Steve Arner has been named president and COO of Carilion Clinic. Photo courtesy of Carilion.

Steve Arner has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Carilion Clinic, the Roanoke-based health system has announced.

Nancy Agee, who became Carilion’s president and chief executive officer in 2011, will continue as CEO, according to a news release. [Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]

Arner, who most recently was the nonprofit health system’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, came to Carilion in 1996 as a financial analyst, according to his biography on Carilion’s website.

Previously, Arner served as senior vice president with responsibility for cardiovascular care, operating rooms, engineering and environmental services. He also held administrative responsibility for the health system’s Roanoke-based operations. In addition, he was president and CEO of Carilion Rockbridge Community Hospital, according to the news release.

“Steve is an outstanding leader, and we are delighted to promote him,” Agee said in the release. “He has a strong work ethic and cares deeply about our patients, our teams and our work together caring for the communities we serve.” 

Carilion has seven hospitals, including a Level 1 trauma center, and more than 240 medical offices across Southwest Virginia.

According to the release, Arner has helped spearhead capital improvements that include the Crystal Spring Tower addition to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, which is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

He was chair of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association during the first year and a half of the pandemic and coordinated the collective response of Virginia’s health care provider organizations, the release said.

Arner has been a member of the association’s board of directors since 2014. He was the state delegate to the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board from 2016 to 2021 and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee for America’s Essential Hospitals.

“Carilion today is a nationally ranked academic health system that provides an extraordinary range of services, from primary care to the most advanced, complex care,” Arner said in the release. “I look forward to continuing on a pathway of growth and collaboration.”