PORT ANGELES — Darryl Wolfe is Olympic Medical Center’s interim chief executive officer, the organization announced Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Wolfe, OMC’s chief operating officer, agreed to take on the interim role as OMC looks to replace retiring CEO Eric Lewis.

Olympic Medical Center’s Board of Commissioners announced to employees Jan. 24 how it plans to replace Lewis following his announcement of retirement earlier this month.

Commissioners anticipate the selection process for a new CEO to take four to six months.

“We have great confidence that Darryl, along with executives Jennifer Burkhardt, Donna Davison, Dr. Josh Jones, Dr. Scott Kennedy and Ralph Parker … will help make this a smooth transition with a continued focus on operations and our Strategic Plan,” board president Jim Leskinovitch said in a press release.

The board has assigned a Human Resources Committee — one that includes committee chair Tom Oblak, board secretary John Nutter and nurse Thom Hightower — to finalize and propose a CEO recruitment plan to the Board of Commissioners to review in February.

OMC officials said all seven OMC board members will be “heavily involved with the process,” seeking input from hospital and medical staff leaders and others to determine the best candidate.

External and internal applicants will be welcomed, OMC representatives said.

“We will be looking for a CEO who, like Eric, exemplifies ‘The OMC Way’ while prioritizing safety, quality, patient experience and employee engagement,” Leskinovitch said.

“He will be difficult to replace; however, we will strive to find a replacement CEO that is qualified and honors our key values.”