Common Ground Health-Rochester RHIO Announces Leadership Changes

Common Ground Health-Rochester Regional Health Information Organization (RRHIO) announced upcoming changes to the organization’s leadership, as Co-CEOs Wade Norwood and Marlene Bessette prepare for retirement.

Co-CEO Wade Norwood will assume a full-time role as Chief Advancement and Government Relations Officer, focusing on the organization’s financial growth and on strategic community partnerships, as of Jan. 1, 2026. Bessette will continue as CEO until her retirement on March 31, 2026. The organization’s board of directors has begun the search for a new CEO. 

Rochester RRHIO and Common Ground merged in 2024, combining the RRHIO’s expertise providing a secure, quality-ensured health and social determinant information exchange with Common Ground’s data analysis, convening and community-engagement expertise.

“While this new role is a major step toward my transition to full retirement, I’m not done yet,” Norwood said. “I will continue working to find and secure revenue sources for the organization and continue preaching from the rooftops to the community and to public officials about the need for our community to come together to address poverty to eliminate the significant health disparities that exist across our 14-county region.” 

“When I took on the role of CEO at the RRHIO, my plan was that it would not be long term,” Bessette said. “I am pleased with what I have accomplished, first at the RRHIO and then working alongside Wade and our board of directors following the merger. Our joint organization is positioned to deliver innovative approaches to improving health and addressing disparities. We will assist and support the new CEO during the transition.”

Melissa Gardner, board chair and executive vice president, chief population health engagement officer at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, said, “Wade and Marlene are both to be celebrated for their tremendous careers. Our organization is stronger, and our community’s health delivery system works better, because of Wade and Marlene’s leadership. They have done a wonderful job over the past year of leading our organization, and what they have accomplished throughout their careers serves as a model for other human-service and business executives.” 

Wade Norwood has held community leadership positions for more than three decades. In management at Common Ground Health since 2006 and CEO since 2018, he has been central to the nonprofit’s strategic planning process, pushing the organization to become a more effective change agent for all Finger Lakes region residents. He continues to serve on the New York State Board of Regents.

Marlene Bessette began serving as the RRHIO’s CEO in August 2022. Marlene retired from Catholic Family Center in January 2022 after serving nine years as CEO and facilitating the merger of that organization with Catholic Charities Community Services. She has been recognized with multiple awards as a leader in the business and nonprofit community. 

Common Ground Health is the nonprofit health research and planning organization for the Rochester-Finger Lakes region. It brings together community members and leaders from health care, education, business, government and other sectors to find common ground on health challenges. 

The Rochester Regional Health Information Organization (RRHIO) is a nonprofit providing a secure health information exchange to the healthcare community in 14 counties of the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier. Its primary goal is to share patient healthcare information in a secure environment to improve patient care and reduce system inefficiencies.