Several hospital and health system CEOs have recently exited their roles, including through retirements and transitions to new organizations.
CEO turnover has remained high in 2026, with hospitals reporting 14 CEO exits in January, which is up 40% from the same month in 2025 and 71% from December. Some executives have cited heightened burnout stemming from evolving financial and regulatory challenges.
Some leaders exited their roles to step into non-CEO positions, such as COO and president positions.
Below are the hospital and health system CEO exits Becker’s has recently reported.
May 4-12
1. Gianrico Farrugia, MD, plans to step down as president and CEO of Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic at the end of 2026.
2. Steve Gordon, MD, plans to retire as president and CEO of Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health System.
3. Daniel Messina, PhD, retired May 5 as president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, N.Y.
4. Aidan Hettler exited his role as CEO of Sedgwick County Health Center in Julesburg, Colo.
5. Steve Hyde plans to retire June 3 as CEO of Paris (Texas) Regional Health.
6. Alan Horton plans to retire as CEO of Putnam General Hospital in Eatonton, Ga., effective June 1.
7. Andrew “Andy” Guz plans to exit his role as CEO of Bradenton, Fla.-based Manatee Health to become president and CEO of Columbus (Ind.) Regional Health, effective July 1.
8. Dave Hyatt exited his role as president and CEO of Noblesville, Ind.-based Riverview Health and was named regional president of the South region at Indianapolis-based Community Health Network.
April 23-29
1. Barry Arbuckle, PhD, is stepping down from his role as CEO of Fountain Valley, Calif.-based MemorialCare after 24 years to become the system’s executive chairman, effective July 1.
2. Blake Hubbard exited his role as CEO of Lifepoint Health’s Valley View Medical Center in Fort Mohave, Ariz., to become CEO of Community Health Systems’ Carlsbad (N.M.) Medical Center.
3. Rex Walk exited his role as CEO of Southeast Colorado Hospital District in Springfield and was succeeded by Anthony Brocato.
4. Andrew “Drew” Emery exited his role as CEO of Tennova Healthcare in Clarksville, Tenn., and was named market CEO of Tucson, Ariz.-based Northwest Healthcare.
April 16-22
1. Kelly Adams will retire as CEO of Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite, Nev.
2. Robert Peterson, DSc, will retire July 1 as CEO of Millinocket (Maine) Regional Hospital.
3. Craig Marks is retiring as CEO of Prosser (Wash.) Memorial Health.
4. Sandra Anaya will step down April 23 as CEO of Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe, Calif.
5. Irene Richardson retired as CEO of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyo.
April 10-16
1. Marcia Manker plans to retire as CEO of MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., at the end of April.
2. Nancy Galvagni is no longer CEO of the Kentucky Hospital Association.
3. Janice Nevin, MD, plans to retire Sept. 1 as president and CEO of Wilmington, Del.-based ChristianaCare.
4. Lynn Fulton plans to step down May 3 as CEO of Wailuku, Hawaii-based Maui Health.
5. Jim McGovern, MD, is on administrative leave as chief executive of the PeaceHealth Oregon Region.
April 2-9
1. Lauren Faison-Clark, CEO of Doctors’ Memorial Hospital in Perry, Fla., will leave her role at the end of May to assume a leadership position with South Bend, Ind.-based Beacon Health System.
2. Joseph Marchant exited his role as CEO of Bibb Medical Center in Centreville, Ala., and was named executive vice president and chief integration and network development officer for Opelika-based East Alabama Health.
3. Mike Phelps plans to retire as president and CEO of Waconia, Minn.-based Ridgeview.
4. Joel Beiswenger plans to retire July 1 as CEO of Wadena, Minn.-based Astera Health.
5. Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN, plans to retire as president and CEO of York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health.
6. Tarek Salaway, who became CEO of Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University in mid-December, is no longer in the role.
7. J. Larry Shackelford plans to retire May 31 as president and CEO of Fayetteville, Ark.-based Washington Regional Medical System.
March 26-April 1
1. Danette Kramer plans to retire as CEO of Regional Medical Center in Manchester, Iowa, at the end of 2026.
2. Thomas Scott plans to resign as president and CEO of CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, N.J.
3. Donny Booth, MSN, RN, was dismissed as CEO of Permian Regional Medical Center in Andrews, Texas.
4. Barclay Berdan plans to retire as CEO of Arlington-based Texas Health Resources in September.
5. Steve Littleson exited his role as president and CEO of Lewistown-based Central Maine Healthcare on Feb. 17.
6. Daniel Jackson plans to step down from his role as CEO of the Ascension Wisconsin Ministry Market on April 17.
7. Jeff Coakley plans to retire in May as CEO of Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, N.Y.
March 20-25
1. David Goldberg, exited his role as president and CEO of Charleston, W.Va.-based Vandalia Health’s North region and executive vice president of the system as part of a restructuring.
2. Glenn Crotty Jr., MD, plans to retire as executive vice president and CEO of the South region at Charleston, W.Va.-based Vandalia Health.
3. David Zaas, MD, will exit his role as president and CEO of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to become CEO of Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Health System, effective May 1.
4. Debbie Flores retired as CEO of Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Ariz.
5. Kim Price plans to retire July 4 as CEO of Franklin General Hospital in Hampton, Iowa.
6. Irene Richardson is on leave until further notice as CEO of Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyo.
7. Stephanie Hyde, MSN, retired as area CEO for Longview (Texas) ContinueCARE Hospital and Tyler (Texas) ContinueCARE Hospital.
8. Stephen Chandler exited his role as CEO of HCA Healthcare Summerville (S.C.) Hospital and was named president of Winchester (Mass.) Hospital.
9. Brian Keller exited his role as a multi-site CEO at Phoenix-based Banner Health and was named senior vice president and president of Wisconsin and Michigan markets at Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health.
March 12-18
1. Crista Durand exited her role as president and CEO of New Britain, Conn.-based Hospital for Special Care, a long-term acute care facility, effective March 16.
2. Todd Krass retired as CEO of Belton (Mo.) Regional Medical Center. He was succeeded by Dan Astleford.
3. Cynthia Roth, RN, plans to retire as president and CEO of the Morgantown-based West Virginia University Foundation in the fall.
4. Justin Serrano, CEO of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala., exited the role to become CEO of Naples, Fla.-based Physicians Regional Healthcare System’s Collier Boulevard campus.
5. Rob Anderson, CEO of Lakewood Ranch (Fla.) Medical Center, plans to resign March 26.
6. Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, plans to retire Dec. 31 as president and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and dean of Vanderbilt University’s school of medicine in Nashville, Tenn.
7. William Calhoun, chief executive of Missoula-based Providence Montana, plans to step down April 10 to pursue executive coaching.
March 3-11
1. Hank Hanigan retired Feb. 28 as CEO of Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics in Colfax, Wash.
2. Thomas Quatroche Jr., PhD, will exit his role as CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Erie County Medical Center Corp., to become president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of New York State.
3. Brian Melear, RN, retired as CEO of HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital in Okeechobee.
4. Mark Clement plans to retire June 30 as president and CEO of Cincinnati-based TriHealth.
5. Robert Wentz plans to step down as president and CEO of Oroville (Calif.) Hospital amid its Chapter 11 process.
6. Rick Ash will retire as CEO of Blue Earth, Minn.-based United Hospital District.
7. Patrick Avila stepped down as CEO of Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville, Mo.
8. Donna Hyland will retire in 2026 as CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
9. Patrick Frias, MD, will exit his role as co-president and CEO of Rady Children’s Health in Southern California to become the next CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
10. Leigh Holston exited her role as CEO of Holly Hill Hospital in Raleigh, N.C., and was named interim CEO of Peachford Hospital in Dunwoody, Ga.
11. Kevin Tabb, MD, plans to step down in one year as president and CEO of Cambridge, Mass.-based Beth Israel Lahey Health.
Feb. 19-24
1. Kenneth Rose, president and CEO of UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Bolingbrook (Ill.), stepped down Feb. 20.
2. Kevin Rinks will exit his role as CEO of St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., and will become CEO of Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital in Kingsport, Tenn.
3. Philip Greene, MD, stepped down as CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, N.C.
4. Karla Eischens retired as president and CEO of Sanford Health in Bemidji (Minn.).
5. James Downing, MD, will step down as president and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., later in 2026.
Feb. 6-17
1. Eric Cecava, president and CEO of McLaren Port Huron (Mich.), will take a leave of absence to focus on personal health matters.
2. Marty Guthmiller plans to retire Aug. 1 as CEO of Orange City (Iowa) Area Health System.
3. Richard Lofgren, MD, plans to retire June 30 as president and CEO of Oklahoma City-based OU Health.
4. Douglas Koch exited his role as CEO of Kearney (Neb.) Regional Medical Center.
5. Mike Swick will retire in July as president and CEO of Lima (Ohio) Memorial Health System.
6. Balavenkatesh Kanna, MD, exited his role as CEO and medical center director of the James J. Peters Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was named CEO and vice president of hospital affairs at University Hospital at Downstate in New York City.
Jan. 29-Feb. 4
1. Dean Mazzoni exited his role as president and CEO of Francisan Health Michigan City (Ind.) and Franciscan Health Michigan City at La Porte (Ind.) and was named president and CEO of McLaren Greater Lansing (Mich.), effective March 16.
2. Skip Gjolberg, president and CEO of WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon, W.Va., will step down in mid-March.
3. Timothy Quinn, MD, plans to retire April 3 as president and CEO of Mercy Cedar Rapids (Iowa).
4. Michael Nagowski plans to retire July 1 as CEO of Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Valley Health.
5. Liz Sellers, MSN, stepped down as CEO of Pioneers Medical Center in Meeker, Colo., to step into a new CEO role out of state.
6. Patrick Shannon exited his role as CEO of Huntsville (Texas) Memorial Hospital and was named CEO of MountainView Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces, N.M.
7. Carlos Migoya plans to step down as CEO of Miami-based Jackson Health System on May 31.
Jan. 16-28
1. Brett Altman, CEO of Atlantic, Iowa-based Cass Health, plans to retire on Jan. 1, 2027.
2. Kevin Strecker plans to exit his role as CEO of the Ascension Via Christi Ministry market in Wichita, Kan.
3. Richard Duvall resigned as president and CEO of Ogdensburg, N.Y.-based North Star Health Alliance.
4. Tom Parker stepped down Jan. 23 as CEO of Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
5. Tony Coleman plans to step down March 13 as CEO of Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health in Washington, D.C.
Jan. 8-14
1. Denten Park exited his role as CEO of Tenet Healthcare’s St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., and Tenet’s Massachusetts market.
2. Jodi Coombs, BSN, RN, exited her role as interim CEO of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.
3. Thomas Klemond, MD, stepped down as interim CEO of Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare.
4. Shawn McKenzie will retire Nov. 30 as CEO of Chester, Calif.-based Seneca Healthcare District.
5. Nanette Logan, DNP, exited her role as CEO of Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Va.
Dec. 22-Jan. 7
1. Chip Hubbs, president and CEO of Marysville, Ohio-based Memorial Health, plans to retire in January 2027.
2. Carolyn Jackson will exit her role as CEO of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Braintree (Mass.) and become president and COO of Kent Hospital in Warwick, R.I., effective Feb. 2.
3. Helen Arteaga Landaverde, PhD, exited her role as CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst to become deputy mayor of health and human services in New York City.
4. Paul Peterson exited his role as assistant CEO of Lake Granbury (Texas) Medical Center and was named COO of Detar Healthcare System in Victoria, Texas.
5. Brian Sinotte exited his role as market CEO of Tucson, Ariz.-based Northwest Healthcare and was named president of the UCSF Health Network, part of San Francisco-based UCSF Health.
6. Joanne Carrocino stepped down Nov. 7 as CEO of Cape May, N.J.-based Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional.
7. Richard Willett, CEO of Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Maine, stepped down after serving in the role for more than 30 years.
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