Altmiller announces retirement; Smith to serve as Camden Clark Medical Center president and CEO

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – The WVU Health System announced today (April 24) that Steve Altmiller, president and CEO of WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, will be retiring Aug. 31. Altmiller joined the Health System in January 2018 and has led Camden Clark during a significant period of growth and expansion both on its main campus in downtown Parkersburg and in the broader Mid-Ohio Valley.

“We will miss Steve, as he has been a transformational leader who brought a great vision and new ideas to our medical campus in Parkersburg,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “Steve has left an indelible mark on Camden Clark Medical Center; I’m extremely grateful for his leadership and congratulate him on his decision to retire.”  

As president and CEO, Altmiller worked closely with his leadership team to expand the Hospital’s services, medical staff, and presence in the community by most recently opening Camden Clark Medical Center’s new Southgate Medical Complex in south Parkersburg last September.

“I’m grateful to the Parkersburg community and the entire Mid-Ohio Valley for the support they’ve provided me over the past several years as we worked together to strengthen the Hospital for generations to come,” Altmiller said. “I’m especially grateful to all our Board members, physicians, nurses, and other care team members and employees who’ve made coming to work every day so special and memorable. Being part of the Camden Clark family was a true privilege.”

Sean Smith, now president of WVU Medicine Wetzel County Hospital, a position he has held since January 2021, and the chief operating officer of Camden Clark, will succeed Altmiller as Camden Clark’s CEO beginning in September. 

“Sean is a strong leader who has done a fantastic job serving both as Camden Clark’s chief operating officer and Wetzel County Hospital’s chief executive officer,” Wright said. “I’m thrilled that he has agreed to transition to this new role and look forward to working with him to continue growing Camden Clark.”

A St. Marys native, Smith is a two-time graduate of Marshall University and joined Camden Clark in 2011. He has held various management positions, including chief operating officer, vice president of physician enterprises and clinical integration, vice president of operations, executive director of Camden Clark Physician Corporation, and director of physician recruitment. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and was selected to the inaugural 2018-2019 West Virginia Hospital Association State Leadership Class. 

“I’m honored to take on this new role at Camden Clark,” Smith said. “The team members at the Hospital are all outstanding, and I’m excited to work with them in this new role to ensure Camden Clark remains the preferred place for people in our community to get the care they need.”