Betsy Wright

After 35 years in the health care field, Betsy Wright, president and chief executive officer of UPMC Chautauqua, will retire leaving her with more time for traveling, skiing and she just might pick up her golf clubs.

“It’s an exciting time for me,” Wright told The Post-Journal.

Wright has worked at the local hospital for 29 years and more recently as the CEO for 20 years. She also served as the chief operating officer for five years prior to her appointment as CEO. Wright is also a member of the executive committee of the Healthcare Association of New York State.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me,” Wright said of her tenure. “It’s been an honor to provide and to lead this hospital.”

She was named one of “Western New York’s Most Influential People” by “Buffalo Business First” magazine. Most recently, she was honored as one of eight Women of Distinction of Western New York for her contributions through civic, academic and community involvement.

Wright said the decision was one that she made recently, but put in a lot of thought before ultimately deciding to retire.

“I know I’m ready, but to leave something you’ve devoted your life to, it was a tough decision I came to and I’m very happy with it,” she said.

Wright reflected on her long career with the hospital, but highlighted the integration with UPMC the most. For her, the positive impact of the integration didn’t only impact the hospital. She said patients, physicians, staff and the community are all benefiting from the recent change. The hospital is celebrating the two year anniversary of the integration on Saturday. The local hospital combining with the much larger Pittsburgh-based facility was a necessity in Wright’s eyes.

The announcement made its rounds on Monday after a memo was sent by Steve Kilburn, chair of UPMC, and David Gibbons, executive vice president and COO at UPMC, detailing Wright’s retirement.

“We deeply appreciate Betsy’s hard work to integrate UPMC Chautauqua into the UPMC system,” the statement read. “She leaves a legacy of which we are all proud. We know that Betsy will be missed, but we can only feel happy for her in this next phase of her life.”

The memo highlighted Wright’s work as the leader of the hospital that has curated high levels of employee engagement, community support and positive relationships with national, state and local officials.

As for what Wright will do when the new year begins and her obligations to the hospital end, she envisions engaging in hobbies there simply hasn’t been time for throughout her career. She’s been too busy with her work, Wright said.

Traveling, skiing and traveling even more were some of the areas she wants to focus on once she’s officially retired. One activity she might take back up is golf. Wright said she used to be a golfer, but her career took precedent and didn’t have enough time for it anymore. But on Dec. 31, she will have time to return to the golf course, and just about anything she wants to do.

“It’s the right time for me to take a little time and do all of those fun things,” she continued.

Wright said she is confident the hospital will thrive after her retirement. Brian Durniok, current president of UPMC Northwest, will serve as interim president for Chautauqua. Durnoik has been a senior health care leader for more than 20 years.

“We will continue to see great things from this organization,” Wright said.