Carilion Leader NL Bishop To Retire

With much appreciation for his many years of service to Carilion and our community, please join us in congratulating Nathaniel L. (NL) Bishop, D.Min., Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, on his retirement this summer. His last day will be July 26.

Anyone who’s had a lengthy career at Carilion already knows NL and his role in shaping health care in our community.

NL began his career in law enforcement—the first African-American member of the Christiansburg Police Department—and worked as a detective before finding himself in a hospital environment. After becoming a licensed long-term care administrator, he joined Carilion in 1997 as executive director of Burrell Nursing Center. In 2002 he was named vice president and administrator of CRCH and subsequently served in additional senior leadership roles until 2010, when he became president of Carilion’s Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

During his tenure, the college grew in its number of students as well as in offerings of Master and Doctoral degree programs. NL was critical to the successful integration of Jefferson College into Radford University, now known as Radford University Carilion, which allowed the two institutions to join together and more effectively and efficiently deliver nursing and allied health science education for the region. After the merger, NL became our Chief DEI Officer.

“Helping others understand and grapple with differences of opinions and philosophies, and connecting the social and economic factors that influence health have been key parts of every role NL has held over the years,” said Jeanne Armentrout, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. “His work goes well beyond Carilion—he has earned a reputation throughout Virginia as a community builder, advocate for those in need and a collaborative and modest business leader.”