Becker’s has reported on the following hospital and health system COO departures since Jan. 13, including retirements and transitions to leadership roles at other organizations.
Editor’s note: This story was published Nov. 7 and was updated Dec. 19.
Jan. 13-Dec. 3
1. John Woodrich plans to retire in January as president and COO of Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, Neb.
2. Brian Smolskis, COO of Lompoc (Calif.) Valley Medical Center, exited the role and was named president and CEO of California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, effective Dec. 8.
3. Marc Kosak, COO of Greenwich (Conn.) Hospital, exited the organization.
4. Tadren Kennedy exited his role as COO of Keck Medicine of USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital in Los Angeles and was named COO of Dignity Health Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, Calif.
5. Richard Bergmann exited his role as COO of Havasu Regional Medical Center in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and was named CEO of Ottumwa (Iowa) Regional Health Center.
6. Brett Maxfield exited his role as COO of Longview (Texas) Regional Medical Center and was named CEO of Victoria, Texas-based DeTar Healthcare System.
7. Shannon Sullivan will exit her role as president and COO of Women & Infants Hospital in Providence R.I., and become president and CEO of Hartford-based Connecticut Children’s, effective Jan. 13.
8. Angie Long, DNP, MSN, chief nursing officer and COO of Mercy Health West in Cincinnati, exited her role and was named senior vice president and CNO of Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care.
9. Traci d’Auguste, senior vice president and COO of University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, exited her role and was named vice president and CEO of William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.
10. Percival Kane Jr., COO of Beachwood, Ohio-based University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, exited his role and was named senior vice president and chief of operations at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
11. Taylor Rudd, COO of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, exited the role and was named CEO of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska.
12. Tracey Gates, senior vice president, COO and vice president of system integration for Centralus Health, exited the role and was appointed president of UPMC Chautauqua.
13. Garrett Hoover, president and COO of Carroll Hospital in Westminster, Md., plans to retire later in 2025.
14. Ben Carter will retire as executive vice president and COO of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health at the end of 2025.
15. Jamie Phillips, president and system COO of Seattle Children’s Hospital, exited the role and was named president of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., effective Jan. 1.
16. Mike Hulefeld, president and COO of New Orleans-based Ochsner Health, will step down at the end of 2025.
17. Joe Ness is no longer COO of Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University after the role was eliminated.
18. Mark Solazzo, executive vice president and COO of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, plans to retire at the end of 2025.
19. Ronald Frieson plans to retire at the end of 2026 as COO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
20. Eric Neal, COO of Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center in Safford, Ariz., exited the role and was appointed CEO of Morton, Wash.-based Arbor Health.
21. Mark Roberts, COO of Corpus Christi Medical Center in Texas, exited the role and was named CEO of Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage.
22. Paari Gopalakrishnan, MD, president and COO of Kent Hospital in Warwick, R.I., exited the role and was named president and CEO of Towson, Md.-based GBMC HealthCare.
23. Jita Pandya Buño, associate COO at Sacramento, Calif.-based UC Davis Health, exited the role and was named CEO of the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, effective Sept. 1.
24. Don Kline, COO of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, plans to retire at the end of 2025.
25. Jane Russell, PharmD, COO at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport, Ore., exited the role and was named president and CEO of Bath Community Hospital in Hot Springs, Va., effective Aug. 25.
26. Cynthia Dold, COO and associate vice president of medical affairs at the University of Washington Medicine Hospitals and Clinics in Seattle, exited the role and was named president of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente’s Washington market.
27. Tinna Therrien, BSN, RN, COO of Gothenburg (Neb.) Health, was placed on administrative leave.
28. Seleem Choudhury, DNP, RN, COO of Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Md., exited the role and was named president and CEO of UChicago Medicine AdventHealth GlenOaks in Glendale Heights, Ill., effective June 15.
29. Mark Stauder plans to retire as system COO of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health later in 2025.
30. Tim Williams, COO of Fairfield, Calif.-based NorthBay Health’s ambulatory division and physician enterprise, exited the role and was named COO of AdventHealth DeLand (Fla.).
31. Steven Hankins exited his role as senior vice president and COO of Intermountain Health’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, Colo., and was named COO of Carondelet St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tucson, Ariz.
32. Matthew Wolden exited his role as COO of UCSF Health’s St. Mary’s and St. Francis hospitals in San Francisco and was named COO of MaineHealth’s Maine Medical Center in Portland.
33. Austin Champoux exited his role as COO of Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Fla., and was named COO of Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.
34. Kyle Benoit exited his role as senior vice president and COO of Kankakee, Ill.-based Riverside Healthcare and was named executive vice president and COO of Dover, Del.-based Bayhealth.
