Addus HomeCare Corporation has appointed Heather Dixon as its new president and chief operating officer, the company announced. Dixon is expected to assume the role in mid-September after serving as an independent board member and audit committee member for Addus since 2023.
Heather Dixon, Acadia Healthcare, previously served as chief financial officer of behavioral health provider Acadia Healthcare, a position she assumed in July 2023. Her tenure at Acadia followed senior finance and operational roles at Everside Health, where she was CFO and interim COO, as well as executive posts at Walgreens Boots Alliance and Aetna. Addus said the breadth of her financial and operational experience made her a strong candidate to lead the company through its next phase of growth.
Addus chairman and chief executive Dirk Allison praised Dixon’s blend of operational and financial leadership and noted her contributions as an independent director. The company also announced that Bradley Bickham, the current president and COO, will transition to an advisory role to the CEO and remain in that position until his planned retirement in March 2026.
Frisco, Texas-based Addus provides personal care, hospice and home health services across 260 locations in 23 states, serving roughly 62,000 patients. The appointment comes weeks after Addus completed the acquisition of Helping Hands Home Care Service, a Pennsylvania-based provider purchased for $21.2 million, signaling continued expansion of the company’s home care footprint.
Dixon’s background includes significant experience in both provider and payer environments. At Acadia Healthcare she was brought on to support the company’s long-term growth initiatives and diversify services and revenue streams. Acadia operated a network of about 250 behavioral healthcare facilities with roughly 11,100 beds across 39 states and Puerto Rico as of early 2023, and the company reported serving more than 75,000 patients daily. Her responsibilities at Acadia included oversight of financial strategy and execution during a period of expansion.
Prior to Acadia and Everside Health, Dixon’s roles at Walgreens Boots Alliance and Aetna gave her extensive accounting and global controller experience, which executives say will be valuable in steering operational performance and financial discipline at Addus. Her board service, including a recent tenure at Signify Health, has also been cited as relevant experience for leading a multi-state home care provider.
In a statement welcoming her new role, Dixon expressed admiration for Addus’ commitment to high-quality care and said she looked forward to building on the company’s foundation to drive results for patients, employees and stakeholders. Company leadership emphasized that her operational focus and financial acumen are aligned with Addus’ strategic objectives, including continued acquisitions and service-line growth.
The personnel move underscores a trend of senior healthcare executives moving between large behavioral health, primary care and home health organizations as companies seek leaders with cross-sector experience. For Addus, appointing a seasoned executive with both board-level insight and operational finance credentials signals intent to accelerate growth while maintaining quality and compliance across its expanding network.