The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) Board of Trustees voted unanimously on October 27, 2016 to appoint Charles Franklin "Chuck" Mantooth, 49, as President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will officially start in the role January 27, 2017.   ARHS has spent the last nine months conducting a search for a new CEO, after 38-year veteran Richard Sparks announced his intention to retire in 2017. Mantooth has served in key leadership positions with ARHS for more than 25 years, including Risk Manager & Financial Analyst, Corporate Compliance Officer, Vice President of Outpatient Services and Programs, Sr. Vice President for Corporate Services, and President & CEO of Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital.  He currently holds the roles of President of Watauga Medical Center, President & CEO of Appalachian Regional Medical Associates, Inc., and CEO of Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital.   On the selection of Mantooth as President & CEO, ARHS Board of Trustees chairman, John Blackburn, commented, "Throughout the search process our board has maintained that we wanted to identify the best possible person as our next Chief Executive... someone who had a proven track record in healthcare leadership. We formed a search committee comprised of physicians, board members and clinical leaders. We also hired an independent search consulting firm to ensure that we were evaluating all of the necessary criteria for filling such an important position. Our process was very methodical. We had a broad range of interested individuals.  As we narrowed the list, Chuck continued to impress us. It became clear that he had the expertise to take us where we want to go as a healthcare system."   Mantooth is a 1990 graduate of Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Healthcare Management) and is a 2006 graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Master of Public Health. He is also a Fellow of The American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on numerous boards including the North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA) Board of Trustees, the NCHA Policy Development Committee, Appalachian State University Honors College Partnership Board, and The American College of Healthcare Executives Regent Advisory Committee.   "I am both honored and humbled for the opportunity to serve this organization and this community," Mantooth said. "I want to thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence and support, and thank Richard for his guidance over the years.  Richard has done an incredible job positioning us for the future and it is important to me to continue the strong legacy of quality, service and teamwork. We have an incredible group of employees and physicians dedicated to caring for others and I'm excited to walk side by side with them as we continue to live out our mission."

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