Kaiser Permanente President and Chief Operating Officer Bernard Tyson will replace retiring CEO and board chair George Halvorson, the Oakland, Calif.-based company said today.

Halvorson, 65, last year announced his intentions to retire, and in October said he would leave Kaiser in December 2013. Halvorson has been CEO since 2002.

“The board made an excellent choice,” Halvorson said in the release. “Bernard has done an extremely good job as president and COO of Kaiser Permanente, and I am confident he will continue to perform at the same level as chairman and CEO.”

Tyson, 52, will replace Halvorson as CEO after a six-month transition period, and will take over as chairman of the board at the end of next year when Halvorson leaves.

“The full board of directors underwent an extensive internal and external search process, meeting regularly to consider a number of highly-qualified candidates, to identify the next leader of Kaiser Permanente,” Kim Kaiser, board member and chairman of the search committee, said in a news release. “The board's decision to offer this position to Mr. Tyson is a testament to Kaiser Permanente's robust internal succession planning process. During Mr. Tyson's 28 years at Kaiser Permanente, he has demonstrated excellent leadership and vision for this organization, uniquely qualifying him to serve as our next chairman and CEO.”

Kaiser named Tyson to president and COO in 2010, as they promoted Tyson from executive vice president. Modern Healthcare named him to the magazine's Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare list in 2010. Kaiser credits Tyson with a key role in creating its Thrive advertising campaign.

“I am deeply honored to follow George Halvorson's incredible leadership and to serve this great organization as its next chairman and chief executive officer” Tyson said in the release. “As we continue down the path of healthcare reform and the transformation of the healthcare industry, I am excited about leading an organization so committed to high-quality and affordable care for everyone.”