Stewart has worked at the medical center for 35 years, 30 of them as chief executive officer.

The Sky Lakes Board of Directors hired Heidrick and Struggles, an international firm that specializes in recruiting for CEO positions, to develop a list of candidates to replace Stewart. Candidates will be considered both from within Sky Lakes and elsewhere, according to the medical center.

The process is expected to take six months, with hospital leadership, medical staff, and local business and civic leaders, will provide feedback on finalists.

Stewart also noted the strong financial condition of the organization and the board’s commitment that Sky Lakes remain an independent, stand-alone hospital with decisions made by people who live in Klamath Falls.

“The board has always had the community’s best interest at heart even as Sky Lakes continued to be an industry leader,” said board chair John Bell, according to the release. “That doesn’t change: Sky Lakes will stay locally governed.”

Stewart spoke about the medical center’s difficult year, which included battling the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an October ransomware attack on its computer systems. He said his top achievements include being twice named a Top 100 Community Hospital in the nation, the creation of the Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center, opening the new medical center in 2007 and construction of the Sky Lakes Collaborative Health Center.

Oregon Business & Industry presented Stewart its “Statesman of the Year Award” in 2017, which recognizes a leader for extraordinary achievements in public service, consensus building and forging collaborative solutions to critical issues facing the state.