, is a 1,530-bed not-for-profit network of hospital and outpatient services spanning Florida. As the only center for Level I trauma and a comprehensive burn care center serving 23 counties, Tampa General delivers world-class care. The system’s hospitals include Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Rehabilitation Hospital, Tampa General Behavioral Health Hospital, all in Tampa; Tampa General Brooksville, Tampa General Spring Hill and Tampa General Crystal River. Tampa General is the highest-ranked hospital in Tampa Bay in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Hospitals for 11 consecutive years, with five medical specialties ranking among the top 50, two additional medical specialties ranked among the top 100 best hospital programs and two specialties ranked in the top 10% in the United States. As the first hospital in Florida to open a clinical command center for real-time situational awareness, the academic health system has elevated its digital care coordination center to the next level by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and its analytics platform across inpatient and outpatient care to ensure patients receive leading-edge care as quickly and safely as possible. Tampa General’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by four prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — in the 2026 America’s Best Large Employers ranked as the Tampa Bay region’s #1 employer in the healthcare category for the sixth year in a row, the 2026 America’s Best Employers for Company Culture, in the top 100 for the 2026 America’s Best Employers for New Grads and the 2026 America’s Best Employers for Women.

Tampa General is the area’s safety-net hospital, caring for anyone regardless of ability to pay; in fiscal year 2024, Tampa General provided a net community benefit of approximately $289.1 million in the form of healthcare for underinsured patients, community education and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is recognized as one of the leading adult solid organ transplant centers in the nation and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General transports critically injured or ill patients from surrounding counties to receive the advanced care their conditions require. Tampa General has a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It is home to the Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General’s footprint includes TGH North, which consists of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties; Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices; TGH Family Care Center Kennedy; TGH outpatient centers; TGH Virtual Health; and TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care, powered by the Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Assistant Manager
Publications & Physician Communications
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
ehardy@tgh.org

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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital