Former Doctors Hospital CEO Nico Tejeda flew back to Manteca Wednesday to introduce his replacement to Manteca Chamber of Commerce members at the weekly coffee held at the New Hope Church on Comconex Avenue.

The two men — Tejeda Nico and “Ike” Ikenna Mmeje — have known each other for some 10 years. Tejeda has been working on him to join the Tenet team for about that long.  When it came time for comments from the members at the coffee, Tejeda told the story about bringing Mmeje to Manteca as his replacement.

Mmeje had grown up in the Compton suburb of Los Angeles, he said, and when out of high school attended U.C. Berkeley in the Bay Area.  They worked closely as the university level, but miles apart when getting their advanced degrees in hospital administration.  Mmeje has a similar personality to Tejada’ — something that had to do with his successes at the local hospital and as president of the chamber of commerce.

Mmeje, like Tejada, makes his rounds around the hospital greeting staffers in their every day settings and letting them know he cares about them.

When the hour long coffee ended, Tejeda took his friend around town in his car and introduced him to other members of the business and professional community that didn’t attend the coffee. 

Tejeda will be in Washington, D.C., today for the annual Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute gala with his Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke – with President Barrack Obama in attendance.

 “It will be my first to be with a sitting president,” he quipped.

Before leaving Manteca Wednesday, Tejeda had a call from his friend at the hospital Coffee Klatch,  Ali Movashe,  who had a box ready for him to take home for his two boys.  In it were the makings of their favorite drinks that he fixed for them every week at their special place to visit just off the hospital lobby.  When Tejeda first left for his new hospital in Texas, Movasche had a similar box complete with a custom blender and several mixes he hoped would make the transition of the move less stressful for both parents and children.