Washington Regional President and CEO Larry Shackelford Announces Retirement, Lucas Campbell, MD, Named Successor

• Published: 4/2/2026

J. Larry Shackelford, President and CEO of Washington Regional Medical System, has announced his upcoming retirement. Shackelford, who has worked in health care in Northwest Arkansas for more than 35 years, joined Washington Regional in 2010 as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Outreach Services, and was named President and CEO in 2017. Following his May 31 retirement, he will continue to serve as a governmental affairs advisor for the health system.

During his tenure, Shackelford guided Washington Regional through the COVID-19 crisis, earning statewide recognition for his leadership during the pandemic. He served as a trusted voice on the Governor’s COVID-19 Winter Task Force and the Arkansas Hospital Association Board of Directors, often speaking publicly about the pandemic’s effects on patients, staff, and the state’s health care system. Shackelford also received national attention for his weekly letters to staff during the height of the pandemic, providing transparent updates on hospital conditions and leadership decisions, while acknowledging the emotional and physical toll on physicians, providers and frontline workers.

Most recently, Shackelford played a pivotal role in expanding graduate medical education in Northwest Arkansas by working with the Northwest Arkansas Council to champion a long-term strategy to address regional physician shortages through local training. Under his leadership, Washington Regional partnered with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to establish the UAMS/Washington Regional Graduate Medical Education Program, beginning with internal medicine and later expanding into specialty and non-primary care residencies. Shackelford helped advance key financial and policy decisions, most notably 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. These efforts were crucial in creating a sustainable pipeline to recruit, train, and retain physicians in Northwest Arkansas, the state’s fastest-growing region.

With Shackelford’s retirement, the Washington Regional Medical System Board of Directors has named Lucas Campbell, MD, as incoming President and CEO. Campbell joined Washington Regional in 2023 as Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Clinical Enterprise and Strategy where he has systemwide oversight of clinical operations and strategic planning. Campbell has worked in health care in Northwest Arkansas for over 17 years and has held multiple physician leadership roles, including serving as President and CEO of Northwest Arkansas Pathology Associates and serving on the Washington Regional Medical System Board of Directors.

Campbell has spearheaded several key initiatives at Washington Regional, including serving as an executive sponsor for the System’s 2025 transition to Epic, a unified electronic health record. In his role, Campbell provided strategic leadership and oversight to ensure alignment between Epic’s technical rollout and Washington Regional’s transformational goals. His leadership was instrumental in successful implementation. 

Under Campbell’s leadership, Washington Regional also assumed operations of Physicians’ Specialty Hospital in Fayetteville. With the addition of this lower acuity facility, Washington Regional will expand access to surgical care across the System. This expansion of surgical services supports Washington Regional’s long-term commitment to quality, efficiency, and patient-centered care, while positioning the System to meet the region’s increasing demand for health care services. 

“We are thankful for Mr. Shackelford’s dedicated service and his commitment to Washington Regional’s patients, team members and the community,” said Board Chairman Marshall Saviers. “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. We look forward to celebrating Washington Regional’s many accomplishments under Larry’s leadership and welcoming Dr. Campbell in his new role,” Saviers said. 

“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,” said Lucas Campbell, MD. “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.” 

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 then completed fellowships in gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology at the University of Chicago and surgical pathology at Washington University in St. Louis. Campbell holds board certification in anatomic and clinical pathology. In his role 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 serves the area with a 425-bed medical center, two multi-specialty surgical centers, five Centers of Excellence, and 40 clinic locations throughout Northwest and North Arkansas, and has been named the #1 Hospital in Arkansas for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about Washington Regional, visit wregional.com.