Columbus hospital’s CEO departs after 1 month on the job. Meet the new leader
St. Francis-Emory Healthcare has hired a new CEO one month after the previous CEO’s tenure started.
The company announced Wednesday that Bill Little will be the new CEO, effective April 21. This announcement comes a month after a previous announcement of Robert Parker taking over the CEO position of the hospital.
Parker resigned from his position at the end of last month for “personal reasons,” Grant Farrimond, director of marketing and communications at St. Francis-Emory, told the Ledger-Enquirer. The hiring and selection process went quickly after Parker parted with the company in late March.
Little brings more than 30 years of experience in hospital leadership to St. Francis, the news release says. His most recent position was as CEO of Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (CPRMC), which, like St. Francis, is part of ScionHealth’s hospital portfolio.
Russell Pigg, president of the community hospital division at ScionHealth, described Little in the news release as one of ScionHealth’s “top-performing CEOs.”
“Bill helped create a culture and team at Carolina Pines that truly transformed the hospital into one of the nation’s best,” Pigg said. “He brings a wealth of experience to St. Francis-Emory and a track record of helping hospitals improve patient outcomes and experiences while aligning service offerings to best meet the community’s needs.”
Before becoming the CEO of CPRMC in 2016, Little held CEO positions at St. Thomas Highlands Hospital, Highlands Medical Center and Canon County Hospital, all in Tennessee.
“This is an impressive health system with tremendous outreach and impact in the area,” Little said in the news release. “We have extremely capable and willing team members and strong programs already in place, so I am excited to fit the ground running and work with my team to see how we can take our hospital to the next level.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 12:29 PM.