Attorney Laura Ann Kelly, a founding member of the Morristown-based law firm, Donnelly, Minter & Kelly, will become board of trustees’ chair of the Atlantic Health System, at the end of May. Kelly will succeed Robert E. McCracken, who transitions to the role of immediate past chair. Long-serving trustee Richard W. Herbst will assume the role of vice chair, succeeding Kelly.
Kelly has been an Atlantic Health System trustee since 2014 and has served as vice chair for the board since 2022. She has been chair of the governance committee for the last five years, overseeing trustee recruitment, education and engagement and providing strategic guidance for environmental, social, governance and charitable giving initiatives.
She formerly served as a governing board member for Chilton Medical Center and sat on its community advisory board from 2009 to 2017. Kelly also served as vice chair of the Morris Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and as a trustee of the Center for Hope, Hospice and Palliative Care.
“Our patients and team members are fortunate to have a leader as dedicated and experienced as Laura Ann Kelly at the helm of our Board of Trustees,” said Brian Gragnolati, president and CEO, Atlantic Health System. “For over a decade, it has been my honor to work alongside her to improve the well-being of our broad community. Her insight and sound counsel will strengthen the strategic direction and alignment of our health system for years to come.”
Kelly’s law practice focuses on trust and estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, along with administration and succession planning for closely held businesses. Her expertise in counseling clients on philanthropic goals and nonprofit corporate governance has been utilized during her tenure on the Atlantic Health board.
Kelly’s predecessor, Robert E. McCracken, has been a board member since 2011, and is credited with advancing Atlantic Health’s mission to build healthier communities through his service as governance chair and as chair of the board’s executive committee.
Trustee Richard W. Herbst, who will become vice chair, is president of the private investment firm, Roundtable Investment Partners. He has chaired the board’s audit and compliance committee since 2019.
