Tonya Darner was appointed president and CEO of Petoskey, Mich.-based McLaren Northern Michigan effective Sept. 28, according to a news release shared with Becker’s.
Ms. Darner succeeds Gar Atchison, who will retire effective Sept. 30. Mr. Atchison will remain in his current role and assist with the transition, according to the release.
She joins the 202-bed hospital from UP Health System, where she is market CEO of UP Health System-Marquette (Mich.) and UP Health System-Bell in Ishpeming, Mich.
Ms. Darner was named permanent CEO of UPHS-Marquette in December 2023 after serving as interim CEO and, before that, COO since 2021. Her role expanded in June 2025, when she took on market CEO duties for both Marquette and Bell following Mitch Leckelt’s retirement. She previously held executive roles at Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital and spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force in medical operations, recruiting, emergency services and clinical practice management, according to the release.
She takes over at McLaren Northern Michigan as the hospital advances a $17 million expansion of its Cheboygan (Mich.) campus, which broke ground over the summer, and establishes a wholly owned women’s health clinic following the closure of the area’s leading OB-GYN practice, the release said.
McLaren Northern Michigan serves 22 counties across northern Lower Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula and is part of Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care, a $6.9 billion system with 12 hospitals.
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