Mary Casillas, COO of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, Calif., was appointed interim CEO of the organization, according to an Oct. 31 news release shared with Becker's.
The release said Ms. Casillas will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is named.
Her appointment comes after the hospital fired Steven Hannah as CEO after about two years on the job.
The hospital decided to end its contract with Mr. Hannah, effective Oct. 14.
Jeri Hernandez, president of the hospital board of directors, said in a statement, "The board talked it through from every angle and reluctantly decided this new course would be best for the hospital. The board appreciates Mr. Hannah's hard work and wishes him the best of luck going forward." The hospital noted that the decision "was not due to any fault by Mr. Hannah but by a consensus that a change in leadership would be best."
Ms. Casillas has served as COO of Hazel Hawkins since May. Before that, she was on the board of directors from 2018 to 2022.