Acadia Names Walgreens, Aetna Vet Heather Dixon Its Next CFO

Behavioral health giant Acadia Healthcare Company (Nasdaq: ACHC) has named Walgreens and Aetna vet Heather Dixon its new chief financial officer.

This comes as David Duckworth announced he would leave the position after over a decade. As CFO, Dixon is tasked with supporting Acadia in its long-term growth plan to diversify its services and revenue.

“The Board and I are thrilled to welcome Heather and believe her depth of experience and financial and business acumen make her a strong addition to the Acadia team,” Chris Hunter, CEO of Acadia, said in a statement. “Heather is a highly respected senior executive who has a proven track record of strong financial leadership at companies across the healthcare ecosystem.”

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That record is important, Hunter continued, considering where Acadia is at currently.

“Acadia is building significant momentum in our business, as we are advancing all five key areas of our long-term growth plan to meet the increasing demand for our diversified services across our network of behavioral healthcare facilities,” he said.

Before joining Acadia, Dixon served as CFO at Everside Health, a primary care and mental health provider with 385 health centers across 34 states.

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She has also served as vice president and chief accounting officer at Aetna, with additional experience as the senior vice president and global controller and chief accounting officer at Walgreens.

Acadia is one of the largest behavioral health providers in the country. It operates 250 behavioral health facilities with about 11,100 beds across 39 states.

“I look forward to working with Chris and the rest of the leadership team to ensure that we remain well positioned to create value for all our stakeholders while fulfilling our commitment to helping more patients and families in need,” Dixon said.

There have been several leadership changes at Acadia in recent years. Notably, in April of 2022, the company named Humana (NYSE: HUM) veteran Christopher Hunter its new CEO.

This was shortly followed by the news that Dr. Nasser Khan, who had also worked at Walgreens, would step into the role of operations group president for Acadia’s comprehensive treatment centers division.

Under Hunter, the Company has doubled down on its growth efforts and its ambitious plan to double revenue by 2028.

In 2023 alone, Acadia plans to add 670 beds through a combination of de novos, joint ventures and facility expansion.

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