NATCHEZ — Since September 2009, Natchez Community Hospital has been in search of a chief executive officer, and last week, the search ended.

Donald R. “Donny” Rentfro was named CEO of Community Friday and will begin putting his management skills to work Feb. 15, according to a Health Management Associates news release.

After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe in 1980 and 1990, Rentfro has spent the last 20 years working with business development and hospital operations in health care organizations across the Southeast.

Rentfro will be leaving his most recent position as CEO at River Medical Center in Jackson, Ky.

“Donny Rentfro has demonstrated a commitment to high patient satisfaction, physician involvement, community service and collaboration for the hospitals he leads,” Dale Armour, president of division IV with Health Management Associates, said in the release.

“He has a reputation in the industry as an innovative leader. He is very familiar with the Miss-Lou region, loves the lifestyle there and is looking forward to returning to the area with his family,” Armour said.

Rentfro’s hiring will allow current interim CEO John Lee to return to his normal hospital duties as chief operating officer.

Armour said he wanted to commend Lee for working as the hospital’s interim CEO and COO during search.

“He has done a great job of keeping the NCH team focused on the important business of caring for patients with the search for a new leader was under way,” Armour said.

Rentfro succeeds former CEO Tim Trottier, who left last year after working at Community for four years.