08/14/2026
McCurtain Memorial Hospital announces promotion of new Chief Nursing Officer
On Friday, the hospital formally named life-long McCurtain County resident, Dustin Leonard, a registered nurse who also holds a Master of Business Administration degree, as the hospitals Chief Nursing Officer.
As the hospitals Chief Nursing Officer, Leonard will oversee the largest department within the hospital and all nursing. In addition, Leonard is responsible for the emergency department which sees more than 14,000 visits per year, along with the hospitals medical/surgical unit, swing bed program, and the hospitals surgical department.
Leonard has served in a variety of capacities, but in each of those, has continuously and uninterrupted, served the community. Whether it was in his role as a school teacher, a paramedic, a corrections officer, a law-enforcement officer, or a nurse, Leonard has earned the respect of his colleagues and his community alike. Leonard also serves the residents of McCurtain County as a volunteer fireman.
Community service is a family thing in the Leonard household. His wife, Misti, is a well respected emergency room provider at McCurtain Memorial Hospital and his daughter is a registered nurse at the hospital.
The hospital’s President and CEO, Brian Whitfield, had this to say:
“ I have counted it a privilege to work alongside Dustin for the last five years. He is a man of integrity, he is a hard worker, and I can say unequivocally, in the middle of a crisis involving my family, he is absolutely someone that I would want at their bedside. He is a phenomenal nurse, and overall, he is an absolute good human. If I was stranded anywhere in the world, I believe wholeheartedly I could call him and he would do everything within his power to be there.”
Leonard and his wife, Misti, are a powerhouse in healthcare and MMH is honored to have them. Help us congratulate him.
