WellSpan Health names new CEO: ‘Mission-driven leader’

After months of searching, WellSpan Health has found its next leader.

Laureen T. Driscoll has been named the next president and CEO of WellSpan, a Pennsylvania-based health system operating 12 hospitals. She will succeed Roxanna Gapstur, who announced her plans to retire in April.

Gapstur will continue leading WellSpan through Jan. 3, 2027, and Driscoll will take over the following day. Gapstur has led WellSpan since 2019.

Driscoll currently holds a key leadership role with Providence, serving as chief executive of the health system’s south division. In that role, Driscoll oversees a division with 17 hospitals in California, with $10.3 billion in operating revenue.

Joe Crosswhite, chair of the WellSpan Health Board of Directors, outlined the reasons the health system selected Driscoll as its next CEO.

“Laureen is a proven, mission-driven leader with the experience and values to build on WellSpan’s strong foundation,” Crosswhite said in a statement. “She has led complex health systems through transformation while strengthening quality, culture, access and performance. Just as important, she leads with purpose and understands that listening to team members, clinicians and communities is essential.”

Driscoll has been with Providence since 2022. Previously, she held leadership posts with the MultiCare Health System, including president of Tacoma General and Allenmore hospitals and president of MultiCare Deaconess Hospital.

She has also held leadership roles at Swedish Health System, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and Maine Medical Center.

Driscoll said in a statement that she is “energized by the opportunity” to lead WellSpan.

“As I prepare for this next chapter, I am drawn to WellSpan's strong sense of purpose, locally governed model, commitment to innovation and deep investment in healthy communities,” Driscoll wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “What stood out throughout the process was an organization that knows who it is, where it is headed and why its mission matters.”

Driscoll said when she comes to WellSpan, she plans to meet and listen to leaders, physicians, staff, patients and community partners.

Like Gapstur, Driscoll is a registered nurse. Gapstur praised Driscoll’s nursing and leadership background for her next role as WellSpan’s CEO.

She said Driscoll brings “a leadership style grounded in listening, collaboration and accountability.”

“Laureen’s career as a nurse and health system executive reflects a deep commitment to mission through advancing quality, strengthening teams and improving the health of the communities we serve,” Gapstur wrote on LinkedIn. “Most importantly, she will join an organization with extraordinary momentum, a clear strategy and talented teams who show up every day to make a difference for patients and communities.”

WellSpan has been expanding its footprint in recent years and has tried new approaches to extend access to more patients. Teaming with Emerus, WellSpan has opened three new micro hospitals in central Pennsylvania. The hospitals offer emergency departments and have 10 inpatient beds.

WellSpan has earned national recognition for its efforts to improve the quality of patient care. In 2024, the American Hospital Association awarded the 2024 Quest for Quality prize to the system, praising WellSpan’s high marks in patient safety.

In her LinkedIn post, Gapstur wrote that she is confident in her successor’s ability to lead the system.

“Laureen is a talented leader for WellSpans next chapter, and I look forward to supporting a smooth transition in the months ahead,” she said.