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May 6, 2024

Penobscot Valley Hospital finds a new CEO within its own ranks

Just a month after Penobscot Valley Hospital CEO Crystal Landry said she was stepping down from that role, the 25-bed critical access facility in Lincoln has named a successor.

Melissa Pelkey, currently chief nursing officer at the hospital, was tapped by its board for the top spot. She will transition to the CEO role around July 1, the hospital said Friday.

Photo / Courtesy, Penobscot Valley Hospital
Melissa Pelkey

Like Landry, Pelkey is a registered nurse. She began her career at PVH and has also worked at other rural Maine hospitals, serving in administrative leadership for over 20 years.

Penobscot Valley Hospital conducted "a comprehensive search for a health care professional with the right skills, experience and leadership ability," said Phillip Dawson, president and chair of the hospital's board of directors.

Landry added: "Melissa's commitment to our mission and vision, coupled with her diverse expertise and longstanding dedication to the community, positions her uniquely to lead PVH forward. Her transition into the CEO role is a testament to her hard work and thorough understanding of what it takes to provide exceptional care in our community.

"I am committed to working closely with Melissa to navigate this changeover and am confident in her abilities to steer PVH towards a successful future."

Landry announced April 3 that she was resigning and planned to leave PVH within three to six months in order to spend more time with her family.

She joined the hospital in 2015, became CEO in 2019, and is widely credited with leading it through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy without laying off workers. The hospital emerged from bankruptcy in 2021, the year Landry was honored as a Mainebiz Woman to Watch, and today PVH employs about 175 people.

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