Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Ascension Saint Thomas Behavioral Health Hospital Nashville, Tennessee

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead Ascension Saint Thomas Behavioral Health Hospital—a newly built, 90-bed inpatient facility in the heart of Nashville. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of a flagship hospital created through a powerful partnership between Ascension Saint Thomas
, one of Tennessee’s most trusted not-for-profit health systems, and Acadia Healthcare
, the nation’s largest standalone behavioral health provider.

Located just minutes from downtown in Nashville’s Metro Center, the hospital offers a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient services for adults and seniors—including acute psychiatric care, PHP, IOP, MAT, residential treatment, and ECT. This role is ideal for a mission-driven leader ready to make a lasting impact on behavioral healthcare in Middle Tennessee.

What We Offer:

At Ascension Saint Thomas Behavioral Health Hospital, we invest in our leadership with a comprehensive benefits package and opportunities for long-term success:

• Competitive compensation package with a performance-based bonus plan
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance tailored to executive needs
• Acadia Healthcare 401(k) plan with company match
• Equity/stock-based incentive awards, offering long-term financial growth
• Generous paid time off including vacation, sick leave, holidays, and personal days
• Executive-level training and onboarding with access to Acadia’s national resources
• Career advancement opportunities within Acadia’s extensive network of 250+ behavioral health facilities

Who We’re Looking For:

We are seeking a mission-aligned, strategic operator who can:

• Lead all aspects of hospital operations, ensuring high-quality care, regulatory compliance, and financial sustainability
• Build and inspire a strong multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of accountability, compassion, and service excellence
• Collaborate with both Ascension Saint Thomas and Acadia leadership to align hospital goals with regional and national behavioral health initiatives
• Represent the hospital in the community, cultivating trust and partnerships with local stakeholders, providers, and referral sources

Candidates should have prior executive leadership experience in a behavioral health or acute care hospital setting, a strong grasp of healthcare operations and regulatory environments, and a passion for expanding access to life-changing behavioral health services.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

The successful Chief Executive Officer candidate will:

• Be instrumental in developing a culture that emphasizes high quality care and patient safety.
• Manages day-to day operations and staff so that the facility achieves its objectives in all of the following key performance areas:

• effective patient care outcomes
• appropriate fiscal management
• maintenance of licensure, accreditation and other regulatory criteria
• implementation of focused business development processes medical staff compliance with regulatory and accreditation guidelines

• Organizes the day-to-day management and operation of the Facility through departmentalization, delegation and alignment of responsibilities to meet the facility’s patient care and business objectives.
• Create and maintain a network of local constituency groups to include government agencies, local businesses, affiliate health providers, and the surrounding community.
• Appraises leadership team performance, both of individual members and the team, assesses competencies, and provides coaching/corrective action as appropriate under the direction of the governing body.
• Ensure participation of staff in facility/program wide in-service and continuing…