Michael D. Williams has led the Plano, TX-based, not-for-profit hospital chain since its formation in 1996. A national search is underway to find his successor.
The founding president and CEO of Community Hospital Corporation will retire in 2017 after spending the last 20 years leading the organization he helped create.
The Plano, TX-based not-for-profit hospital chain made the announcement on Tuesday, and the company's board of directors has hired executive recruiters Witt/Kieffer to conduct a nationwide search for Williams' replacement.
The transition is expected to be completed by mid-2017, at which time Williams will step down.
"Mike created a solid foundation for CHC and we will continue along the path he has set forth in growing the organization and fulfilling its mission to 'guide, support and enhance the mission of community hospitals and healthcare providers' across the country," CHC Board Chairman Ken Gordon said in remarks accompanying the announcement.
Williams was already a veteran hospital administrator in 1996 when he was named president and CEO at CHC, which began as an alignment of 13 not-for-profit and community-owned hospitals in Texas that want to preserve their nonprofit status and avoid being acquired.
CHC now owns, manages or consults with nearly 30 hospitals across the United States that serve mostly smaller communities and rural areas.