North Carolina’s labor commissioner of nearly four years is the next president and CEO of the state’s leading hospital advocacy group.

The North Carolina Healthcare Association announced Tuesday that it has hired Josh Dobson after a nationwide search to lead the group, which represents more than 135 member hospital systems.

The board of directors of the association, a major player in health policy in the state, chose Dobson to succeed Stephen Lawler, who is retiring after seven years at the helm of the association.

Dobson, a former state lawmaker and McDowell County commissioner, said nearly two years ago that he would not run in 2024 for a second term to lead the Department of Labor. Last Wednesday, a day after fellow Republican Luke Farley won the statewide commissioner election, Dobson announced his resignation from his post effective later that day.

Dobson has extensive experience in health policy, having served in the General Assembly. During his final term in the State House, Dobson served as chairman of the House Appropriations and Health Committees. He was an early supporter of expanding Medicaid to provide government health insurance to more low-income adults. A 2023 state law initiating a form of expansion that now serves 569,000 people also improved Medicaid reimbursement payments for hospitals.

Dobson “is a proven collaborator who can bring people together to develop the best solutions to ensure North Carolina remains a leading state for employers and residents to access high-quality health care close to where they live. place to live and work,” said association board president Chris Peek. who is also the President and CEO of CaroMont Health.

Dobson’s roles will also include oversight of the association’s charitable foundation and a subsidiary that provides healthcare providers with access to products and services.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper last Friday named veteran department administrator Kevin O’Barr as labor commissioner until Farley is sworn in early next year.

Dozens of association members recently agreed to participate in a new initiative pushed by the Cooper administration that will give hospitals even higher Medicaid payments if the low- and middle-income patient medical debt they hold is alleviated and whether they implement means to avoid future patient liability.

Dobson will be a registered lobbyist for the association with the Legislature after a six-month cooling-off period required by state law, association spokeswoman Stephanie Strickland said in an email .