Joy Coulston

After just two years at the helm, Powell Valley Healthcare CEO Joy Coulston is stepping down, according to a Wednesday release from the Powell Valley Healthcare Board of Directors.

"On behalf of the Board, we wish her well in her future endeavors," the board said in its release.

The board, in partnership with Billings Clinic, expects to finalize interim leadership plans soon and will begin recruiting a new CEO as quickly as possible, according to the release. The PVHC CEO is technically a Billings Clinic employee.

PVHC Board Chair RJ Kost told the Tribune on Wednesday that how quickly they hire a new CEO would depend on a number of factors such as the applicants, but "it's important, so you don’t try to rush anything."

Kost said Coulston's last day in the office was Tuesday, but she will be available to the board and the administration for the next 60 days until the end of her contract.

Coulston's resignation comes less than a month after she announced the resignation of her chief financial officer, Coby La Blue, who is taking over the same job at Cody Regional Health.

Kost said he couldn't provide Coulston's reasonings for leaving as it is a personnel issue.

Coulston was chosen by a majority of the board in June 2023 after a lengthy hiring process to replace longtime CEO Terry Odom, who retired. Coulston had been at the Powell hospital for 10 years before taking the CEO role, lastly as the CFO.

Soon after beginning her time as CEO, in the summer of 2023, Coulston told the Tribune PVHC was "by far the best place I've worked."