Acadia Board Moves On From CEO Chris Hunter

The behavioral health services company’s directors are turning to a familiar face to continue to “optimize its growth investments and existing portfolio amidst ongoing macro headwinds.”
Jan. 21, 2026
2 min read

Key Highlights

  • Chris Hunter, CEO since April 2022, steps down amid market challenges and strategic shifts at Acadia Healthcare.
  • Debbie Osteen, with prior leadership experience at Universal Health Services, returns as interim CEO to lead the company through macroeconomic headwinds.
  • Acadia operates approximately 250 centers across 39 states and Puerto Rico, serving over 75,000 patients daily.
  • The company’s board is evaluating all options to enhance shareholder value, including leadership and strategic initiatives.
  • Shares of Acadia (Ticker: ACHC) have declined by two-thirds over the past year, prompting leadership changes and strategic reassessment.
69711a9b2503e67e09f1e12d Achc Debbie Osteen

Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc. CEO Chris Hunter is out at the behavioral care company, effective immediately, and has been replaced by former boss Debbie Osteen. The move comes after a year in which Franklin, Tennessee-based Acadia faced weak demand in some of its markets as well as payer uncertainty stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, factors that contributed to Hunter and his team closing some facilities and reining in the scope of their growth and spending plans after several years of heavy investment.

Hunter, 57, had been CEO of Acadia—which now runs about 250 centers in 39 states and Puerto Rico that serve more than 75,000 patients per day—since April 2022. He joined the company from Humana Inc., where he had worked for more than seven years, including as chief strategy officer and president of its roughly $7 billion division overseeing group, military and specialty insurance.

Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc.
Acadia doesn't run any treatment facilities in New York but Pennsylvania is the company's most important state by revenue.
Jan. 16, 2026
67569652 © bluebay2014 | Dreamstime.com
charts_blue_id_67569652_bluebay2014_dreamstime
Dec. 1, 2025
Osteen, 70, has returned to take the helm at Acadia nearly four years after she ended her first stint as CEO, which had started in 2018 after the company’s directors had pushed out the late Joey Jacobs. Osteen had led Universal Health Services Inc.’s behavioral health division for nearly two decades prior to taking over at Acadia and, after helping Hunter get settled, remained on the latter’s board through May 2024.

Acadia Chairman Reeve Waud said Osteen will lead Acadia as it “continues to optimize its growth investments and existing portfolio amidst ongoing macro headwinds” and directors look for a CEO for the longer term. He also noted that the board is still evaluating “all paths to deliver enhanced shareholder value,” a nod to Acadia shares (Ticker: ACHC) having lost two-thirds of their value over the past year.

“The board believes now is the right time to transition leadership,” Waud said in a statement. “Debbie is a mission-driven executive with a commitment to patients who helped transform Acadia into the leading provider of behavioral healthcare in the U.S. We are confident that with her deep knowledge of Acadia and track record of success, Debbie is the right person to step into the CEO role while the board conducts a comprehensive search for a long-term successor.”

About the Author

Email

Geert De Lombaerde

A native of Belgium, Geert De Lombaerde has more than two decades of business journalism experience and writes about markets and economic trends for Endeavor Business Media publications Healthcare Innovation, IndustryWeek, FleetOwner, Oil & Gas Journal and T&D World. With a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, he began his reporting career at the Business Courier in Cincinnati and later was managing editor and editor of the Nashville Business Journal. Most recently, he oversaw the online and print products of the Nashville Post for more than a decade and reported primarily on Middle Tennessee’s finance sector as well as many of its publicly traded companies.

Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates

Related

UnitedHealth Leaders Expect MA Costs Will Rise 10% in ’26
UnitedHealth Leaders Expect MA Costs Will Rise 10% in ’26
Healthcare Providers Rapidly Adopting Verizon Neutral Host and Private 5G Combo Networks
Sponsored
The Power of Member Experience in Boosting Insurance Renewals
Sponsored