Artesian Valley Health Systems Names New CEO

Artesian Valley Health System’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dawn Unruh, MSN-NE, PMC-HA, RN has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Artesian Valley Health System (AVHS).

“Dawn’s proven leadership and expertise has positioned her well to serve as the AVHS CEO. She is an experienced, engaging, and compassionate leader who is committed to our community and our employees,” said Lori Ulichnie, AVHS Board Chairman. “The Board is confident that she will lead AVHS as we move into the next era of serving our community’s healthcare needs.”

Unruh recently completed coursework for a Post-Masters Certificate in Healthcare Administration, complementing almost 15 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse, being Master’s-prepared with a focus of educating and mentoring more than 350 nurses to the healthcare field. Most recently, Unruh has served AVHS in the leadership roles of Corporate Compliance and Chief Ancillary Officers. Prior to her work in healthcare, Dawn received her Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education.

“I am honored to be chosen for the role of CEO at Artesian Valley Health System. We have an outstanding team that is dedicated to providing quality care for the communities we serve. We have worked through significant challenges the past few years, which reflects our strength and commitment to each other,” Unruh stated. “I am excited to lead such as incredible team and I am looking forward to the future as we continue working together to move AVHS forward.”
Unruh will continue to work alongside the AVHS team as they focus on their strategic pillars of Workforce; Process Enhancement; Consumer Experience; Financial Sustainability; and Public Trust and Confidence. “It has been a pleasure to work with Dawn Unruh and the AVHS team for the past ten months. I am confident that Dawn is the right CEO for AVHS. Her demonstrated commitment to AVHS and our communities is strong and her determination to lead through trust, professionalism, service and engagement is the type of leadership that will lead AVHS to sustainable success for years to come.” AVHS Interim CEO, Darcy Howard.

Unruh will assume the CEO role effective March 27, 2023.