Joseph Swedish has resigned as chairman of the CHA Board of Trustees as he settles into his new job running the health insurance giant, WellPoint. Swedish was president and chief executive of Trinity Health when he began a one-year appointment as CHA chair in June 2012.
In his resignation letter to CHA, Swedish explained that his new responsibilities take him too far from the day-to-day work of the association and its members. He expressed appreciation for the opportunity to lead CHA and to work with "so many dedicated and inspired ministry leaders." Swedish joined the CHA board in 2006 and during his tenure he chaired the Finance Committee and the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee.
Deborah Proctor, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Health System in Orange, Calif., and incoming CHA chairperson for 2013-2014, has been elected by the CHA board to serve as interim chair until her formal term begins in June.
Proctor expressed "deep gratitude to Joe for his commitment to CHA and its mission. We appreciate his thoughtful leadership of the CHA board and his impressive ability to address challenges facing the association and its members."
Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, CHA's president and chief executive officer, expressed gratitude to Swedish for "generously offering his time and energy" to the CHA board and commended his commitment to the poor in the developing world. Swedish chaired the stewardship committee that ensures correct expenditure of the $10 million in CHA member donations funding the rebuilding of St. Francis de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.