BIDDEFORD — Southern Maine Health Care has named Nathan Howell, a health care executive with national experience and ties to Maine, as the organization’s new chief executive officer.

Howell will assume his new duties May 21 and succeed Ed McGeachey in the role. McGeachey is retiring after serving as SMHC CEO for the past 30 years.

The new hospital leader has significant ties to Maine. He was born at Goodall Hospital in Sanford, spent many summers at his family’s summer home in Brunswick, and graduated from Colby College. He also earned a master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University. 

“My mother grew up in Saco, so I spent a lot of time in the area when I was young. That’s really what led me to attend college in Maine,” Howell said. “I’m excited to return to the state with my family and contribute my experience in support of the professionals at SMHC who are providing exceptional health care to the people of York County.”

He joins SMHC after after serving as president and CEO of North Star Health Alliance and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg, New York, a $125 million nonprofit health care system that includes two hospitals with a total of 140 licensed beds, 10 outpatient clinical sites, and more than 70 employed providers.

Before that, Howell was chief operating officer for Steward-St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, a $360 million, 252-bed teaching hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts, which serves as the tertiary hospital in the Boston area for Steward Health Care. He’s also previously held the COO position for three hospitals within Community Health Systems.

In his new position with SMHC, Howell will oversee York County’s largest health care system and the largest employer home-based in York County, with more than 2,200 employees.

SMHC includes a full service, acute care medical center in Biddeford and a medical center in Sanford. Both the Biddeford and Sanford centers provide 24/7 emergency care, surgical services, and diagnostic and therapy services.

It also includes 200 primary care and multi-specialty physician services providers, with practices in Biddeford, Kennebunk, Saco, Sanford, North Berwick and Waterboro, and Walk-In Care centers in Saco, Sanford, Kennebunk and Waterboro. Breast cancer care, wound care, sleep, pain, and sports performance specialty centers are located in Biddeford, Kennebunk and Sanford.

SMHC is not-for-profit organization and a member of MaineHealth.