Wendy Lincoln, MBA, MSN, RN, FACHE, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Ascension Sacred Heart Bay, effective Jan. 4, 2027.
Lincoln brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience in hospital operations, clinical quality, patient safety and workforce development. She has served as vice president and chief nursing officer at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore since April 2024 and previously served as interim chief operating officer at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“Wendy brings a strong record of improving hospital performance while supporting the teams who care for our patients,” said Robin Godwin, president and CEO of Ascension Sacred Heart Bay. “Her experience in both clinical care and hospital operations will be valuable as we continue strengthening services and meeting the needs of our growing community.”
At Ascension Saint Agnes, she oversees nursing, pharmacy, respiratory care, quality, regulatory compliance and cardiovascular services. During her tenure, the hospital went 18 consecutive months with no central line-associated bloodstream infections and no catheter-associated urinary tract infections. She helped cut the time emergency department patients waited for an inpatient bed by more than 25% and improved operating room efficiency.
She established a nursing internship program that recruited more than 100 patient care technicians, 85% of whom went on to become registered nurses. Changes she made to staffing practices reduced reliance on contract labor, which improved nursing retention and lowered labor costs.
Lincoln has held executive leadership positions at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas; Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg, where she was chief nursing officer; and Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Nevada. She earned an MBA in healthcare administration from Western Governors University, a master’s degree in nursing from Loyola University New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Armstrong Atlantic State University. She is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
