Kevin Briggs didn’t want this story to focus on him.
He would much rather promote the work of the more than 800 team members, physicians, specialists and volunteers at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center in Bolivia, North Carolina. He accepted the new title of president at that community hospital in February. Even when talking about himself — something he’s a little uncomfortable doing — he finds a way to steer the conversation back to others.
Briggs joined Novant Health more than two decades ago in 2006, leading laboratory teams that analyzed cells and tissue samples to help diagnose disease. He said that when team members see people move into higher-level positions within Novant Health, it shows them that opportunities for career growth are real.
Briggs, who was most recently senior director of laboratory and respiratory care services for Novant Health’s Coastal Region, said he’s just “a humble servant leader.” He has spent his career, and the path that brought him here, serving Novant Health's mission and building relationships across the organization and community.
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“Having the opportunity to help our organization grow stronger and to represent the team members I partner with every day is an honor and a blessing,” he said.
Small-town values
Briggs grew up in Cross Anchor, South Carolina (population during the 2020 census: 116), in Spartanburg County’s southernmost tip.
That’s where the “core values that stay with you for a lifetime” took root, he said. “In close-knit communities, your resources are often limited, so it truly takes the whole village to support each other. People know their neighbors; they share what they grow in their gardens or on their farms.”
And they lend a hand, often without being asked. As a young boy, Briggs often spent Saturdays riding around town with his grandfather, who would build ramps so elderly people could access their homes safely. He would sometimes accompany his dad, an amateur mechanic, when he would work on neighbors’ cars.
Briggs said of Brunswick County, his home for more than two decades: “The culture here — of people helping people — is very similar to what I experienced growing up.” And his own 15-year-old daughter, a rising sophomore at North Brunswick High School, has experienced a similar childhood.
Both Briggs’ parents worked in textiles, but his mom longed for a career that would fulfill her more. So, she went back to school at the same time her son was in college and became a nurse.
Like his mom, Briggs wanted a career that allowed him to be of service. Like his dad, he has a strong work ethic. And like his grandfather, he, too, serves as chairman of his church’s board of trustees.
‘Country boy’ at heart
Briggs is most at home in a small town, although Leland — the town he now calls home — is a metropolis compared with Cross Anchor. Brunswick County’s most populous town, just across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, has about 35,000 residents.
Still, Briggs finds there are similarities between the two towns.
The self-described “country boy” can unwind in Brunswick County just as he did in his hometown. “Nothing pleases me more than grabbing a can of worms or some shrimp, baiting a hook and sitting by the water and enjoying some peace,” he said.
Peace and solitude may be getting harder to find in Brunswick County, due to the recent population boom. It’s North Carolina's fastest-growing county (the population swelled by 24% between 2020 and 2024) and the fifth-fastest growing in the entire country. That presents Briggs with the challenge of ensuring Novant Health keeps up with growth.
“We’ve got to appropriately support the needs of our growing community,” he said. “Our population is dense in certain areas and scant in others, so we have to leverage the tools we have and seek the ones that aren't necessarily at our fingertips.”
He’s ready to meet the challenge.
A rapidly changing region
He’s already busy promoting two planned (and recently approved) new health care facilities — a 20-bed hospital, Novant Health Leland Medical Center, along U.S. 74/76 as well as a separate freestanding ER in Carolina Shores. Both will elevate care in the region when they open in 2030.
They will create jobs, too.
Of course, ensuring there are enough skilled health care workers to care for patients is something a hospital president has to be concerned with. But it was a priority for Briggs long before he took the top job. He helped create the Explorer program at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center to attract young people to opportunities in the health care field, educating them on job possibilities and what it takes to be a qualified applicant.
A people person
A hospital president must be involved in everything from human resources to operations to finances, so the team can continue providing quality care. And Briggs is.
People are his priority. He is committed to creating an environment where team members thrive, patients and their families receive compassionate care and Novant Health continues to earn the trust of the communities it serves.
Briggs has always looked for ways to support his own team as well as members of the community. He started the barbershop initiative in 2017 to encourage more Black men — who are often reluctant to see a doctor — to get regular health screenings. It’s an effort that gets results by building trust and continues to this day.
Briggs is particularly invested in young people, and many view him as a guiding light. He’s been a youth mentor for more than 20 years and is current president of 100 Black Men of Coastal North Carolina, the local chapter of the largest African-American-led youth mentoring organization in the world. The organization’s focus is on improving the lives of communities through education, mentoring, economic empowerment, and health and wellness.
Even with his added responsibilities, Briggs will continue to volunteer. “Novant Health encourages that,” he said. “And this has been baked into my life since I was a young lad.”
Although conventional wisdom says it can be lonely at the top, Briggs won’t let himself become isolated.
“The highlight of my day is interacting with people,” he said. “Whenever I’m in the hallways of one of our facilities, have a seat with patients and their families or attend a meeting with community leaders, it brings me joy.”
Briggs draws enthusiasm from visiting with patients and care teams in their work areas. He calls these visits his “hours of power.”
“It gives me a chance to cultivate relationships and have real conversations,” he said. “I want to know members of this team on a personal level and understand what motivates them so I can be effective in supporting them.”
While the primary purpose of those rounds is to engage with people, he’s observing everything. He checks huddle boards to see what various teams’ priorities are. If he sees that a piece of office equipment needs repair, he’s in a position to get it fixed. If there are areas where people need more support, he wants to know.
The total package
Briggs brings together deep clinical expertise, sound business acumen, a long history with Novant Health and a strong focus on people. His background helps him understand how clinicians work behind the scenes to diagnose and treat patients. After earning an advanced degree in medical laboratory science at the Medical University of South Carolina, a milestone made especially meaningful by his parents’ pride, he went on to build a career rooted in service and learning within Novant Health.
Over time, Briggs has become a familiar and trusted presence across the organization. Today, his goal is simple: to keep teams aligned, support the mission of caring for patients and ensure that he continues to grow trust within all parts of the community. His leadership is shaped by a strong connection to Brunswick County and a commitment to the community that Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center serves. That sense of place is reflected in his own words:
“When people refer to my hometown as ‘the middle of nowhere,’ I tell them it’s actually in the middle of everywhere,” he said. “Through those humble beginnings, I was afforded the opportunity to serve as president in one of the region’s largest health care systems. I think that's pretty cool.”
