Mercy Health System Leadership

	John M. Starcher, Jr., Esq. CEO John M. Starcher, Jr. is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in the health care industry, currently serving as president and chief executive officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health systems and the fifth largest Catholic Health system in the U.S. Since 2018, he has been at the forefront of innovative initiatives that strive to deliver efficient and effective health care in more than 12 million patient encounters annually across seven states and two countries. As the largest employer in many of the states where it operates, Starcher has grown Bon Secours Mercy Health to generate $13 billion annually in net operating revenue through 50 acute care hospitals and more than 1,200 sites of care. Additionally, the health system contributes more than $600 million each year to benefit the communities it serves. His strategic vision emphasizes the importance of collaboration between business and government leaders to navigate the complexities of the health care environment. With a robust background that includes previous roles as CEO of Mercy Health and Health Management Associates, Starcher has consistently demonstrated his business acumen by driving operational excellence and strong performance in large hospital systems. His commitment to innovation is aimed at simplifying health care access for consumers with integrated strategies and polices that align providers, payers and others responsible for the delivery of health care. Starcher holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Toledo. His dedication to fostering understanding and cooperation in health care is evident through his service on numerous boards, reinforcing his belief that a united approach is essential for ensuring the health care system continues to meet the dynamic and evolving needs of patients and consumers. Starcher is a director on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Catholic Health Association, Ensemble Health Partners and Pediatrix, Inc.
	Don Kline Chief Operating Officer Don Kline is the chief operating officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health core operations, which includes its hospitals and sites of care. He is responsible for operational leadership across all Bon Secours Mercy Health U.S. markets, ensuring effective and efficient operations that result in high-quality, compassionate care for all patients and communities. Kline has more than 30 years of experience in hospital management, finance and operations leadership roles, joining Mercy Health in 2007. Most recently, he served as a ministry group president providing strategic leadership for Bon Secours Mercy Health markets across Ohio, South Carolina and New York (joint venture). He also served as president of Mercy Health – Youngstown. Before joining the ministry, he served in CFO roles with Heritage Valley Health System and Trinity Health System. Kline holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Duquesne University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
	Wael Haidar, MD Chief Clinical Officer Wael Haidar, MD, serves as chief clinical officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health. He is responsible for the strategic leadership of the organization’s clinical enterprise, including service lines, physician and ambulatory services, medical informatics and population health. He previously served as senior vice president, Provider Networks, for Bon Secours Health System, a role he assumed in January 2017. Prior to joining Bon Secours, Dr. Haidar worked at Mercy Clinics in Des Moines, Iowa, for 10 years where he served as a staff physician, medical director of the Adult Hospitalist Program, vice president of hospital-based physicians and ultimately as chief physician executive and president of Mercy Clinics. Dr. Haidar earned his medical degree from American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon, and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. He completed fellowships with the Mayo Clinic in behavioral neurology and geriatrics.
	Michael Bezney Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Michael A. Bezney is the chief legal officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, leading all ministry-wide legal operations, as well as governance, foundation and advocacy functions. He joined Mercy Health in 2002 as senior vice president and general counsel, and most recently served as chief legal officer for the ministry. Previously, Bezney served as vice president and associate general counsel for Advocate Health Care, the largest nonprofit system in metropolitan Chicago. Before joining Advocate in 1996, he was a partner in the health care law department of McDermott, Will & Emery, a Chicago-based law firm. He also served as an associate in corporate law with the Dallas, Texas-based firm of Johnson & Gibbs. Bezney earned his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas.
	Deborah Bloomfield, PhD Chief Financial Officer Bloomfield served as chief financial officer for Mercy Health. In a prior role, she was the CFO for Mercy Health’s southern division. Previously, Bloomfield was employed by Ernst and Young, LLP, where she specialized in the health care and finance services sectors. She has more than 25 years of experience in health care finance. In 2013, Bloomfield was named Chief Financial Officer of the Year by the Cincinnati Business Courier. Bloomfield holds a PhD in business administration from Touro University International (now Trident University). She holds a Master of Business Administration in finance and management information systems from Xavier University in Cincinnati and an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in accounting from Xavier University. She is a certified public accountant in Ohio (active) and a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
	David Cannady Chief Strategy Officer David Cannady is the chief strategy officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, leading the ministry’s acute care business development and strategic planning teams. Cannady came to Mercy Health in May 2017 from Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Nashville, where he served as vice president of the Strategic Resource Group. During his tenure at HCA, David led a team that provided strategic planning and consulting for growth initiatives and hospital operations, managed reporting and progress on the strategic agenda, and helped develop strategies on service lines, clinically integrated networks and clinical co-management programs. Before joining HCA in 2002, Cannady was a senior manager in the health care consulting group at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in Charlotte, N.C. He began his career at Richmond Memorial Hospital, now known as Memorial Regional Medical Center. A North Carolina native, he holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of North Carolina and a master’s degree in health administration from Duke University. Cannady serves on the board of Cintrifuse, an innovation technology company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
	Father Joseph Cardone Chief Mission Officer, Senior Vice President, Mission and Values Integration As chief mission officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, Fr. Joseph Cardone leads the ministry’s initiatives to extend understanding about the organization’s Catholic heritage and identity among employees, leaders and board members. Previously, Fr. Cardone served as the chief mission officer and senior vice president of mission and values for Mercy Health, as well as vice president of mission and value integration for Mercy Health – St. Vincent Medical Center and Mercy Health – Children’s Hospital. While in Toledo, he served as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. He holds a doctor of philosophy in moral theology from St. Louis University and a master’s degree from the Athenaeum of Ohio, Cincinnati. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and teaching. He was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Toledo in 1987.
	Joe Gage Chief Human Resources Officer Joe Gage is the chief human resources officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, one of the largest health systems in the U.S. and the largest not-for-profit private health system in Ireland. He is accountable for workforce planning, organizational design, talent, rewards, well-being, and diversity and inclusion for 60,000 associates across the ministry. Gage’s career of more than 30 years is dedicated to helping people and organizations reach their full potential. Gage previously served as chief human resources officer for Mercy Health. Prior to joining the ministry, he was a vice president at Tenet and led human resources (HR), talent, recruiting and HR metrics for the 56 hospitals and 58,000 employees in hospital operations. Earlier in his career, he negotiated national and local labor agreements for Levi Strauss & Co. At Delta Air Lines, Gage was the human resources division leader for 10,000 pilots and led the startup of Delta’s new low-cost carrier, Song Airlines. He began his career as in-house counsel for BNSF Railway handling labor and employment cases. Gage has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Baylor School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and Ohio. His board experience includes Summa Healthcare (HR chair) and the Catholic Health Association (Member and Governance Committee).
	Sr. Anne Lutz, CBS Chief Sponsorship Officer As chief sponsorship officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, Sr. Anne Lutz, CBS, oversees sponsorship, ministry formation, workplace spirituality, ethics, global ministries and social advocacy. A health care administrator with more than 30 years of experience in acute and geriatric care, Sr. Anne previously served as executive vice president of sponsorship for Bon Secours Health System. In addition, she served as board president for Bon Secours Baltimore Health System in Maryland. Prior to joining Bon Secours Health System in 1987, Sr. Anne served as an administrator for St. Francis Country House, a 313-bed skilled nursing facility in Darby, Pa. She also held several nursing management and staff positions at three Bon Secours hospitals in Michigan and Maryland. Sr. Anne received her nursing education from the Bon Secours School of Nursing, Baltimore, Md. She later obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Detroit and a Gerontology Certificate from St. Louis University. She serves on the boards of Bon Secours Baltimore Health System and Roper St. Francis Health Care. She is treasurer for the Sisters of Bon Secours, USA and assistant treasurer, Congregation of Bon Secours Paris.
	Sandra Mackey Chief Marketing Officer As chief marketing officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, Sandra Mackey is responsible for all marketing, communications, digital, brand and creative strategy to support health care delivery across the ministry. Before joining Mercy Health in 2017 as chief marketing officer, Mackey served as senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Arthritis Foundation, where she was responsible for national strategic marketing initiatives. Previously, Mackey was the executive director of market strategy for Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, where she led a team to support service line and strategic growth initiatives, established a digital marketing platform and launched a comprehensive brand strategy. Mackey was named “2018 Chief Marketing Officer of the Year” by the Cincinnati Business Courier. She is a graduate of the Woodruff Leadership Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Birmingham University in England. She recently served on the board of directors for Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Foundation in Atlanta and is a current board member for Access Health. She is a member of the national Women Business Leaders (WBL) organization.
	Jason Siegert Chief Ventures Officer As Bon Secours Mercy Health’s chief ventures officer, Jason Siegert is responsible for driving enhanced performance across shared services, clinical operations, care delivery innovation and growth, while helping build a more agile, innovative culture that allows Bon Secours Mercy Health to better serve its patients and communities. He joined the ministry in 2018 as its first chief analytics officer, working to harness and evaluate data with the goal of providing greater transparency and helping to ensure that focused, data-driven decisions directly improve results. Prior to Bon Secours Mercy Health, Siegert was the CEO for Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance Services in Scottsdale, Ariz. and served as director, Operations Finance, for Health Management Associates (HMA), where he helped to facilitate the system’s sale to Community Health Systems (CHS). Siegert holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Florida – Warrington College of Business and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.