AHA President Rick Pollack to retire

American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack announced plans to retire by the end of 2026. A 43-year association veteran, Pollack has served as its chief executive since 2015. Under Pollack’s leadership, the AHA steered hospitals through the COVID-19 pandemic, securing critical resources and regulatory flexibility to keep hospitals open and caring for patients. Pollack also launched initiatives to strengthen the health care workforce and advance quality and patient safety. “Rick Pollack has been a steadfast advocate of every aspect of the health care that benefits our communities. Included in that advocacy is his support of nursing and nurse leaders,” said AONL CEO Claire Zangerle, DNP, RN, who also serves as AHA CNE and senior vice president. “His leadership has been impactful and will reverberate beyond his well-deserved retirement. I congratulate him on a remarkable career and thank him for guiding the AHA team, of which AONL is a part, through challenges and opportunities in ways that have made the field better,” she added. WittKieffer will conduct a national search for Pollack’s successor as part of a planned transition. (AHA news release, 12/10/25)