There are four finalists for the CEO job at Aspen Valley Health.
Aspen Daily News file
Aspen Valley Health on Monday announced the finalists for the position of chief executive officer.Â
AVH’s Board of Directors will conduct final interviews with the candidates this week. In accordance with state law, a formal offer of employment cannot be made until 14 days after the public announcement of the finalists.
The finalists are: Dr. Richard Becker, system executive in residence, Northwell Health (Hyde Park, New York); Michelle Gelroth, chief information officer, AVH; Corey Lively, CEO, Great Plains Regional Medical Center (Elk City, Oklahoma); and Jason Spring, vice president of Member Networks, Vizient (Irving, Texas).
The search follows the summer announcement by David Ressler, who has led Aspen Valley Health for a combined 18 years over two separate tenures, that he plans to retire in early 2026.
The following information on the finalists is based on information from their professional profiles on their LinkedIn pages.Â
Dr. Richard Becker
Becker currently serves as system executive in residence at Northwell Health and is the founder and CEO of Fusion Health Partners, a New York-based firm that started in 2015.
From the fall of 2023 to early 2025, he was chief medical officer for Electronic Caregiver, a digital-health technology company. Previously, he served as CEO of the Physician Affiliate Group of New York, a 3,500-member physician organization serving NYC Health + Hospitals.
Becker
He also held public-sector positions as New York state’s deputy secretary for health and deputy commissioner for the Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management, where he helped shape statewide health care policy and oversight.
He earned his doctor of medicine from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry. He completed his residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in critical care medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he also obtained board certification in both specialties. He later earned an MBA from The George Washington University School of Business, combining clinical and executive training.
Michelle Gelroth
Gelroth, AVH’s sole internal candidate who’s a finalist, serves as chief information officer at Aspen Valley Health, where she has led its information-technology strategy since 2019. She oversees digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and innovation initiatives that support clinical care, patient safety and hospital operations.
Gelroth
Gelroth joined Aspen Valley Hospital in 2014 as associate director of information technology and was promoted to director the following year. Before coming to Aspen, she worked for Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs as a project manager and in strategic financial planning and compliance. She also served as a senior project manager for Cornerstone Advisors in Glenwood Springs.
Earlier in her career, she gained clinical and research experience at SSM Health and the University of Oklahoma.
She earned a master’s degree in health care delivery science from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, pursued studies in osteopathic medicine at Rocky Vista University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma.
Corey Lively
Lively, chief executive officer of Great Plains Regional Medical Center, has led the hospital since 2014, overseeing its strategic, operational and financial performance and expanding access to rural health care in western Oklahoma.
Lively
Before joining Great Plains, Lively served as CEO of Elkview General Hospital from 2011 to 2014. He previously held executive roles at Brooksville Regional Hospital in Florida and Riverview Regional Medical Center in Alabama.
Lively holds two master’s degrees from Oklahoma State University — one in health care administration and another in counseling psychology.
Jason Spring
Spring has been a health care executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across hospitals, health systems and governance organizations.
Since January 2021 he has been vice president for Vizient Inc., where he leads multiple national executive networks.
Before joining Vizient, Spring spent 12 years with Logan Health in Montana, where he rose from CEO of North Valley Hospital (2009-2016) to executive vice president and chief strategy officer (2016-2021). Earlier in his career, he served as CEO of HealthPark Hospital in Florida and CHI St. Vincent/HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital, following leadership roles in network development at Saline Memorial Hospital in Arkansas.
Spring
He holds a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Centenary College of Louisiana.
Spring is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, serves as Montana regent on the ACHE Council of Regents and sits on the Board of Trustees for Immanuel Living. He also holds an NACD Directorship Certification, reflecting his expertise in board governance and strategic oversight.