Spokane Valley-based Incyte Diagnostics, an anatomic pathology services provider, has hired Patty Sipes, to serve as its new CEO starting tomorrow, March 1.

Originally from New York, Sipes moved to the area in 2012 to pursue a job with Spokane-based Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories. She served for five years as senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development at PAML.

When her position was eliminated after PAML was purchased by LabCorp in 2017, Sipes says she began looking for a new job in Spokane.

“I had other offers, but I wanted something that would allow me to stay in this area because my family and I really love it here,” she says.

Sipes will be taking over for current Incyte Diagnostics CEO Tom Rehwald, who plans to retire at the end of this month.

“Tom has done a great job, and I can only hope to fill his shoes,” says Sipes. “The most important part for me is the people. I want to be able to lead by example, showing employees that they can work hard and do great things, but also make time for family life.”

As part of her transition into company CEO, Sipes says she’s already been meeting with Incyte’s board of directors and some shareholders.

“Incyte has a great team, that I’m happy to be working with going forward,” she says. “The company has some exciting initiatives coming up that I hope to be able to talk more about soon.”

Sipes says her goals in this new position are to sustain the company’s value and ensure its longevity. 

“There aren’t many independent pathology groups of our size left around the country,” she says. “I want us to still be here in 15 years, so I’ll be working closely with our team and shareholders to ensure we continue to have that stability.”

Incyte Diagnostics is a private company founded in 1957 by pathologists to provide anatomic pathology services throughout the Pacific Northwest. The company’s website says Incyte currently employs over 40 pathologists and has facilities in Spokane Valley, Bellevue, and Richland.