Bill Downey has over four decades of experience in the healthcare industry and has established himself as a prominent leader in the field. He has served as President and CEO of Lewis-Gale Medical Center, and as CEO of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. In 2012, Bill was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Riverside Health System. Then, in 2023, he took on the role of Executive Vice Chairman and Special Advisor to the Riverside Health System Board.

Bill’s leadership extends beyond Riverside into numerous community organizations. He has served as a Board member for Christopher Newport University, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., the Hampton Roads Economic Development Authority, and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. He is also a past chair of the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, the Virginia Living Museum, and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. Currently, he contributes to the Hampton Roads Executive Roundtable, the Virginia Business Council, Team Virginia, and TowneBank-Peninsula. Bill has also been a past chairman and is an active member of An Achievable Dream and the Greater Peninsula NOW.

Bill has been recognized for his contributions to the community with several awards. In 2018, he was honored at the Peninsula Humanitarian Awards by the Peninsula Chapter of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities for promoting respect and understanding among diverse groups. In 2020, he received the Community Builders award from the Hampton Roads Community Action Program and the Lifetime Service and Achievement Award from the VCU Department of Health Administration. More recently, Bill was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Leaders Award by the Urban League of Hampton Roads and the Citizen of the Year award by the Virginia Peninsula Chamber.