Island Hospital’s Board of Commissioners has selected current Chief Financial Officer Elise Cutter to serve as the hospital’s interim chief executive officer following Vince Oliver’s retirement May 31. In the near future, the Board will select a company to perform a search for a permanent CEO, which is expected to take at least six months.

Cutter — who Oliver himself once termed as “the most admired manager at the hospital” — will take over June 1, retaining her current responsibilities for the organization’s finances. A chief operations officer will be hired on a temporary basis to oversee some of the areas that currently report to the CEO.

“Elise has the leadership qualities, and earned the respect and support at all levels of the organization,” said Board President Warren Tessler. “She has worked closely with the Board of Commissioners, and been an integral part of our senior leadership team (executive level managers) since 2013 providing strategic and operational planning as well as strong financial management.”

In 2002, Cutter was named Island Hospital Employee of the Year and in 2007, as IH Finance Director, she received the hospital’s Management Leadership Award. She remains the only person to achieve both awards.

Cutter received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Villanova University and will graduate with her MBA in June. Prior to joining Island Hospital in 2001 she served as a controller for a manufacturing firm in Everett, WA.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity and the trust the Commissioners have shown. I’ve enjoyed working closely with the Board and look forward to finding creative solutions that meet the needs of our patients, medical staff and employees,” Cutter said.