(KAIR)--New leadership has been selected for the Atchison Hospital.

That follows what a news release from the hospital calls a nation-wide search for a new CEO.

According to the release, the hospital’s Board of Directors has chosen Jeffery “Jeff” Perry, RN, MSN, DHA, FACHE, to fill the role.

The position has been held since 2004 by John Jacobson, whose retirement becomes effective July 1.

Hospital Board Chair, Susan Myers, in the release, said the board is “very excited that [Perry] has accepted the role,” as he “will be a great addition” to both the hospital and the Atchison Community. Myers noted that Perry was selected from what she called “a strong pool of candidates.”

Perry most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer for Crockett Medical Center, a critical access hospital in Crockett, Texas. Prior to that, he held the position of Chief

Operating Officer for Duke LifePoint Healthcare’s Upper Peninsula Health System in

Marquette, Michigan.