---
schema_version: "secwatch.filing_event.v1"
accession: "0001628280-25-015672"
form_type: "8-K"
ticker: "ARDT"
cik: "0001756655"
company_name: "Ardent Health, Inc."
filed_at: "2025-03-31T23:59:59+00:00"
generated_at: "2026-05-24T02:00:17.567890+00:00"
event_type: "leadership"
sentiment: "neutral"
materiality_score: 0.45
calibrated_materiality_score: 0.45
confidence: "high"
source: SEC EDGAR
---

# Ardent Health appoints Dave Caspers as COO effective March 31, 2025; three senior leaders promoted

## Summary
- Caspers joins from Walmart Health (VP omnichannel); prior roles include Banner Health VP operations overseeing 30 hospitals, 350 clinics.
- Compensation: base salary $700k, target bonus 90% of base, equity target 1.75x base, sign-on cash $75k plus $100k in stock.
- Promotions: Anika Gardenhire to chief digital & transformation officer; Rebecca Kirkham to SVP chief communications; Reed Smith to SVP chief consumer officer.
- Caspers oversees operations across 30 hospitals and 280 sites of care in six states, focusing on strategic growth and operational excellence.

## SEC filing metadata
- accession: 0001628280-25-015672
- form_type: 8-K
- ticker: ARDT
- cik: 0001756655
- company_name: Ardent Health, Inc.
- filed_at: 2025-03-31T23:59:59+00:00
- event_type: leadership
- sentiment: neutral
- materiality_score: 0.45
- calibrated_materiality_score: 0.45
- confidence: high
- sec_items: 5.02, 9.01
- EDGAR index: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1756655/000162828025015672/0001628280-25-015672-index.htm
- EDGAR primary document: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1756655/000162828025015672/ardt-20250331.htm

## Machine-readable alternates
- HTML: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-015672
- JSON: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-015672.json
- Plain text: https://secwatch.observer/filing/0001628280-25-015672.txt

## Key facts
- Executive change
  David Caspers was appointed as Chief Operating Officer at Ardent Health, Inc..
  - Action: appointed
  - Role: Chief Operating Officer
  source text: On March 31, 2025, Ardent Health Partners, Inc. (the “Company”) announced that David Caspers, 54, has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, effective March 31, 2025.
  evidence_url: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1756655/000162828025015672/0001628280-25-015672-index.htm

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