Accendra Health, Inc. announced on September 17, 2026, that Kenneth Gardner-Smith has been named the company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. He is expected to assume the role early in the fourth quarter of 2026, succeeding Edward A. Pesicka. Pesicka announced his intent to retire in August and will remain in the CEO role until Gardner-Smith takes over. Following the transition, Pesicka will retire from the Board of Directors but will continue to serve as an advisor to the new leadership team.
Gardner-Smith has served on Accendra Health’s Board of Directors since March 2022. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Veritas Veterinary Partners, a national specialty and emergency veterinary platform. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at DaVita, including nine years as a senior P&L owner managing $1.5 billion in operations. The company stated that Gardner-Smith was selected following a comprehensive search process that considered both internal and external candidates.
Under the terms of an offer letter entered into on September 16, 2026, Gardner-Smith is entitled to an annual base salary of $1,000,000. He is eligible for a target annual cash bonus equal to 130% of his base salary for the fiscal 2026 year. The company also outlined his equity and incentive compensation, including a target grant date fair value of $6,000,000 for his annual equity award. This award will be split 25% in restricted stock units, 25% in stock-settled performance share units, and 50% in cash-settled performance share units. Additionally, he will receive a one-time sign-on cash bonus of $650,000, payable after six months of employment, and a one-time inducement grant of cash-settled stock appreciation rights with a target value of $2,000,000.
In other leadership news, Accendra Health named Scott Lloyd as Chief Commercial Officer, effective October 5, 2026. Lloyd most recently served as Chief Development and Strategy Officer at Evergreen Nephrology and previously co-founded Extrakare LLC, a durable medical equipment company. The company created the new position to centralize commercial strategy, sales, and provider and payor partnerships under a single leader.
