St. Joseph Hospital Selects Dawn Rudolph as CEO

Yesterday morning, an informal reception was held for out-going CEO Kirk Ray.

Kirk is going to Dekalb Hospital where he’ll assume CEO responsibilities there.  I interviewed Kirk shortly after the reception.  Keep an eye out for the video clip.  In the meantime, the announcement of Kirk’s replacement has been released.

Press release from St. Joseph Hospital:

St. Joseph Hospital Selects Dawn Rudolph as CEO
Lifelong area resident returns to the location where she began her healthcare career

The St. Joseph Hospital Board of Trustees has selected Dawn Rudolph as the hospital’s new Chief Executive Officer. Rudolph is currently the COO at Dupont Hospital and has more than 15 years of experience in local healthcare.

Rudolph began her career at St. Joe in patient registration and quickly moved up the ranks, ultimately serving as administrator of its ambulatory surgery center. She holds the distinction of being Dupont’s first team member hired in July 2000 and played an integral role hiring more than 200 associates who staffed the hospital when it opened in April 2001. Her early responsibilities at Dupont were in the areas of human resources, hospitality and support services.

Rudolph was appointed COO at Dupont in August 2006. Colleagues credit her with having a tremendous impact on the culture and operation of the hospital during her tenure — a decade of service that helped define the “Dupont Difference.”

“Dawn exemplifies the traits of the network’s senior leadership and has distinguished herself in progressively more complex roles,” said Mike Schatzlein, CEO of both Lutheran Health Network and Dupont Hospital. “She’s an expert in customer service and in lean engineering. I have great confidence in St. Joe’s future under her leadership.”

Rudolph’s list of community involvement includes board membership with the United Way of Allen County and the Fort Wayne Center for Learning, as well as being a 2009 graduate of Leadership Fort Wayne. She is also a contributor to the East Allen County Schools Career Advisory Council and is an affiliate of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Rudolph is set to join the St. Joe team Dec. 1 and views this new opportunity with great anticipation. “To return to St. Joseph Hospital is a wonderful homecoming for me,” she said. “I am excited to serve as the CEO, to continue the hospital’s strong mission and to grow its services for our patients. Because of its central location, St. Joe remains in a great position to be the hospital of choice for patients in and around the heart of the city who are in need of specialized care.”

Rudolph graduated from Indiana University in 1989 and received her master’s degree in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan in 2007. The search for Dupont’s next COO is already underway.

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