Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota announced Friday that Robert Bonar Jr. will become CEO in December at the state's largest pediatric health system.

Bonar, who previously served as president and chief executive at a children's hospital in Texas, will replace Dr. Alan Goldbloom, the current top executive at Children's. Goldbloom is retiring in December, the hospital said, and will assist with the transition.

Bonar has worked at pediatric health systems in Oklahoma, Virginia and South Carolina. He was named CEO of Dell Children's in Austin, Texas, in 2003, and was promoted two years ago to become president and CEO of the 11-hospital Seton Family of Hospitals, which is affiliated with Dell Children's.

"With a strong track record of pediatric health system leadership, an ability to collaborate and build consensus, and a passion to improve the health of children, [Bonar is] the right leader to carry forward the aspirations of this organization," Russ Becker, the chairman of the board of directors at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, said in a statement.

Goldbloom became chief executive at Children's in 2003. This year, the hospital system completed a $300 million renovation and expansion that brought all-private patient rooms as well as new emergency departments to hospitals that Children's operates in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Children's operates 12 primary and specialty care clinics plus six rehabilitation sites. Last year, the health system posted operating income of $18.3 million on $718.8 million in revenue.

Christopher Snowbeck • 612-673-4744

Twitter: @chrissnowbeck