August 18, 2026 – The Delta Health Board of Directors and CEO Search Committee are pleased to announce three finalists for the position of Chief Executive Officer. Following an extensive national search process, the committee has identified candidates whose experience and leadership philosophy align closely with Delta Health’s mission of serving Delta County and Colorado’s Western Slope.
The finalists are:
Nicholas M. Colleran, MSHA, MBA
Nick has served Delta Health as Chief Operating Officer since December 2024, and has also been serving as Interim CEO since March 2026, providing steady operational and strategic leadership through a period of significant organizational transformation. During his tenure, he has led a comprehensive liquidity stabilization plan that grew days cash on hand from roughly 6 days to 30 within four months, strengthened revenue cycle performance, and helped recruit and onboard a permanent Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to Delta Health, Nick held senior operating leadership roles at Port Huron Hospital (part of McLaren Health Care) and Signature Healthcare in Brockton, Massachusetts, where he led operational and financial turnarounds, expanded clinical service lines, and improved quality and safety outcomes across large, complex health systems. He holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
David A. Butler
David brings more than 35 years of hospital executive leadership across large and small, for-profit and non-profit healthcare organizations. Most recently, he served as CEO of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon, where he led significant market expansion, grew inpatient and outpatient volumes, and improved financial performance, increasing EBIDA and net revenue while reducing labor costs.
Earlier in his career, David led multi-hospital operations for Adventist Health in California, served as CEO of critical access hospitals in Tillamook, Oregon and Gooding, Idaho, and held CEO and COO roles across hospital systems in Tennessee and Texas. He has particular experience with rural and critical access hospital turnarounds, including significantly improving days cash on hand and operating performance at multiple organizations. He holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Long-Term Healthcare Administration from Southern Adventist University, along with an Associate of Science in Nursing.
Michele Sexton
Michele is a mission-driven healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience leading physician enterprises and hospitals within non-profit and mission-focused health systems. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer for Southland MD in Thomasville, Georgia, and previously founded Mission Healthcare Partners, a multidisciplinary healthcare management organization serving hospitals, medical groups, and health systems nationally.
Michele’s background includes systemwide leadership at Sanford Health, where she oversaw operations across five acute-care hospitals and the employed physician enterprise, as well as multiple interim CEO engagements guiding organizations through leadership transitions and turnarounds. She holds a dual degree in Applied Psychology and Counseling from Colorado Christian University, along with executive certifications from Columbia Business School and the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.
Next Steps
The Delta Health Board of Directors and CEO Search Committee will continue its evaluation process in the coming weeks, which will include additional interviews. Delta Health remains committed to a transparent process and will keep the community informed as the search moves forward.
Thank you for your continued support of Delta Health and our vision to provide compassionate, quality healthcare that our community will trust.
