Steve Brown, chief executive officer at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center since 2002, has announced his resignation to become the President/CEO of the Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

Brown announced his departure to the Evergreen staff via a personal e-mail. The move, Brown explained, will allow him and his wife to move closer to their families and their grandchildren while giving him a new career challenge.

“My goal has always been simple: Make a positive difference and leave Evergreen in a better place than when I arrived,” he wrote to employees. “I feel, with your help, I’ve accomplished that.”

In Brown’s eight years as Evergreen’s CEO, he has overseen vast expansion of both facilities and services. Evergreen Hospital added a new Emergency Department, an eight-story patient facility and the five-story DeYoung Pavilion along with the development of the Evergreen Neuroscience Institute.

“I want to thank Steve for the legacy he leaves at Evergreen Hospital,” said Al DeYoung, president of the Board of Commissioners for the King County Public Hospital District No. 1 that oversees Evergreen. “As a board we are grateful to Steve for his accomplishments.”

Brown came to Evergreen from the Inova Health System in Fairfax, Va. He graduated from Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. and earned a Master of Public Administration in health care services from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on boards of several businesses and community organizations.

“I am incredibly proud to have been a small part of the exceptional work Evergreen does for our patients, families and our community. It has been a joy to be part of the community and to work with Evergreen employees and volunteers,” Brown said.

Brown is expected to remain at Evergreen through the end of February, 2010.