Several hospital and health system presidents have recently exited their roles, with some retiring and others transitioning to new roles.
Hospitals reported at least 50 president exits in 2025. In some cases, departing leaders have assumed new dual roles, adding CEO or COO responsibilities to their new titles.
It is not rare for the president title to be paired with COO responsibilities, the latter of which has grown more complex over the past year in response to industrywide changes.
Below are the hospital and health system president exits Becker’s has recently reported.
Note: This page was created Jan. 30 and was updated July 24.
May 26-July 23
1. Dave Braasch plans to retire at the end of 2026 as president of BJC HealthCare’s Alton (Ill.) Memorial Hospital.
2. Mark Hirko, MD, retired as president of Putnam Hospital in Carmel, N.Y.
3. Julie Gaddie resigned June 29 as president of St. Joseph, Mo.-based Mosaic Life Care Foundation.
4. Peter Cordeau is exiting his role as president of Norwalk (Conn.) Hospital and transitioning to an executive leadership role in workforce development within New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health.
5. Christopher Clark, DO, is stepping down from his role as president of AHN Grove City (Pa.) Hospital but will remain president of AHN Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa., and AHN Westfield Memorial Hospital in Westfield, N.Y.
6. Nikki Stafford exited her role as president and American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., and was named president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
7. Mark Nessel is retiring as president of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, N.J.
8. Kyle Buchanan exited his role as president of Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, Ala., and Red Bay (Ala.) Hospital and was named president of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala.
9. Patty Boeckmann retired as president of Christus Health Mount Pleasant in Texas.
10. David Cole, MD, plans to retire in June 2027 as president of Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina.
11. Josh Neff exited his role as president of Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colo., and was named president of Logan Health Flathead Valley in Kalispell, Mont.
12. LeRoi Hicks, MD, exited his role as president of ChristianaCare Wilmington (Del.) Hospital and was named CEO of the American College of Physicians.
13. Kevin Matson stepped down as Southern market president at Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System.
14. Amanda Shelast exited her role as network president for Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health and was named president of Mercy Southeast Communities, part of Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy.
15. Carole Billington, MSN, RN, exited her role as president and chief nursing officer of St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Mass.
16. Matthew Peterson resigned as president of behavioral health at King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services.
17. DeAnn Thurmer retired as president of SSM Health St. Clare Hospital-Baraboo, SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital and SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin.
Feb. 2-May 7
1. Eunmee Shim, MSN, president of OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Ill., plans to step down May 29.
2. Rich Lisitano plans to retire in June as president of Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health’s Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., and Westerley (R.I.) Hospital.
3. Julie Quirin, president of Saint Luke’s — the West region of St. Louis-based BJC Health — plans to retire March 1 after nearly three decades with the system.
4. Dan Parod exited his role as president of the Central region for Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis and was named regional president of the Northeast region at Indianapolis-based Community Health Network.
5. Cathie Kocourek, president of Aurora Medical Center–Manitowoc (Wis.) County, will retire in 2027.
6. Sean Tinney exited his role as president of Ascension Seton Cedar Park (Texas) and was named vice president of UF Health North in Jacksonville, Fla.
7. John Raffoul retired as president of Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles.
8. Jim Sheets, president of the Peaks Region at Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, departed his role March 27.
9. Kevin Coughlin plans to retire in May as president of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (Mass.).
10. Ethan Chernin is no longer president of hospital services at Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ardent Health, effective March 24.
11. Joe Hurshe, president of Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Mich., is no longer with the organization, effective Feb. 2.
12. Deb Rudquist, RN, retired in February as president of Amery (Wis.) Hospital & Clinic.
Dec. 4-Jan. 30
1. Deborah Berini will exit her role as president of SSM Health DePaul Hospital in St. Louis and become chief executive of Anchorage-based Providence Alaska.
2. Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, plans to retire as president of Loma Linda (Calif.) University Health.
3. Kevin Abel, president of Kalispell, Mont.-based Logan Health, plans to step down March 1.
4. Jonathan Brouk exited his role as president of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health in Baton Rouge, La., and was named president and COO of Milwaukee-based Children’s Wisconsin.
5. Anna Noonan, RN, plans to retire as president and COO of Berlin-based Central Vermont Medical Center.
6. Thomas Gullatt, MD, plans to retire in January 2027 as president of FMOL Health-St. Francis in Monroe, La.
7. Genifer Rucker exited her role as president of Christus Health hospitals in New Braunfels and San Marcos and was named president and CEO of Tenet Healthcare’s Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels, Texas.
8. Sue Robel, BSN, plans to retire as regional president of Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health’s Canyons Region.
9. Randy Davis exited his role as president and chief administrative officer of Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Tenn.
10. Eric Paul exited his role as president of behavioral health services at Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.
11. Paul VerValin stepped down from his role as president of Guthrie Corning (N.Y.) Hospital to focus on his systemwide responsibilities as executive vice president and COO of Sayre, Pa.-based Guthrie.
12. Liza DeKezel resigned as president of St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Ill., and Holy Family Medical Center in Monmouth, Ill.
13. Jennifer Nickoles will exit her role as president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore and become president and CEO of Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health, effective March 1.
14. Marita Hattem-Schiffman will retire as president of MyMichigan Medical Centers in Alma, Claire and Mt. Pleasant.
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