Scott Raynes has come full circle, returning to Huntington to lead Marshall Health Network.
By Jack Houvouras
HQ 133 | Spring 2026
A little over a year ago, Scott Raynes and his wife were sitting in their St. Simons Island residence, enjoying a quiet evening. The home was the culmination of a journey that had taken them from West Virginia to Tennessee, Florida and, ultimately, the Georgia coastline. Raynes, who was 57 at the time, believed the idyllic setting — with the ocean and warm sun — would be the final stop in his long career. Then the phone rang.
The caller was a recruiter who informed Raynes that Marshall Health Network (MHN) in Huntington was looking for a new president and CEO.
“I initially told him, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. We’re quite happy where we are,’” Raynes recalled. “But at the same time, I was interested. Maybe it’s a West Virginia thing, but I always wanted to come home.”
For Raynes, whose career began in Huntington in 1994, the job would complete a circle. It would also make him one of the three most influential leaders in the region, along with the president of Marshall University and the mayor of Huntington.
Ultimately, he decided to apply for the position, where he bested a pool of some 200 candidates.
“Scott’s extensive experience, integrity and work ethic made him a perfect fit,” said David Fox, chair of the MHN board. “Add to that Scott and his wife Shawnna’s ties to Huntington, and we knew he was the one. As Scott said many times during the process, he wanted to come back and make a difference.”
On March 3, Raynes marked one year as CEO of the largest employer in Huntington, with nearly 11,000 employees. Looking back, he acknowledged the year was marked by long hours guiding a health system that, in many respects, remains in its formative years. But he also said he wouldn’t have it any other way because he was finally home.
Raynes was born and raised in Oak Hill, West Virginia, a town of 8,000 that sits a stone’s throw from Fayetteville and the New River Gorge National Park. He said growing up in that scenic part of the state was a gift.
“I grew up in those hills and mountains. There’s not a stone on that turf that I haven’t walked on. I can remember the New River Gorge Bridge being built,” he recalled.
His father, a mining superintendent, and his mother, a nurse, also operated a gas station and strip mall in nearby Kincaid.
“I learned ambition from my parents,” Raynes said. “They were the two most hardworking people I’ve ever known.”
His older sister, Cathy Lively, still resides in Fayetteville.
Raynes played sports year-round, including football, basketball and baseball. When he wasn’t competing, he was hunting and fishing.
Following high school, he enrolled at West Virginia Tech, where he played basketball for the Golden Bears. However, a knee injury during his freshman year ended his athletic career. While sidelined, he volunteered to help coach the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and it was during this period that he met his future wife. Shawnna Bryan, a Huntington native attending the school on a softball scholarship, caught his eye one day at the gym.
“I still remember what she was wearing — a red sweater and black pants,” he recalled. “I told my basketball coach that I thought she was beautiful. He then told me, ‘She’s even nicer than she is pretty.’ We started dating after that.”
In the summers, Raynes worked in Fayetteville as a whitewater rafting guide when the New, Gauley and Meadow rivers were first gaining popularity.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1988 and then landed his first job in Huntington working with troubled youth at Timeout and foster children at Braley & Thompson. In his free time, he commuted to Morehead State University in Kentucky, where he earned a master’s degree in higher education and counseling.
After three years working in Huntington, Raynes accepted a position in Morgantown as the executive director of WV Children with Special Health Care Needs. While there, he enrolled at WVU and earned a master’s degree in business administration.
“My goal was to have an alphabet after my name,” Raynes said with a smile. “But that job had me in and out of hospitals in West Virginia, which was the catalyst for my interest in health care.”
From there, he began a long and winding road through West Virginia and the Southeast, including the following positions:
- Chief operating officer of Montgomery General Hospital in Fayette County, West Virginia
- President and CEO of HealthSouth in Huntington, West Virginia
- CEO of Preston Memorial Hospital in Kingwood, West Virginia
- Executive vice president of Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, Florida
- President and CEO of NorthCrest Health System in Nashville, Tennessee
- President and CEO of Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick, Georgia
The year 2015 would prove to be particularly trying for Raynes on a personal level. Within a span of five months, both of his parents passed away. Then, just four years later, Shawnna was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It was triple-negative, which is a very bad diagnosis,” he explained. “Shawnna made the decision to have a radical double mastectomy. It was a terrible time, but it made us both appreciate life more. You grow to appreciate those people who are providing care, not just to her, but others like her every day.
“Then, in 2020, COVID hit. We were living in Pensacola at the time, and we realized we had faced all these challenges alone. That’s when we learned the importance of having family nearby. We decided that if an opportunity ever presented itself, we would like to return to West Virginia.”
That opportunity came four years later when Raynes was asked to come to Huntington to interview with Fox and Marshall University President Brad Smith.
“I learned quickly that Brad and I are a lot alike,” Raynes said. “He left West Virginia and he came back. And we are philosophically aligned in wanting to give back and make this community better.”
In December 2025, the Marshall Health Network board voted unanimously to offer Raynes the post.
“Scott is the right leader at the right time to guide this organization to the next level of excellence,” Smith said. “His West Virginia roots give him an authentic appreciation for the challenges and opportunities facing our region.”
“Scott brings a fresh perspective, a clear vision and a commitment to expanding access for the people of our region,” noted Beth Hammers, chief engagement officer at MHN. “He knows how to bring people together, coach them up and empower them to do their jobs. He is a leader who has positioned us well for the future.”
Now one year into the job, Raynes said he is working on several fronts, including making the health system more unified.
“There’s probably not an appreciation of how new Marshall Health Network is,” he explained. “St. Mary’s has been around for more than 100 years, Cabell Huntington Hospital turns 70 this year, the School of Medicine turns 50 next year. Each of those entities has a precious history. And now we’re all one, but increasing efficiencies at these organizations has been a challenge both financially and culturally.”
Raynes said his role as CEO is similar to that of a coach.
“We have nearly 11,000 players on our team, and my job is to get everyone to buy into the system.”
Another high priority on his list is improving access to care.
“In the past we’ve been a hard health system to use,” he said. “It’s hard to get an appointment. It’s hard to be seen. You couple that with the fact that providers in rural areas are few and far between, and it’s a problem. We need to find ways to reach people in distant communities and utilize modern technology.”
To that end, MHN recently rolled out Marco Mobile Medicine, a bus designed to expand access to care across Appalachia. In April, MHN will unveil a new online scheduling platform —Notable — that allows patients to schedule an appointment with a doctor any time, day or night.
Raynes said recent advances in technology will allow doctors to monitor more patients.
“Consider wearables. I can put a ring on your finger that tells me your heart rate, blood pressure, even how you’re sleeping. Other technology allows us to monitor your blood sugar. We must start utilizing these amazing tools.”
As for the future, Raynes said two of his goals are to improve the overall health of the region and enhance access to health care across the state.
“I want to see our numbers drop when it comes to obesity, heart disease and other chronic health conditions. I want to grow our health system in smart and strategic ways. We are expanding into Logan and Mason counties and hope to continue that trend. We are here to advance health, inspire hope and serve our customers.”
Of his performance Smith noted, “In his first year, Scott has demonstrated an empathetic, collaborative leadership style that builds trust and keeps the focus on improving care and outcomes. His strategic vision and operational discipline have produced momentum that has exceeded all expectations.”
His current post doesn’t allow for much free time, but when he can, Raynes said he likes to exercise at home and spend time with Shawnna planning their daughter’s wedding. Delaney, their oldest, is currently in medical school and planning to marry her high school boyfriend in May in Savannah, Georgia. Their youngest, Ella, recently graduated from the University of Alabama and has started a career in fashion in Nashville, Tennessee.
Looking back at the past 12 months, Raynes said there were numerous times when he was grateful that he decided to apply for the CEO position, but one moment stands out in his mind.
“I knew we had made the right decision when I felt the warmth of the people here,” he said. “That’s when I told Shawnna, ‘We’re back home. This is exactly where we’re supposed to be.’”
