Lee Memorial names new finance chiefs

FORT MYERS — Lee Memorial Health System named Ben Spence the chief financial officer after Mike German retires this month following more than 20 years with the hospital group.

In addition, Lee Memorial named Patricia Duquette vice president of finance. Spence will lead the health system's overall financial direction while Duquette will be responsible for core financial processes and finance department operations.

Lee Memorial has more than 10,000 employees who work at four hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers and specialty physician offices in Lee County.

Spence has been with Lee Memorial since 1995. He previously held several leadership positions in the finance department, most recently as controller responsible for acute care and reimbursement. Before joining Lee Memorial, Spence worked for GE Client Business Services. He is a graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in finance and earned a master's degree in health care administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Duquette has been with Lee Memorial since 1994, most recently serving as controller of acute care and treasury functions. Before joining Lee Memorial, Duquette was a commercial lender for Bank of America. She graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in finance and has also earned a master's degree in accounting from Nova Southeastern University.