Lawrence General Hospital recently concluded its search for a new president and chief executive officer when it named Deborah J. Wilson to the position.
Wilson, a senior executive of the hospital for the past nine years, had been serving as acting CEO since last October, when Dianne Anderson stepped down after 10 years as president and CEO of the independent nonprofit hospital.
The hospital’s board of trustees chose Wilson for the permanent appointment after a four-month search, assisted by a national health care recruiting firm and an executive development and evaluation consultant, according to Ben French, a spokesman for Lawrence General.
“We were fortunate to be able to conduct this process in an environment rich with highly qualified candidates, both regionally and nationally,” Bob Gilbert, chairman of thehospital trustees, said in a statement. “At the end of our search, we concluded that the ideal choice is the same person already leading our hospital. The board determined that Deb has the leadership qualities, talent, and experience to lead the organization most effectively in the future.”
Wilson, a Reading resident, had served as executive vice president at Lawrence General for three years after having been senior vice president and chief financial officer for six years.
Lawrence General Hospital has 186 acute care beds and annually treats 68,000 emergency visits and 1,400 births. The hospital and its outpatient sites in Andover, Methuen, North Andover, and Salem, N.H., together annually serve about 270,000 patients.
John Laidler can be reached at [email protected].