The president and CEO of Hospice of the Piedmont has announced his retirement, and a national search firm is assisting the organization with finding a replacement.
Ron Cottrell joined HOP in September 2016. Cottrell has previously served in administration at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital for 27 years.
“I am so blessed to have been part of an organization that provides such meaningful support to patients and their families during the final months of life,” said Cottrell. “When I started at HOP, I knew this work was important, but seeing it up close and personal has given me an entirely different understanding. We are with people at their most vulnerable moments.”
Cottrell will continue to serve in his role until the next CEO is named.
Under Cottrell’s leadership, the organization has grown and expanded its service offerings including a Palliative Medicine program, added several full-time physicians, steered them through the challenges of the pandemic and increased the number of patients and families served.
“Ron has been an invaluable asset to the organization, and we very much appreciate his leadership and management,” said Scott Syverud, chair of the Hospice of the Piedmont board of directors. “They always say you should leave an organization better than you found it, and Ron has done just that.”
Most recently, Cottrell oversaw the launch of the Positive Transformation Project, an initiative aimed at inspiring conversations about death and dying.
“Hospice of the Piedmont is making moves in the community and working to create an important and needed culture shift. I’m proud to have been a part of this work and look forward to seeing it positively impact our community for months and years to come,” said Cottrell.
Based in Charlottesville, HOP cares for patients with serious illness and their families during the final months of life and offers grief and bereavement services to the entire community. HOP serves residents in Albemarle, Augusta, Buckingham, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison Nelson, Orange, and Rappahannock counties, as well as the cities of Charlottesville, Waynesboro, and Staunton.
Related stories
Hospice of the Piedmont camp reinforces to kids, teens that ‘they are not alone’ in their grief