NORTHAMPTON — Dr. Lynnette M. Watkins, who has served as Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s president and chief operating officer for nearly three years, has left the position.

Reached by phone Wednesday morning, Watkins, who began her tenure at the hospital on Sept. 27, 2021, confirmed her departure, but said she couldn’t comment publicly.

“It’s been a tremendous honor to serve,” Watkins said.

Watkins wrote a letter to the hospital community, calling them a family “that I have come to love,” on July 14, stating she would be ending her tenure on July 31.

“After a great deal of consideration and personal reflection, I have decided the time is right for me to seek out new challenges and though I feel sad to leave, I am proud of all we have accomplished these past few years and am confident that Cooley Dickinson is continuing on a strong path full of promise for our patients, staff and community,” Watkins wrote.

In the letter, Watkins references accomplishments, such as seeing the Childbirth Center renovation that allowed it to be upgraded to Level 1B and the ongoing $26 million Emergency Department expansion that will add 40% more space to serve 40,000 patients a year.

“The hospital has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation to our Childbirth Center and nursery, and launched a renovation effort that will transform our Emergency Department and dramatically expand access for our patients,” Watkins wrote. “We have also created valuable collaborations that will strengthen our employment pipeline to ensure we can meet our staffing needs with the best and brightest our community has to offer.”

Debra H. Rogers of Southampton is serving as the interim president and chief operating officer at Cooley Dickinson, which is a member of Mass General Brigham. Rogers retired from Mass Eye and Ear in Boston in January after serving as its senior vice president for ophthalmology and was appointed by CarolAnn Williams, interim president of the Mass General Brigham Community Division. Rogers is working closely with Kevin Whitney, interim vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.

Following Watkins’ decision to leave, Williams sent a memo to the hospital’s 2,000 employees praising Watkins, pointing to both the capital projects and partnerships, including with Baypath University to develop a Certified Nurse Aide program and with the University of Massachusetts to develop a nursing match program, as well as being awarded a contract with the Veterans’ Home in Holyoke for hospice care.

“Dr. Watkins has been an exceptional leader and mentor, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of patients, physicians, providers, and staff at Cooley Dickinson and Mass General Brigham,” Williams wrote. “Dr. Watkins steered CDH through challenges of the COVID pandemic and the resulting complex workforce issues.”

Watkins, who had been group chief medical officer for the Baptist Health System/ Tenet Healthcare in San Antonio, Texas before coming to the Pioneer Valley, succeeded Joanne Marqusee at Cooley Dickinson. Watkins was selected following a national search that identified her due to her health care leadership experience, performance improvements and financial management.

At the time Watkins was announced as the new leader, she said the hospital was a “well recognized, well respected and esteemed institution” and had a strong sense of diversity, equity and inclusion. It also marked a return to Massachusetts for Watkins, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, who completed a residency at Mass Eye and Ear and then began her clinical career in opthalmology and oculoplastic surgery there, and also served on the faculty of Havard Medical School.

Fraser Beede, who chairs Cooley Dickinson Health Care Board of Trustees, said then that Watkins brought a breadth of skills, leadership experience, perspective and vision. “Dr. Watkins will be instrumental in guiding our future strategic direction as a strong and vibrant organization and key contributor to the success of Mass General Brigham,” Beede said.

An online advertisement posted for the position at the end of July states that Cooley Dickinson’s president and chief operating officer reports to Mass General Brigham’s president of community operations and Cooley Dickinson’s trustees, and is responsible for community affairs, medical affairs, philanthropy, hospital and ambulatory operations, administration, annual operating budget, management of clinical services, clinic and medical staff planning, medical programs, campus and capital planning, facilities and engineering and support services.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.