---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001104659-26-108405"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "ACH"
cik: "0000075252"
company_name: "ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/"
filed_at: "2026-09-17T10:35:51+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-09-17T10:40:07.531786+00:00"
event_type: "leadership"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.8
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.8
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Accendra Health names Kenneth Gardner-Smith as next CEO; Scott Lloyd as Chief Commercial Officer

## Summary
- Gardner-Smith, Board member since Mar 2022, to assume CEO early Q4 2026; succeeds retiring Edward Pesicka.
- Offer Letter: $1.0M base salary, 130% target bonus, $6M equity grant (25% RSU, 25% PSU, 50% cash PSU), $650K sign-on bonus.
- Lloyd to become Chief Commercial Officer effective Oct 5, 2026; ex-Evergreen Nephrology, co-founder of Extrakare.
- Pesicka remains CEO until transition, then advisor; Gardner-Smith steps down from two board committees.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001104659-26-108405
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: ACH
- cik: 0000075252
- company_name: ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/
- filed_at: 2026-09-17T10:35:51+00:00
- event_type: leadership
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.8
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.8
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 5.02, 7.01, 8.01, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75252/000110465926108405/0001104659-26-108405-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75252/000110465926108405/ach-20260916x8k.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-108405
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-108405.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001104659-26-108405.txt

## Key facts
- Executive change
  Edward A. Pesicka departed as Director at ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/.
  - Action: retire
  - Role: Director
  source text: Mr. Pesicka will remain in the role of President and CEO until Mr. Gardner-Smith assumes the role, at which point Mr. Pesicka will also retire from the Board of Directors, as previously announced.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75252/000110465926108405/0001104659-26-108405-index.htm
- Executive change
  Edward A. Pesicka departed as President and Chief Executive Officer at ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/.
  - Action: retire
  - Role: President and Chief Executive Officer
  source text: He will succeed Edward A. Pesicka, who previously announced his intent to retire in August.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75252/000110465926108405/0001104659-26-108405-index.htm
- Executive change
  Kenneth Gardner-Smith was named as President and Chief Executive Officer at ACCENDRA HEALTH INC/VA/.
  - Action: named
  - Role: President and Chief Executive Officer
  source text: On September 17, 2026, Accendra Health, Inc. (the “Company” or “Accendra Health”) announced that it named Kenneth Gardner-Smith as the Company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/75252/000110465926108405/0001104659-26-108405-index.htm

This AI-assisted summary is a reading aid. Review the linked SEC EDGAR filing before relying on any specific claim.