Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. announced that Christopher H. Hunter departed from his role as Chief Executive Officer of Acadia, effective as of January 20, 2026. The company also announced that the Board has appointed Debra K. Osteen as the Chief Executive Officer of Acadia, effective January 20, 2026. Osteen, age 70, previously served as CEO of Acadia from December 2018 to March 2022, and as Director until 2024.
Prior to joining Acadia in December 2018, Ms. Osteen served as Executive Vice President of Universal Health Services, Inc. and President of UHS?s behavioral health division for 19 years. As part of her commitment to the advancement of behavioral healthcare, Ms. Osteen has served as an executive committee member for the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare for more than 20 years, including a two-term seat as president of the board. She also served on the Executive Committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, a public-private partnership advancing the national strategy for suicide prevention.
Ms. Osteen has been named multiple times among the ?Top 25 Women in Healthcare? by Modern Healthcare magazine, most recently in 2015. Ms. Osteen was also named to the Top 100 Executives in Healthcare in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
