The search for a new chief executive officer at Bartlett Regional Hospital has been narrowed to three candidates, hospital officials said in a news release Thursday. A fourth finalist, Jeanine Gentry, has withdrawn her application for personal reasons.

The prevailing candidate will replace Chuck Bill, who recently retired from the post. Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Benson, is serving as interim CEO until the hiring process is complete.

About the search process

The finalists were identified as part of a nationwide search for Bill’s successor. A total of 52 people applied for the position, and the hiring committee conducted phone interviews with 13 candidates before selecting the finalists.

The finalists will visit the hospital on March 19 to participate in assessment interviews and have a final interview with the Board of Directors the next day.

Members of the public who wish to meet the finalists will have an opportunity to do so and provide feedback to the hiring committee on March 19. According to the news release, final plans for the public meeting are still being developed and will be released soon.

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Meet the finalists

Here’s an overview of each finalist’s qualifications, according to the hospital’s news release. Candidates appear in alphabetical order.

Christopher R. Bjornberg is currently the medical center director for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Walla Walla, Washington, where he has served in that role since January 2019. Prior to his role with the VA, he provided leadership, either as an interim leader or CEO, to hospitals in Washington, Wyoming, Idaho — where he was the CEO of Cascade Medical Center — and Nebraska, where he served as the CEO of Friend Community Healthcare System. Additionally, since 2014, he has been co-owner of New Horizons Mental Wellness Clinics in Pocatello, Idaho. Bjornberg has an MBA in Healthcare Management and Accounting and Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, all from American Intercontinental University.

Rose Lawhorne is the current chief nursing officer at Bartlett Regional Hospital. Her career at Bartlett Regional Hospital started in 1993. She has also worked as the Assistant Chief Clinical Officer, Senior Director, Emergency Department Director, Staff Nurse, and as a Data Entry/Registration Clerk. Lawhorne has an Associate of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Alaska, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Shawn Morrow has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Murray State University. He is a fellow of the GE Healthcare Management Academy and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has provided leadership to hospitals in Tennessee, Oklahoma and Alaska — at Bartlett Regional Hospital from 2007 to 2012 — before joining Intermountain Healthcare in 2012. His tenure with Intermountain Healthcare includes leading Heber Valley Hospital and Park City Hospital. Since 2017, his current role as the Administrator/CEO of LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Contact reporter Dana Zigmund at dana.zigmund@juneauempire.com or 907-308-4891.