Healthcare Executive | Author | Ocean Conservation Philanthropist

Eric F. Rieseberg is a healthcare executive, author, and ocean conservation philanthropist with more than 35 years of experience managing and transforming healthcare organizations across the United States. He has held senior leadership roles at more than 100 hospitals, including serving as co-founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of Specialty Hospitals of America, Chairman and President of United Medical Center, Senior Vice President of Operations at Transitional Hospitals Corporation, and President and founder of Mariner Post-Acute Network’s Specialty Hospital Group. His work in healthcare leadership and institutional transformation earned him the District of Columbia Hospital Association’s Presidential Award of Excellence in 2008.

Rieseberg holds a B.S. in Health Services Administration from Ithaca College, a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed executive postgraduate studies in financial management at Harvard Business School.

Today, Rieseberg brings his leadership experience and passion for marine science and education to ocean conservation initiatives in Southwest Florida. He serves as the Chair of The Hydrous Board of Directors and chairs the Community Advisory Board for Florida Gulf Coast University’s Vester Marine Field Station. Alongside his wife, Helen, he funded the creation of Kimberly’s Reef, an eight-acre artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico established in memory of their daughter, Kimberly Anne Rieseberg. The reef serves as a living laboratory for marine scientists and FGCU students.

Rieseberg is also the author of Heroes Alongside Us: One Man’s Tale of Unlikely Success and the Men Who Made It Possible (2014), a memoir exploring leadership, mentorship, and resilience.