Cottage Health has hired Scott Wester as president and CEO to replace longtime leader Ron Werft, the organization announced Wednesday. 

Wester comes to the Santa Barbara-based system with three decades of health care administration experience in Louisiana and Florida.  

He was selected after a national search that started last year after Werft announced his retirement.

Wester starts work on April 7. 

“Cottage was the draw by far,” Wester said this week.

He’s known Werft for about 20 years as part of a CEOs group that met twice a year to talk about their organizations, share feedback, and learn best practices. 

Over the years, Cottage Health stood out for many strengths, including the shared governance leadership, he said. 

“It really fits well with the leadership style that I have; to be very authentic, be very transparent, to listen, to really make sure we take the best ideas across the organization and apply it,” he said. 

Wester hadn’t been to Santa Barbara until he came out for an interview. He got to know the community a little, “and of course, Santa Barbara draws itself,” he said. 

Cottage Health operates Santa Barbara, Goleta Valley and Santa Ynez Valley hospitals; the Cottage Children’s Medical Center; Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital; primary care clinics; urgent care clinics; and virtual care services.

Wester will be overseeing plans to grow its medical staff and establish the Compton Center for Medical Excellence and Innovation. 

The system is also moving Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital and building more employee housing in Santa Barbara and Goleta. 

The “milestone” projects in the pipeline were another draw for Wester.  

Cottage Health is looking forward and being proactive, which can be rare for health systems, he said. 

“I think hopefully with my 30-plus years of experience, I’ll be able to take that and look at new opportunities that Cottage maybe hadn’t thought about,” he said.

“I always say there are three critical success factors in any health system,” he said.

That includes the organization’s culture, the strategic direction, and the talent.

“We’re only as good as the people who wear the Cottage badge,” Wester said. 

“I’m so excited, I think the future of Cottage is exceptionally strong.” 

He also told his future coworkers and employees not to be shy about approaching him with feedback.

“I tell people all the time, if you see me, stop me, it doesn’t matter where it is,” he said. 

Search for New CEO

Werft, Cottage Health’s current president and CEO, has been with the organization for 38 years, including 25 years as its leader. He announced his retirement in July 2024 and pledged to stay until the healthcare system found his successor. 

“Ron has been Cottage, Cottage has been Ron, and I’ve been fortunate to know him,” Wester said. 

He later added that, “Ron is available as much as we need Ron, and he’s got the history and he’s got the knowledge. And I think with my relationship it’s going to be a great transition.” 

Steve Zola, chair of Cottage Health’s search committee, said: “Scott Wester rose above as a proven, strategic leader in advancing large non-profit and public health systems. He will be a champion for our patient care, shared governance, operational excellence, and commitment to the community.” 

Scott Wester  

Wester grew up in Ohio and moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a fellowship.

“I thought it would be a one-year stint,” he said, but he stayed there for 30 years. 

He had the opportunity to grow there and succeeded his mentor, Bob Davidge, as the head of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Wester was president and CEO for 14 years there. 

After he and his wife Nicole’s two daughters finished high school in 2022, Wester said, he was open to other opportunities. 

He worked as president and CEO of Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida for about two years and then recently transitioned out, he said. 

“I’ve been doing this for three decades, and I really like to be involved extensively within the community. I like to know how a community is functioning on all different levels,” he said. 

He also shared that Nicole has a lot of experience working for nonprofit organizations and the move is also a great opportunity for her, and the community. 

Their daughters, Grace and Lily, both attend Louisiana State University, Wester said. Grace is a medical student and Lily is finishing an animal science degree before pursuing veterinary school.