Central Florida AdventHealth CEO Daryl Tol tenders 'unanticipated' resignation on Wednesday

AdventHealth's Central Florida division president and CEO Daryl Tol has resigned, an "unanticipated" decision according to a statement released by the healthcare company on Wednesday.

“I want to thank Daryl for his many years of service to AdventHealth and his leadership both to our organization and the communities we serve, especially during the greatest challenge the health care industry has faced in more than a century,” said Terry Shaw, president and CEO of AdventHealth. “Daryl’s decision was certainly unanticipated and he will be greatly missed.”

For his part, Tol said he had been “blessed to serve AdventHealth for 20 years” in that same press statement, but gave no immediate reasons for his departure.

The timing of this resignation is certainly not ideal for AdventHealth, in that it comes as the company begins a rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Central Florida area, which started with their own workers in mid-December. AdventHealth in Orlando was among the first hospitals in Florida to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Tol was also in the news in late October of last year, when the Orlando Sentinel reported on how he stepped up to defend Steven Arauz, a teacher at the Adventist Forest Lake Education Center who was fired for being gay, in an email sent to his employees. (Side note: AdventHealth was founded by Seventh-day Adventists, and AdventHealth had donated to the school in the past.)

"As an active member of his Seventh-day Adventist church, [Arauz] has been a friend to many, including me,” Tol wrote. “He has taught the children of our team members, mine included, and he’s been a strong advocate for foster care and adoption throughout the state of Florida"

AdventHealth will begin the search for Tol's replacement immediately. Jennifer Wandersleben, a regional CEO for the Central Florida division, will serve as interim CEO until a successor for Tol is hired.

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