Four health systems have selected strategy executives to fill their respective CEO roles in 2026. Is the rare path to the helm gaining prominence?
While executive search firm Spencer Stuart does see the occasional chief strategy officer move into the CEO role, it remains relatively rare, healthcare practice consultant Matthew Robbins told Becker’s. The firm does not anticipate that will change significantly in the near future, and most CEOs promoted internally continue to come from senior operating roles such as COO, as well as from senior physician executive roles.
“When we do see the CSO being elevated into the CEO seat, it is often an internal leader who has been identified through a CEO succession planning process and recognized for their potential to continue to develop and evolve into this role,” Mr. Robbins said. “These leaders are then often given opportunities to grow as a leader and to expand their scope of responsibilities and experiences within the system to prepare for a CEO role.”
The same can be true of chief strategy officers who pivot in their careers to take on new responsibilities — especially operations — before moving into a CEO role at a different organization, he added.
Even so, four strategy executives have stepped into or been named to the CEO role in 2026 — following at least two such transitions Becker’s reported in 2025: David Banks at Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth and Marc Mertz at Visalia, Calif.-based Kaweah Health. Most recently, Wilmington, Del.-based ChristianaCare selected Jenn Schwartz, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, as its next CEO.
Among the other new CEOs is Michelle Conger, who took the helm of Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare in April after serving as chief strategy officer. Her experience focused on operations before moving into strategy and innovation. She told Becker’s the system’s governing board was interested in someone who could apply innovation to operations throughout OSF to lead the transformation occurring in the industry.
“You have to have a high tolerance for ambiguity these days; so much is unclear,” Ms. Conger said. “Understanding the fundamentals of innovation and change management will be imperative for the future.”
She said applying innovation to transform operations is what many systems need to build for the future.
“The low-hanging fruit in operational improvement is gone; the future will require new care models, laser focus and the ability to filter the signal from the noise,” Ms. Conger said.
Her predecessor, Bob Sehring, made the same case in March, telling Becker’s that Ms. Conger’s work in AI and digital innovation was a key reason she was selected as the system focuses on innovation in the coming years.
“Her leadership as chief strategy officer, then overseeing our digital health efforts, really positions her to think about how to integrate — not just have the resources, but how to integrate them into how we look at care,” Mr. Sehring said. “That’s the area I think Michelle will likely take forward into the future.”
That strategy-plus-innovation logic showed up at Dayton (Ohio) Children’s Hospital, which chose Robert Steele, MD, chief innovation and strategy officer for Children’s Mercy Kansas City (Mo.), as its president and CEO, effective July 1. The system said it found in him “the right mix of family first medicine, business acumen and strategic leadership that we were seeking.”
In Arkansas, Lucas Campbell, MD, was named president and CEO of Fayetteville-based Washington Regional Medical System, effective May 31. He joined the system as vice president and chief transformation officer and currently serves as senior vice president of clinical enterprise and strategy — fitting the physician-executive profile Mr. Robbins described. The system called him “uniquely qualified as a physician executive to be the CEO to guide Washington Regional to successfully adapt to an ever-changing health care environment while remaining faithful to our mission.”
Ms. Conger pointed to another skill strategy leaders bring to the corner office.
“Strategy leaders often must navigate partnerships and help to define how you create a win for all involved, she said. “This skill will be necessary for the future. I don’t think you can ‘go it alone’ in healthcare any longer.”
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.