Sister Carol Keehan, D.C., St. Thomas Trustee and president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, will be the next speaker in the University of St. Thomas Alumni Association’s First Friday Speaker Series at noon Friday, April 1, at Nicollet Island Pavillion, 40 Power St., near downtown Minneapolis.
Keehan is the ninth president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA). She is responsible for all association operations and leads CHA’s staff at offices in Washington, DC, where she is based, and in St. Louis.
Keehan has worked in administrative and governance positions at hospitals sponsored by the Daughters of Charity for more than 35 years and has held influential roles in the governance of a variety of health care, insurance, and educational organizations. She has served on several health, labor, and domestic policy committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She will share her insights on national health-care initiatives.
Her numerous awards and honors include the American Hospital Association’s Trustee Award; the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, bestowed by Pope Benedict XVI; and the Medal of Honor and the Monsignor George C. Higgins Labor Advocacy Award from the Archdiocese of Washington. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from St. Joseph’s College, where she graduated magna cum laude, and a master of science degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina, from which she received the School of Business Distinguished Alumna Award in 2000.
On first Fridays of each month during the academic year, the St. Thomas Alumni Association’s First Friday Speaker Series offers lunch and a speaker of current interest. St. Thomas alumni and friends, along with the general public, are invited. Cost of each luncheon and presentation is $25. Student tickets are $15.
For reservations and more information, call the St. Thomas Alumni Association, (651) 962-6430, or register online. The deadline to register is Friday, March 25.