Ms. Stewart leads Washington County Regional Medical Center, a 56-bed hospital with a 60-bed extended care facility in rural middle Georgia, where her connection to the organization spans decades. It began with childhood hours spent in the hospital kitchen where her mother worked as food service manager and dietician, and continued through a nursing career that started at the medical center in 1992. Ms. Stewart advanced through nursing leadership roles including director of nursing and CNO before spending nearly a decade as a nurse surveyor at The Joint Commission, an experience that deepened her expertise in accreditation standards and broad healthcare operations. She then returned to the medical center as CEO in 2023. Under her leadership, a hospital once commonly found on lists of facilities at risk of closure earned a spot on the Chartis 2026 “Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals” list, achieved a significant financial turnaround, expanded orthopedic surgery services and is set to open a brand new emergency department in spring 2026. Ms. Stewart has also channeled her personal resilience into community impact following a 2017 stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme diagnosis, founding the Pam Stewart Cancer Foundation to support brain cancer research and spreading a message of hope to others facing similar battles. She serves on the Washington County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the executive committee of the UGA Archway Partnership with Washington County.
