Nichols, who has served as CEO and president for the past 11 years, has stepped down as CEO and will formally retire as president on October 31. Medical Director Don Caruso, who has served the Keene area for more than 20 years, including in the president position, is now the CEO and will assume the duties of president on November 1. The hospital has had an unusual leadership arrangement with both men sharing leadership for a number of years.
“When Art informed us in May of his intent to retire, the executive committee began an intense, deliberative process which included succession planning,” said the hospital's Board of Trustees Chair Sylvia McBeth. “As we considered the challenges ahead, the many changes in the health care environment, and our closer affiliation with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, we realized we needed to look no further than the office of the president. Don Caruso is a well-known colleague and leader. He understands the strategic direction of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock system,"
Nichols joined Cheshire Medical Center in 1988. He has served as a trustee on several community boards including the Keene Family YMCA, the Monadnock United Way, the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, and as chair of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation. Nichols currently serves as a board member of the NH Hospital Association, and is the immediate past chair. He also served as chair of the board of Voluntary Hospitals of America, New England. Nichols represented NH on the American Hospital Association's, Regional Policy Board (Region 1), and is also a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Nichols was also appointed by Governor John Lynch in 2005 to the state's Judicial Selection Commission, serving three terms until 2014.
“The most rewarding aspect of my years here has been the opportunity to work with so many talented, engaged, and dedicated people,” said Nichols. “Clinicians, nurses, support staff, and others who work hard to provide the best and safest care possible for the citizens of the Monadnock Region.”
“Art has been a strong advocate for the patients and families of the Monadnock Region, and he has been a terrific partner as we develop our sustainable health system, improving the lives of the people and communities we serve, for generations to come,” said Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO and President Dr. James N. Weinstein. “I wish Art well as he moves on to the next phase of his career"
Caruso has served as medical director at Cheshire Medical in the office of the president since 2011. He was chair of the Vision 2020 Steering Committee dedicated to making Cheshire County the healthiest community in the nation by the year 2020. Caruso was also leading Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Primary Care Service Line (PCSL) initiative, announced earlier this year. With Caruso’s appointment as CEO, Dartmouth-Hitchcock physician Dr. Lora Council, who has worked with Caruso will serve as interim lead while a search committee seeks a successor for Caruso.
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