Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine St.

A Colorado hospital executive with ties to the Kansas City area has been named Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s next CEO.

Russell W. Johnson, 57, comes from the Centura Health System in Englewood, Colo., where he most recently served as senior vice president of network development and outreach.

Johnson will replace current CEO Gene Meyer, who is retiring at the end of May after 19 years as the non-profit hospital’s leader.

Russell W. Johnson

Johnson will take over the role of president and CEO on or before Aug. 1 with an annual salary of $455,000, as approved by the board Thursday.

By comparison, in May of 2015, the Journal-World reported Meyer’s annual salary had been approved at $482,535, which took into account Meyer’s then-18 years of service as CEO of the hospital and more than 25 years of experience as a hospital CEO.

Karen Shumate, current COO of LMH, will serve as interim CEO from June 1 until Johnson’s arrival.

During the meeting, Board Chair Cindy Yulich thanked everyone involved in the search process.

“We’re gratified that the search has led us to Russ, and I think with his skill set and his integrity, we’re going to be very well served by him,” she said. “We’re anxious to bring him on board.”

In September, the LMH board selected the search firm Witt/Kieffer to guide the search for the new CEO. In February, the pool of candidates was narrowed from about 100 to a dozen, and again in March, down to three, the Journal-World has reported.

Johnson has served 30 years in senior leadership positions in hospitals both urban and rural, according to a news release from LMH. He was CEO for San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa, Colo., for 12 years, and was chief operating officer for Edinburg Regional Medical Center in Edinburg, Texas, from 1997 to 2000.

According to the news release, Johnson grew up in Merriam and graduated from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School and still has strong family ties in the area. He received a bachelor’s degree in management and economics from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., and a master’s degree in health care administration from Washington University in St. Louis.

Johnson and his wife, Isabel, plan to relocate to the Lawrence area in the near future, according to the news release.