46 CEO resignations in 2023

In a year marked by record-high CEO turnover, these hospital and health system CEOs have resigned — or shared plans to step down — since January: 

1. Dave Smith has resigned as CEO of Lancaster, Wis.-based Grant Regional Health Center, effective at the end of December. He plans to "pursue a new opportunity closer to his family," according to the hospital's board chair. 

2. Tim Reeves resigned as CEO of Renovo, Pa.-based Bucktail Medical Center amid the hospital's financial challenges. This year, the hospital created a GoFundMe page as it struggled to make payroll. 

3. Tommy Ibrahim, MD, will step down from his role as CEO of Cooperstown, N.Y.-based Bassett Healthcare Network at the year's end. He intends to "pursue new leadership opportunities in healthcare," according to the chair of the system's board of directors.  

4. Harold Naramore, MD, CEO of Maryville, Tenn.-based Blount Memorial Hospital, is resigning Jan. 1 after a tumultuous tenure. This year, he has openly disagreed with the Blount County mayor's intentions to transfer the hospital's ownership to the Knoxville-based University of Tennessee Medical Center; talks between the mayor and the university were approved by the county commission in March, and discussions about a merger between Blount Physicians Group and Knoxville-based Covenant Health began in April. 

5. Steen Trawick, MD, stepped down from his role as CEO and chief medical officer of Christus Shreveport-Bossier Health System. No reason was given for his departure. 

6. Michelle Fortune, BSN, will exit her role as CEO of St. Luke's Hospital in Columbus, N.C., on Dec. 31, to accept a new, unspecified position. 

7. Anthony Coleman, DHA, stepped down from his role as president and CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Shortly thereafter, he was named the inaugural CEO of Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, a new hospital under construction in Washington, D.C. 

8. Emily Sedgwick, MD, left her roles as president and CEO of University Medical Center New Orleans, part of LCMC Health, after serving for 14 months.

9. Israel Rocha, CEO of Chicago-based Cook County Health, left his role Dec. 1 to serve as president of Kaiser Permanente's Mid-Atlantic states region. 

10. Gar Atchison stepped down from his role as market president of UP Health System and CEO of UPHS-Marquette (Mich.) in late November. He accepted a new position as president and CEO of Petoskey-based McLaren Northern Michigan.

11. Christina Oh has left her role as president and CEO of Charleston, S.C.-based Trident Health to become president of Sutter Health's Greater San Francisco market.

12. Hal Paz, MD, left his role as CEO of Stony Brook (N.Y.) Medicine and executive vice president for health sciences at Stony Brook University. The system did not provide a reason for his exit. 

13. Clay Holderman stepped down from his role as CEO of West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health on the same day the system publicly called off a planned merger with Albuquerque, N.M.-based Presbyterian Health Services.  

14. Pete Delgado, president and CEO of Salinas (Calif.) Valley Health, announced his resignation to workers Oct. 9. In his email, he wrote that he believed the change would be an "opportunity for growth and renewal for both the organization and [himself.]"

15. Debra Feigin Sukin, PhD, left her roles as executive vice president at Houston Methodist and CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands (Texas) Hospital to serve as president of Texas Children's, also based in Houston. 

16. Conrado Bárzaga, MD, left his role as CEO of Palm Springs, Calif.-based Desert Healthcare District & Foundation one week after giving a presentation regarding Tenet Healthcare's proposed 30-year lease for the 387-bed Desert Regional Medical Center. Raul Ruiz, MD, U.S. representative for the Coachella Valley district, said he was "shocked and dismayed" about Dr. Bárzaga's "sudden dismissal."

17. Jeff Bowman, CEO of Arkansas City, Kan.-based SCK Health since 2018, left the role for health reasons. 

18. Matt Wille left his position as president and CEO of Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Mich., to become COO of Neenah, Wis.-based ThedaCare.

19. Terry Treadwell left his role as CEO of Merit Health River Region in Vicksburg, Miss., to return home to San Antonio. 

20. Mark Sullivan stepped down as president and CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health after a 30-year career with the organization. He plans "to pursue opportunities to mentor, educate, and prepare the next generation of healthcare executives," according to a news release from the health system. 

21. James Dover stepped down as CEO of Lansing, Mich.-based Sparrow Health System after the system joined the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health, saying it was the right time for him to depart. 

22. Gina Temple, PhD, RN, is no longer serving as CEO of HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson following allegations of poor working conditions and care quality; however, the health system said it continued to employ her in an advisory capacity. 

23. Caleb O'Rear resigned as CEO of Alta Vista Regional Hospital in Las Vegas, N.M. Hospital officials said Mr. O'Rear left to "pursue other opportunities."

24. Ashley Dickinson resigned as CEO of Valparaiso, Ind.-based Northwest Health, effective in late July, after she accepted a position as COO for Ascension Texas. 

25. Chad Wolbers resigned from his role as president and CEO of UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital in Dubuque, Iowa, "to embark on an entrepreneurial venture," the hospital said.

26. Tiffany Murdock, DNP, MSN, resigned as CEO of Singing River Health System, which has hospitals in Ocean Springs, Pascagoula and Gulfport, Miss. She accepted a new role as vice president and chief nursing officer for New Orleans-based Ochsner Health.

27. John Boyd, PsyD, resigned as president and CEO of Oconomowoc, Wis.-based Rogers Behavioral Health. 

28. Martin Padgett left his role as CEO of Jeffersonville, Ind.-based Clark Memorial Health and Scottsburg, Ind.-based Scott Memorial Health to pursue other opportunities, a hospital spokesperson said. 

29. Todd Burch stepped down as president and CEO of McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey to pursue other opportunities.

30. Jeremy Ensey resigned as CEO of St. Luke Hospital and Living Center in Marion, Kan., during a May 2 board meeting. The position had been tiring, he said. 

31. Tanya Sharp resigned as CEO of Boone County Health Center in Albion, Neb. Ms. Sharp left the role to pursue other opportunities, according to a news release from the hospital. 

32. Troy Greer stepped away from his role as president and CEO of Boone Health, a mid-Missouri healthcare network that includes a 392-bed hospital in Columbia. The organization said Mr. Greer "plans to return to Alabama to be closer to his family, a decision that the board fully supports and understands." 

33. Bob Sutton stepped down as president and CEO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health "due to a recently diagnosed serious medical condition that requires an intensive treatment regimen." His last day was Sept. 30. 

34.Mike Geeslin, president and CEO of Austin, Texas-based Central Health, made plans to depart Travis County's healthcare district by year's end. He has helmed Central Health since May 2017; around the time he began his tenure, the intent was to have the CEO serve for five to seven years, according to an April 11 news release.

35. Perry Gay resigned as president and CEO of Logansport (Ind.) Memorial Hospital. 

36. Steven Salyer resigned as CEO of Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital, citing family reasons as the motivation for his departure. 

37. Kimberly Boynton stepped down as president and CEO of Syracuse, N.Y.-based Crouse Health. She became CEO of Crouse in 2014 after serving as its CFO since 2003. Ms. Boynton had planned to leave the system once a proposed merger with State University of New York Upstate Medical University was completed, but the organizations abandoned the deal in February. 

38. Michael Zenn stepped down as CEO of University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics in May and moved into the new role of senior adviser for enterprise strategic initiatives within the university's office of the vice chancellor for health affairs.

39. Guy Hudson, MD, stepped down as CEO of Seattle-based Swedish Health Services and chief executive of Renton, Wash.-based Providence's North division after serving the organization for nearly 16 years. 

40. Scott Cihak resigned as president and CEO of Nashville, Tenn.-based TriStar Centennial Medical Center for personal reasons.

41. David Elgarico resigned as CEO of Framingham, Mass.-based MetroWest Medical Center after serving in the role since July. He shared plans to return to Oregon, where his family lives. 

42. Jeanine Gentry resigned as CEO of Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez, Colo. No reason was given for her departure.

43. Ashley McClellan, CEO of HCA Midwest Health's Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., left the facility March 1, writing in an internal correspondence that she was "excited about new career opportunities ahead." 

44. Scott Phillips resigned as acting CEO of El Centro (Calif.) Regional Medical Center after the hospital's management firm, Nashville-based Healthcare Management Partners, issued the hospital a termination notice. 

45. John Snow resigned as CEO of Oxford, N.C.-based Granville Health System. The system did not provide additional details about a reason for his departure. 

46. Carole Peet, MSN, RN, left her role as president and CEO of Yakima (Wash.) Valley Memorial Hospital in January. During her tenure, the hospital completed an affiliation unwind from Seattle-based Virginia Mason Health System and participated in acquisition discussions with Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System. In October 2022, MultiCare and Yakima Valley Memorial announced they had reached an acquisition agreement, and the deal was completed in January 2023.

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