Honorees were announced Thursday, Nov. 20, which is National Rural Health Day.

The state office, which is part of the state Department of Public Health, described Cutter as a “visionary leader” with a “collaborative spirit.”

“Under her leadership, the hospital has relocated and modernized the helipad, secured the emergency department, implemented advanced technology, and launched a groundbreaking partnership with the Anacortes Family Center and the City of Anacortes that ensures healthcare access for those most vulnerable in the community,” said a profile of Cutter on the national organization’s website.

The state office is funded by an annual U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant.

The state office works to improve access to health care for rural residents by providing training and technical assistance, dispersing federal and state grants, and facilitating partnerships.

Cutter joined Island Health in 2001.

She was named employee of the year in 2002 and received the public hospital district’s management leadership award in 2007 while serving as its finance director.

She left Anacortes in 2009 due to her husband’s Navy career, and returned in 2011. She became chief financial officer in 2013 and chief operating officer in 2020.

Cutter served as interim CEO for about five months in 2020 before Charles Hall was hired as CEO.

When Hall resigned in December 2021, Cutter stepped in as interim CEO until she was officially named to the position later that month.