Doloresco, 56, is a native of Virginia Beach where his father was stationed as a Naval officer. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University and earned his Master's degree in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia. His first job was Assistant Administrator of Maryview Hospital in Portsmouth. He was President of Metropolitan Hospital in Richmond.

"We are impressed by his experience managing similar issues in similar hospitals," said Betty Jo Foster, Chair of the Medical Center's Advisory Committee. "Art will be a good fit for the Medical Center and in the Danville area. He is optimistic by nature and thrives on teamwork."

Foster and other members of the Advisory Committee, the Board of the Danville Regional Health System, physicians and employees interviewed Doloresco, who visited Danville twice.

"Art's experience, coupled with his strong reputation for forging excellent relationships with physicians and employees will be very beneficial to the Medical Center," said Jess Judy, the LifePoint executive responsible for Danville Regional.

"I have wanted to return to Virginia for some time and put down roots in my home state," Doloresco said. He and his wife, Beth, a native of Portsmouth, are parents of four children, one of whom - a daughter - will move with them to the Danville area. The other children are in college or are adults.

Both Beth and Art have family members in Hampton Roads and in the Richmond area, where his brother is a physician. They also have relatives in North and South Carolina.

Doloresco has been with Hospital Interim Management in Phoenix for the past three years. In that capacity, he worked with hospitals to provide interim management and consulted to resolve operational issues. Art also performed consulting assignments for a consortium of academic medical centers, including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Baylor Health System.

He also has led hospitals and healthcare systems in several states, working for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

"I am honored to be selected to serve Danville Regional," said Doloresco. "The Medical Center has a long tradition of high quality of care and program development that meets the needs of the Dan River Region."

What attracted him to Danville was the "challenge of the transition from an independent hospital to one part of a larger organization," he said "and the opportunity to return to Virginia."

Beth Doloresco accompanied her husband on one of the visits to Danville. He commented, "She toured the Danville area and discovered an outstanding variety of homes and simply loved the area."

Doloresco will report to work July 20.

Danville Regional is the leading hospital in the Dan River Region of Virginia and North Carolina, providing open-heart surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Approximately 140 physicians are on the medical staff. The Medical Center employs approximately 1,500 people. Learn more at www.danvilleregional.com.