Longtime CEO Retires from Baptist Memorial Hospital–Carroll County

HUNTINGDON — After a fulfilling 34 years, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Susan Breeden is saying goodbye to Baptist Memorial Hospital–Carroll County and hello to retirement. The Huntingdon hospital held a retirement reception for Breeden on Friday, July 31, honoring her decades of leadership.

Breeden, a Waverly native, looks back at her years with Baptist with a lot of love for the people she has encountered — and many reasons to feel bittersweet as she leaves.

"I have had the best team," Breeden said, "and I love just walking down the hallway and talking to patients and their families. Carroll County is really a special place."

Breeden joined Baptist Memorial Hospital–Carroll County in 1988 as a business office manager. She ultimately left the hospital in 1989 — a move she said she regretted almost as soon as she'd left.

She returned to Baptist in 1993 as the hospital's chief financial officer, and in 1997, she was promoted to chief executive officer (CEO), a position she held for 29 years. During this time, Breeden has commuted from Waverly to Huntingdon nearly every day.

As CEO, Breeden was responsible for the operations of the hospital facility, from safety to clinical responsibilities, but she credited her team with ensuring everything went smoothly.

"I've got great leaders here," Breeden said, "and it takes a team effort. Everybody knows their responsibility, and everybody works so well together to make sure that we look at things concurrently every day, that we're doing the very best that we can do."

There were many factors that made Breeden come to love Baptist Memorial Hospital, with the hospital's faith-based service being paramount.

"Working for a faith-based organization is really important to me," Breeden said. "We begin every morning with prayer in our safety huddles, and we begin all of our meetings with prayer. I think that adds a dimension to being able to care for people, that you're trying to do it in a Christlike manner."

Leaving Baptist Memorial Hospital–Carroll County was a difficult decision for Breeden, though it had been in the back of her mind since 2020. She officially announced her retirement in early 2026, feeling like it was time to move into her next phase of life.

"I still have a reasonable amount of good health," Breeden said. "I have grandkids, and I just feel like it's time that I do some things for myself and for my family. I'm leaving this facility in really great hands, which gives me some peace."

Skipper Bondurant, administrator and CEO at Baptist Memorial Hospital's Union City campus, is the new CEO of the Carroll County campus and will begin splitting his time evenly between the two hospitals. The Carroll County campus also recently hired Kevin Redd as chief administrative officer.

During the retirement ceremony, several Baptist Memorial Hospital employees were heard admiring that it takes two positions to fill Breeden's one.

"It is nearly impossible to put into words what Susan has meant to us," Baptist Memorial Hospital–Carroll County shared on Friday, "not only as our CEO but as someone who has left a permanent mark on the hearts of so many. Susan has been so much more than a leader. She has been a mother figure, a friend, a trusted sounding board, a source of comfort and a steady voice of wisdom when it was needed most. She has led with grace, strength, compassion and humility, and her kindness and generosity have touched more lives than she will ever know.

The legacy Susan leaves behind is one of love, service, courage and unwavering dedication. We are better because of her, and this place will forever carry the imprint of her heart. While we are so happy for her as she begins her well-deserved next chapter, we will miss her more than words can say."

Friday was Breeden's last day with Baptist, though she said it won't be the hospital's last time seeing her. Monday was the start of Breeden's retirement, which she said will be filled with river life and time with her three grandchildren.