Edgar J. Curtis retired as President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Health at the end of March 2025, after serving in that role since 2008. He led the Springfield-based health system through a period of transformational growth, guiding its strategic direction and advancing its mission to deliver comprehensive health services across central Illinois.
Curtis began his career at Memorial in 1975 as a registered nurse and held a variety of progressive administrative roles during his nearly five-decade tenure. He is a Lifetime Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a past chair of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) Board, a past member of the BJC Collaborative board, and currently chairs the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance.
In 2019, he was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees. He has also served on the Illinois Board of Higher Education Commission on the Future of the Workforce and the advisory board of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing.
A dedicated civic leader, Curtis is a past chair of the boards of the Springfield Urban League, United Way of Central Illinois, and Central Illinois Foodbank. His contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including his induction into the Lanphier High School Hall of Fame in 2004, being named a Grassroots Champion by the American Hospital Association in 2015, receiving the Order of Lincoln from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in 2019, and the Railsplitter Public Service Award in 2023.
A lifelong resident of Springfield, Curtis earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he was inducted into the School of Nursing Alumni Hall of Fame, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Illinois Springfield.
In recognition of his extraordinary leadership, Memorial Health’s Board of Trustees established the Edgar J. Curtis Leadership Endowment Fund to support the development of future healthcare leaders. More than $1.7 million was contributed by 57 charter members in his honor. The organization’s learning facility was also renamed the Edgar J. Curtis Memorial Learning Center in recognition of his pivotal role in shaping Memorial’s learning culture.