Chelan Douglas Health District Appoints Dr. Kristen Hosey Interim Director
Hosey will lead CDHD operations while a search for a new executive director proceeds, says board chair Jerrilea Crawford
Dr. Kristen Hosey will take the helm as the interim director of the Chelan Douglas Health District as the health district board searches for a new executive director in the coming months.
The CDHD board voted Monday to approve Hosey’s interim appointment. Hosey has been deputy director for seven months and takes over for Luke Davies, who has been director since the height of the Covid pandemic, in December 2020.
CDHD board chair Jerrilea Crawford said appointing Hosey to the role made sense.
“It was an easy transition to put her in as interim director because she already has experience with the district, she knows the staff and can naturally step into that temporary role while we evaluate hiring that permanent placement,” she said.
Hosey said she’s feeling a complicated mix of reactions to the appointment.
“I’m sad to see Luke go. Big time sad,” she said. “I am happy to hear that the board has trust in me to take on the interim role and I’m just looking forward to hearing what the next steps are.”
Hosey is throwing her hat in the ring to be Davies’ replacement and hopes to secure the job permanently.
Crawford said she’s not sure exactly what the timeline will be for finding a permanent replacement for Davies. First, the board has to evaluate the job description, and then post the job for at 30 days. Then they can begin the interview process, which could take a few weeks, and if they don’t find suitable candidates they won’t hire someone.
“We’re going to keep looking until we get that position filled with the right person,” she said.
She said Hosey could very well be the right fit, but they have to go through the process and evaluate all qualified candidates to ensure they get the best person for the job. Crawford also said she appreciates Hosey’s willingness to take on the role because she has to continue doing her job as deputy director as well as take on the roles of the director.
“I have every confidence in Dr. Hosey and I appreciate her stepping in on an interim basis – her workload will be really quite heavy,” she said.
Hosey said her focus is on stability and staff morale while keeping up with the increased workload CDHD staff typically have this time of year, like pool inspections. They also have some positions to fill.
“So just looking at that and all of our programs, and being as flexible as we can while we are still meeting the needs of the community is really our priority,” she said.
I can’t think of a better leader for our Health District than Dr. Hosey. We would be lucky to have her!