Amid a rising complexity in the role, several hospitals and health systems across the U.S. saw COO moves in 2025, including retirements, appointments and resignations.
The role has evolved in response to industrywide trends, particularly in its increasing responsibilities. This is often seen through collaboration with a broader range of leaders and taking on talent-related and community engagement responsibilities. For future success, COOs will need to thrive in areas such as leveraging technology, maintaining clarity amid chaos, identifying cross-industry patterns and guiding across distributed environments, according to a recent report from executive search firm WittKieffer.
Here are 10 notable hospital and health system COO transitions Becker’s reported in 2025.
Note: This list highlights transitions that were among the most popular with readers and is not exhaustive.
1. In April, Chad Tuttle was appointed COO of Corewell Health, with dual headquarters in Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich. Mr. Tuttle had served as COO of the 21-hospital system on an interim basis since December 2024.
2. Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health shared plans to restructure its leadership ahead of COO Mark Stauder’s retirement. Mark Sparta took over as the system’s new COO, effective July 2.
3. The board of Gothenburg (Neb.) Health, a critical access hospital and rural health clinic, placed COO Tinna Therrien, BSN, RN, and CEO Mick Brant on administrative leave at a May 21 board meeting. CFO Andrew Knust was later named CEO. A new COO had not been named as of Dec. 26, according to the organization’s website.
4. Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare in June appointed Lisa Foo its first COO. She previously served as Tenet’s executive vice president of commercial operations.
5. In September, New Orleans-based Ochsner Health President and COO Mike Hulefeld shared plans to step down at the end of 2025. He had spent 27 years with the system, including 13 years as COO.
6. New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian named Deepa Kumaraiah, MD, executive vice president and COO, effective Jan. 22. She will succeed Brian Donley, MD, who will become president and CEO of the health system on the same day.
7. Mark Sevco, senior vice president and COO for Sutter Health’s Northern California market, was appointed president of Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network. He joined the system, part of Highmark Health, at the end of March.
8. Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University eliminated its COO role in August. Joe Ness had held the role since August 2018. “I was told that the role was no longer needed, that my areas could be covered by other people,” Mr. Ness told Willamette Week on Aug. 28. A health system spokesperson told Becker’s prior areas of responsibilities were being assigned to other members of the leadership team.
9. Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health selected Kevin Manemann as COO. He stepped into the role in September, co-leading Sutter’s clinical and nonclinical operations as a dyad partner to Chief Physician Executive Todd Smith, MD.
10. Philadelphia-based Temple Health named Abhi Rastogi as COO in September. He was then named CEO in October, succeeding Michael Young when he retires Jan. 2.
