Selection of Board of Stewardship Trustees for New System Announced by Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives

Selection of Board of Stewardship Trustees for New System Announced by Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives

New board has deep experience in community health, clinical care,
education, entrepreneurship, and digital technology

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – October 16, 2018 – The governing Board of Stewardship Trustees has been selected for the new national, nonprofit Catholic health system that will be created through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health. The new board will become effective when the alignment closes.

The new system’s board will include six existing board members from each health system, the two current chief executive officers (CEO), and an additional member to be determined after the alignment is completed.

The existing boards have recommended Tessie Guillermo, current chair of the Dignity Health Board of Directors, as chair of the new board, and Chris Lowney, current chair of the CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees, as vice chair. The Board of Stewardship Trustees will take action on these recommendations at its first meeting.

“The selection of our new Board of Stewardship Trustees is the result of a careful and thoughtful process to ensure governance that upholds our commitment to advancing health for all, as well as our aspiration to be a world-class health system,” said Kevin E. Lofton, CEO of CHI. “The talent on this board provides the leadership and expertise to help shape our combined ministry as a catalyst for transformative change.”

“The composition of the new Board of Stewardship Trustees represents visionary leaders in community health, clinical care, education, entrepreneurship, and digital technology,” added Dignity Health President and CEO Lloyd Dean. “As we continue to face a shifting health care landscape, this team’s diverse experience will help our new ministry innovate across the continuum of care and create healthier communities.”

CHI and Dignity Health announced a letter of intent to consider an alignment on Oct. 24, 2016, and signed a definitive agreement to join their ministries on Dec. 7, 2017. Since then, the organizations have been planning integration efforts for the new system. The alignment, subject to state reviews, is proceeding on schedule, with the close anticipated by year’s end.

The Board of Stewardship Trustees will include:

Polly Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
Former Executive Director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
From an Army staff nurse in Vietnam to university lecture halls, Dr. Bednash has been a practitioner, scholar and teacher of nursing. Dr. Bednash served as executive director of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing for nearly three decades. In this role, she oversaw an organization that is the national voice for education programs in nursing. Her many achievements include honorary doctorates from five academic institutions.

Kent Bradley, MD
Dignity Health Board of Directors
Former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Safeway, Inc.
Dr. Bradley is the CEO and President of BTN Advisors. Previously, he served as senior vice president and chief medical officer for Safeway, Inc. He has held senior executive medical positions in public, private and international organizations.

Judy Carle, RSM
Dignity Health Board of Directors
Member, Sisters of Mercy of the West Midwest Community
Sister Judy is the secretary of the Dignity Health Board of Directors and a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the West Midwest Community. She has held leadership positions with the Sisters of Mercy Burlingame Regional Community, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, and Mercy Housing.

Lloyd H. Dean
President/Chief Executive Officer, Dignity Health
With over 25 years in health care operations and leadership experience, Mr. Dean has served in the CEO role with Dignity Health since 2000. He is responsible for overall management, strategy, and direction of Dignity Health’s hospitals, ancillary services, physician organizations, joint ventures and medical foundations.

Mark DeMichele
Dignity Health Board of Directors
Former President and CEO of Arizona Public Service Co.
Mr. DeMichele is the retired President and CEO of Arizona Public Service Co., an electric utility serving most of Arizona. Following his retirement he founded a real estate investment company with projects in Arizona and California and served as a director on several corporate boards. He has also served on numerous non-profit boards in Arizona and California.

Tessie Guillermo
Dignity Health Board of Directors Former President and CEO of ZeroDivide
Ms. Guillermo is the Chair of the Dignity Health Board of Directors and is past President and CEO for ZeroDivide, a foundation in San Francisco investing in community enterprises that leverage technology to benefit people in low-income and other underserved communities.

Peter G. Hanelt
Dignity Health Board of Directors
Former executive for numerous consumer goods companies
Mr. Hanelt has served as CEO, COO and CFO for numerous consumer goods companies with manufacturing, importing, wholesaling and retailing operations. Mr. Hanelt has a proven international business record in achieving outstanding financial results in difficult turnaround and restructuring situations.

Barbara Hagedorn, SC
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
Congregational leader
Sister Barbara has served as congregational leader and president of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio. She has served on many boards, including hospitals, colleges, and several national organizations including the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Religious Formation Conference.

James P. Hamill
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
Veteran health care executive and leader
Mr. Hamill is a longtime health care executive and leader, both in Catholic health systems and corporate business enterprises. He retired in 2011 as president and CEO of Meritus Health, a clinically integrated delivery system serving western Maryland. Earlier, he led consulting and clinical research initiatives as executive vice president for Quintiles International.

Antoinette Hardy-Waller, RN, MJ
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
CEO, The Leverage Network
Ms. Hardy-Waller is an entrepreneur and clinician with extensive leadership, management and governance experience in acute and post-acute settings. She has served on the boards of many health systems and hospitals around the country. She is founder and CEO of The Leverage Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the representation of African Americans in governance and board roles in health care.

Kevin E. Lofton, FACHE
CEO, Catholic Health Initiatives
Mr. Lofton, an executive with Catholic Health Initiatives since 1998, held several leadership positions, including chief operating officer, before being named the system’s CEO in 2003. Prior to joining CHI, Mr. Lofton was CEO of UAB Hospital in Birmingham, CEO of the Howard
University Hospital in Washington D.C., and COO at the University of Florida Health hospital in Jacksonville, FL. He is a former chair of the American Hospital Association.

Chris Lowney
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
Former Managing Director, J.P. Morgan
Mr. Lowney’s career began as a Jesuit seminarian and progressed to managing director for J.P. Morgan & Co. Today he is a public speaker and author of seven books, including Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World, about Jesuit- inspired leadership. His latest book is Make Today Matter, winner of the 2018 Independent Press Award. He is the former president of Jesuit Commons, which he led in piloting online higher education program for Kenyan and Malawian refugees.

Patrick S. Steele
Dignity Health Board of Directors
Former Chief Information Officer, Delta Dental of California
Mr. Steele is the vice chair of the Dignity Health Board of Directors and former executive vice president and CIO of Delta Dental of California where he was responsible for the organization’s strategic direction and innovation. Prior to joining Delta Dental, he served for 35 years with Albertson’s Inc., ultimately as executive vice president. For more than a decade, Mr. Steele was the chief information officer at Albertson’s.

Gary R. Yates, MD
CHI Board of Stewardship Trustees
Board-certified family physician and partner with Press Ganey Strategic Consulting
Dr. Yates, a board-certified family physician, is a partner with Press Ganey Strategic Consulting, a firm that works with health care organizations to understand and improve the patient experience. Previously he served as president of Healthcare Performance Improvement, LLC, and senior vice president and chief medical officer for Sentara Healthcare. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a member of the American Journal of Medical Quality editorial board.