Jonathan Ayers, MBA

"Holy Cross Health, as a unit of Trinity Health, is an absolute treasure in our community.  I look forward to offering my business skills as a board member supporting HCH’S ministry, management team, valued medical staff, and employees.”

Chair of the Board of Directors, Panthera

Jon Ayers is a tenured business leader and philanthropist.

Jon capped a 40+ year business career with 17 years as Chair and CEO of IDEXX (NASDAQ: IDXX), the leader in veterinary diagnostics and software. At IDEXX Ayers developed a strategy focused on science, innovation and growth to advance the standard of veterinary care. From his start in 2002 through 2019, IDEXX’s revenues grew organically from $380 million to $2.4 billion, and shareholders enjoyed a 40x increase in their stock price. Prior to IDXX, Jon’s career included roles in IT (IBM), strategy consulting (Bain & Company), investment banking (Morgan Stanley), and general management (President of Carrier, the then $9 billion unit of United Technologies).

Jon graduated from Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Harvard Business School, ranking in the top 5% of his class.

After experiencing a cycling crash that left him paralyzed in 2019, Jon rolled off his position as CEO of IDEXX, while remaining on the board, and decided to redirect his business skills toward philanthropy, providing a new purpose that helps through rehabilitation challenges. Jon is grateful for the chance to make meaningful contributions to his causes.

In 2021, Jon became chair of the board of Panthera, the global organization devoted to the conservation of the world’s 40 species of wild cats and the vast biodiversity they inhabit. In addition to HCH, Jon and Helaine’s healthcare philanthropy includes gifts to the Maine Medical Center (Maine’s largest hospital), the Shepard Center in Atlanta (a not-for-profit specializing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation), and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, dedicated to spinal cord injury issues.

Jon Ayers and his wife Helaine became northern Fort Lauderdale residents in 2021. He was aware of Holy Cross for decades through his brother, Dan, and Dan’s husband, Tony Seguino, long-time Fort Lauderdale residents whose best friend, Saul Magram (now deceased) was a philanthropic supporter of HCH.

Jon chairs the Strategic Planning Committee and serves on the Executive Committee at Holy Cross Health.