Leslie (Les) D. Hirsch is a seasoned healthcare executive whose career spans over 45 years. He has served as president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 2017, having initially joined the organization as president in 2015.

Prior to joining Saint Peter’s, he served for seven years as president and CEO of Saint Clare’s Health System in Denville, New Jersey; as president and CEO of Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, Louisiana, starting in August 2005, just one week before New Orleans took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina – the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history; and as president and CEO of Exempla-Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He also served 14 years in Camden, New Jersey, with The Cooper Health System (currently known as Cooper University Health Care), beginning in 1988 as executive vice president and chief operating officer and becoming president and CEO in 1999.

A leader in the hospital field nationally and active community leader throughout his career, Hirsch is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition.

He was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association (AHA) beginning in January 2025, has served several terms on AHA’s Regional Policy Board (RPB) 2 for New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and is presently serving a three-year term as RPB 2 Chair.

He has been a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) for over 30 years and was honored with the Distinguished Service and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the ACHE-New Jersey chapter. He has been a longstanding member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), having previously served as chair for two consecutive terms in 2015 and 2016 and was honored with its Distinguished Service Award in 2022. He was elected chair of the NJHA HealthPAC Board of Directors in 2023 and continues to serve in that role.

He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trustees of the Hope Through Education Foundation and was honored as its Person of the Year, and the Middlesex County Crime Stoppers Board of Directors. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, William Paterson University, and has also been recognized by NJBIZ in its Power 100 and Health Care Power 50 lists, by BINJE in its inaugural Power Players 2026 list, and by ROI-NJ in its Influencers Power lists, as well as its Champions of the C-Suite list honoring New Jersey’s top 150 business industry leaders.

Hirsch holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science from William Paterson University and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Revised: March 2026