Washington Regional CEO Larry Shackelford to retire, Lucas Campbell named successor

J. Larry Shackelford, president and CEO of Fayetteville-based Washington Regional Medical System, said Thursday (April 2) he will retire May 31 after working more than 35 years in health care in Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Lucas Campbell, senior vice president of clinical enterprise and strategy, has been named the president and CEO.

Campbell joined Washington Regional in 2023 as vice president and chief transformation officer. As senior vice president of clinical enterprise and strategy, Campbell oversees the health system’s clinical operations and strategic planning. He has worked in health care in Northwest Arkansas for over 17 years, including multiple physician leadership roles such as president and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Pathology Associates and serving on the Washington Regional Medical System Board of Directors.

The board selected Campbell as the health system’s next president and CEO.

“I’m humbled by the board’s confidence and honored to lead Washington Regional in its next chapter as we continue to serve a thriving Northwest Arkansas community,” Campbell said. “I am also deeply grateful for Mr. Shackelford’s leadership and mentorship over the years. Washington Regional has been at the heart of Northwest Arkansas for more than 75 years, and I look forward to continuing the system’s legacy of high-quality, compassionate care.”

Shackelford will continue to serve as a governmental affairs adviser for the Washington Regional after his retirement. He joined Washington Regional in 2010 as senior vice president of strategy and outreach services. He was named president and CEO in 2017.

“We are thankful for Mr. Shackelford’s dedicated service and his commitment to Washington Regional’s patients, team members and the community,” said Marshall Saviers, board chairman. “Our board conducted a diligent search to find the right person to serve as Washington Regional Medical System’s next president and CEO. Specifically, we looked for someone with the right set of competencies to build on Washington Regional’s legacy of growth in both capacity and capabilities to provide quality patient care. We sought a leader who would be committed to our mission, which is to improve the health of people in the communities we serve through high-quality care, prevention and wellness education. Our board is confident that Dr. Lucas Campbell is uniquely qualified as a physician executive to be the CEO to guide Washington Regional to successfully adapt to an ever-changing health care environment while remaining faithful to our mission.”

Shackelford guided the health system through the COVID-19 pandemic and earned statewide recognition for his leadership during this period. He served on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s COVID-19 Winter Task Force and the Arkansas Hospital Association Board of Directors. Shackelford often spoke about the pandemic’s effects on patients, staff and the state’s health care system. He received national attention for his weekly letters to staff during the height of the pandemic, providing updates on hospital conditions and leadership decisions while acknowledging the emotional and physical toll on physicians, providers and frontline workers.

Shackelford helped expand graduate medical education in Northwest Arkansas by working with the Northwest Arkansas Council on a long-term strategy to address regional physician shortages through area training. Washington Regional worked with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to establish the UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program, beginning with internal medicine and expanding into specialty and non-primary care residencies. Shackelford helped advance key financial and policy decisions, including Washington Regional’s acceptance of a CMS geographic wage reclassification and advocacy for state funding, which enabled the creation of dozens of new, federally supported residency and fellowship positions.

Campbell has spearheaded several initiatives at Washington Regional, including serving as an executive sponsor for the health system’s 2025 transition to Epic, a unified electronic health record. In the role, he provided oversight to ensure alignment between Epic’s rollout and Washington Regional’s goals. Campbell also assumed operations of Physicians’ Specialty Hospital in Fayetteville. The hospital is expected to expand access to surgical care across the health system.

Campbell earned his medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and completed his residency in anatomical and clinical pathology at St. Louis University in Missouri. He completed fellowships in gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology at the University of Chicago and surgical pathology at Washington University in St. Louis. Campbell has board certifications in anatomic and clinical pathology. At Northwest Arkansas Pathology Associates, Campbell was a partner and practicing pathologist providing pathology services throughout Northwest Arkansas, including serving as medical director of the clinical laboratory at Washington Regional Medical Center. He serves on the board of directors for Hope Cancer Resources and Excellerate Foundation.

Washington Regional operates a 425-bed medical center, two multispecialty surgical centers, five Centers of Excellence, and 40 clinic locations throughout Northwest and North Arkansas. Washington Regional has more than 3,600 employees.