Few executives know Acadia Healthcare the way Debbie Osteen does. She first led the company from December 2018 through March 2022. In January 2026, she stepped back into the chief executive role right away. Her career spans decades in the field she now runs again.
Reeve Waud, chairman of the Acadia Healthcare board, pointed to that depth when he announced her appointment. He called her “a mission-driven executive with a commitment to patients”.
Leadership at Universal Health Services
Before Acadia Healthcare, Osteen was president of the behavioral health division at Universal Health Services, one of the largest hospital operators in the country. That job put her in charge of a major behavioral portfolio and gave her a wide view of the field.
Running two of the biggest behavioral health businesses in the United States is a rare line on a résumé. Investment bank Jefferies said Osteen “brings decades of experience in the behavioral health industry, having run both Acadia and Universal Health’s behavioral business”.
A Track Record at Acadia Healthcare
Her first tenure built deep familiarity with how Acadia Healthcare operates. She joined in 2018 and led the company for more than three years before stepping away in 2022.
That institutional knowledge comes back with her. Reeve Waud and the board framed the move as a chance to put a proven operator in charge while they search for a long-term successor. Acadia Healthcare gets a steady hand during the transition.