The local medical center didn’t have to look far for its new chief administrative officer.

Mayo Clinic Health System — Albert Lea and Austin announced this morning that Stephen Waldhoff, former CAO in Albert Lea, will replace Adam Rees, who resigned to become president of Essentia Health’s central region, which is based in Brainerd, Minn. Rees and Waldhoff were CAOs in Austin and Albert Lea, respectively, before the two hospitals merged Jan. 1. Rees announced his resignation on Jan. 10, and his last day in Austin is Friday.

Click here for a story on how Mower Refreshed plans to fill Rees’ shoes in that organization.

Waldhoff joined Mayo Clinic in 1984 as a hospital and clinic administrator in Rochester and became CAO of Albert Lea Medical Center in 1996. He holds a master’s degree in hospital administration and a bachelor’s degree in speech/communications from the University of Minnesota. He is a declared doctoral degree candidate in healthcare administration at Central Michigan University, and is a Fellow of the American College of HealthCare Executives.

Waldhoff serves on a number of professional and community boards of directors, including the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, the Albert Lea Business Development Center, the Riverland Community College Foundation, and the American College of Healthcare Executives Board of Governors.