The Willapa Harbor Hospital Board of Commissioners are excited to announce Matthew Kempton, MHA, has agreed to become our next permanent CEO.  Matt has a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from Texas A&M University and a Bachelors of Science from Brigham Young University. He has most recently been the CEO at Stephens Memorial Hospital District, Breckenridge, Texas.  He and his wife Chelsea and their three children are excited to become part of our community. 

The WHH Board identified a CEO Selection Committee composed of two Board members (Toni Williams and Jeff Nevitt), two community leaders (Dr. Steve Holland and Sheri McDonald, R.N.) and our Chief of the Medical Staff (Dr. Frank Hing).  They used B.E. Smith, a national executive search company, to assist in the identification of qualified candidates. Everyone worked very hard to conduct a quality selection process and we thank all participants for all the hours and hard work.

B.E. Smith started with over 150 potential candidates, reduced that to eight, then through a very active Selection Committee evaluation process reduced that number to three individuals, which we brought to the hospital and community to conduct interviews. All of the WHH Board, medical staff and employees were able to ask questions and to provide feedback to the Board of Commissioners. 

Each candidate spent a day touring the hospital and answering questions from the Staff and Board members.  All candidate spouses were able to visit and tour the community and three local schools. Each school did a great job show casing their successes and what they can do for the children. The spouses were given a community tour to get a general idea of the surrounding communities as well as housing locations and shopping options.  We would like to thank the community members Cathy Russ, Kristine Nevitt and Karen Tully for taking their time to show off the beauty of Willapa Harbor.

Matt plans to arrive November 29th. Matt is excited to attend the Festival of Trees on November 30th, which is the Willapa Harbor Health’s Foundation key annual fundraiser for the year. The Willapa Harbor Hospital Board of Commissioners have worked diligently to select a leader to take the hospital to the next level of caring for our community. 

While all the candidates had outstanding individual qualifications, Matt was the best choice to meet the current and future needs of Willapa Harbor Hospital and the surrounding communities.