Since his appointment in April 2022, Chris Hunter (Acadia new CEO announcement: ) has steered the largest stand-alone behavioral health company in the United States through a period of rapid expansion and heightened scrutiny. Acadia (senior executive team: ) operates roughly 250 to 260 facilities across about 40 states and Puerto Rico, employing approximately 23,000 people and serving more than 75,000 patients daily across four service lines.
Hunter joined Acadia from Humana, where he most recently served as President of the Group and Military business, overseeing a $7 billion revenue segment and nearly 20 million members. His prior roles include Chief Strategy Officer at Humana, President of Provider Markets at TriZetto, and executive positions at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. He holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Harvard Business School. (
Under Hunter’s leadership, Acadia set an ambitious goal to double revenue by 2028, pursuing growth through joint ventures, facility expansions, and increased bed capacity. The company reported a significant build-out of beds in 2024, with 1,300 beds completed and another 1,200 under construction. Executives told investors at the 2025 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference that startup costs would peak in 2025 as the company brings new beds online, then moderate in 2026, producing improved EBITDA and cash flow.
Financial results for the first nine months of 2024 showed $3.1 billion in revenue, with a payer mix weighted toward Medicaid, followed by commercial insurance and Medicare. Management has emphasized quality initiatives and external validations as part of its operational focus.
At the same time, Acadia has faced intense public and regulatory scrutiny. Investigations and media reporting have called attention to aspects of the residential treatment and outpatient segments, and federal authorities have requested information related to billing and admissions practices. Company leadership has engaged with regulators and signaled cooperation while working to address quality and oversight concerns.
As Acadia navigates expansion, regulatory inquiries, and integration of new capacity, Hunter’s mix of strategic, operational and payer-side experience informs the company’s priorities: stabilizing operations, driving measured growth, and reinforcing quality of care across its national network.
Profiles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishhunter
BizJournals: https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/potmsearch/detail/submission/6553807/Chris_Hunter
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/christopher-h-hunter