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About Us

CHRISTUS Board of Directors

Catherine Dulle, Chairperson

Catherine Dulle,chairperson of the CHRISTUS Health Board of Directors, is president and Chief Executive Officer of Missouri-based Care Linc Options (CLO), L.L.C., a post-acute resource management and development company. Dulle also serves as president and Chief Executive Officer of Rehab Choice Incorporated, Associated Rehabilitation Service, Inc. (STL Management group), Rehab Outreach, L.L.C. and SeNet, L.L.C.

She has also served on the boards of directors of Incarnate Word Health System (formerly sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio), which operated nine hospitals and ten rural health clinics in Texas prior to combining services with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston to form CHRISTUS Health in 1999; St. Andrews Management Services, a company which manages and develops senior services, senior housing and senior living communities; and Aquinis Institute of Theology, a graduate school in theology operated in the Dominican tradition.

Richard S. Blair

Richard S. Blair is retired as system vice president of finance and administration, chief financial officer and treasurer of Minneapolis, Minn.-based Allina Health System, which was formed in 1992 by the merger of HealthSpan and Medica. He has 25 years of experience in health care, having held a variety of leadership positions in financial management and administration.

Prior to the formation of Allina Health System, Blair served as president, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer for HealthOne Corporation, as well as chief financial officer for both United Hospital and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in St. Paul, Minn. Blair earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud University and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1967. In 1977, he was named a fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association. He was named to the CHRISTUS board of directors in February 1999, and is its past Chairperson.

Gertrude "Trudi" S. Carter, M.D.

Presently serving as Chief Medical Officer of California's CHOC Health Alliance, Dr. Carter brings to her work a deep commitment to putting the welfare of patients first and a zeal for partnering with physicians to develop solutions to complex issues. In addition, she has substantial experience in medical management and quality management. Dr. Carter received her undergraduate degree from Howard University, Washington, DC, and her medical degree from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland. Board Certified in Pediatrics, she completed three years of training at Pittsburgh Children's Hospital in Pennsylvania. The University of Southern California was the setting for Dr. Carter's Graduate Certificate in Medical Management. Prior to joining CHW Southern California, she was Chief Medical Officer of MedPartners, Inc., Long Beach, California. Dr. Carter previously served as Regional Medical Director of Mullikin Medical Center and Medical Director of Hawthorne Community Medical Group, Inc. in California. She was named to the CHRISTUS Health board in February 1999.

Sister Kathleen Coughlin

Sister Kathleen Coughlin is vice president of Institutional Advancement at the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, a Catholic, faith-based university founded in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. Sr. Kathleen has an extensive background in Catholic health care, including having served as President/CEO of CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, Corpus Christi, Texas and as administrator of St. Anthony’s Hospital, Amarillo, Texas. She is past president of the Catholic Health Association of Texas and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Sr. Kathleen has previously served on a number of public and non-profit boards, including Baptist St. Anthony’s Health System; CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System; CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care; Care Inc. Options;
Incarnate Word Academy, St. Louis, Mo. and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. She was named to the CHRISTUS Health Board of Directors in January 2007.

Robert Z. Gussin, Ph.D.

Dr. Bob Gussin is the retired corporate vice president of science and technology at Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Gussin, who holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, has authored a number of scientific publications, as well as several chapters in academic textbooks. He currently serves as chairman of the alumni steering committee of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School. In addition, he works with NASA on the Space Flight Advisory Committee. Dr. Gussin has also chaired the board of the Academy Industry Program at the National Academy of Science and sits on the advisory boards of the Pharmacy Schools at the University of Florida and the Science University of Philadelphia (formerly Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science). In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of Locus Pharmaceuticals and Catholic Health Services of Long Island and serves on the visiting committee for the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr.Gussin holds adjunct professorships at Michigan State University medical school, as well as the University of Utah.

Sister Geraldine Hoyler, C.S.C.

Sister Geraldine Hoyler, CSC, is the General Councilor/General Treasurer for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Ind. Previously, she served as senior vice president of finance and treasury for Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national Catholic health organization recently created through the consolidation of three former Catholic health care systems. Prior to assuming her position there in 1996, she served as both a member of the three-system Steering Council which created CHI and as a Board of Stewardship Trustee. Before joining CHI, Sister Geraldine was the president of Mercy Services Corporation in Denver. Sister Geraldine received her bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Denver and is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, in Notre Dame, Ind. Sister Geraldine was named to the CHRISTUS Health board of directors in February 1999.

Sister Deenan Hubbard

 

Rev. Thomas R. Kopfensteiner

Rev. Thomas R. Kopfensteiner is senior vice president of Mission for Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national Catholic health organization created through the consolidation of three former Catholic health care systems. Prior to assuming his position there, he served as Associate Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham University in Bronx, N.Y. since 1996. He previously served for eight years as Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at Kenrick School of Theology in St. Louis and Instructor of Moral Theology at St. Paul VI Catechetical Institute for Teachers in St. Louis.

Father Kopfensteiner also served as a theological consultant to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops for the revision of the Religious and Ethical Directives for Catholic Hospitals from 1989 to 1994, is an ethical consultant for The Carta Group of Mansmann Cindrich & Titus of Pittsburgh, Pa., a member of the corporate ethics board for the Sisters of Mercy Health Care System in St. Louis, and has had several appointments to the Theology and Ethics Committee for the Catholic Health Association. Father Kopfensteiner holds a doctorate and a licentiate in sacred theology from Gregorian University in Rome, a bachelor's degree in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas in Rome, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Cardinal Glennon College in St. Louis. He was named to the CHRISTUS Health board of directors in February 1999.

Pedro Martin

Mr. Martin is the Marketing Director for LILA Ltd., a Bermuda-based insurance broker specializing in estate planning for Mexican high net-worth individuals. Prior to joining LILA Ltd. in 2004, Mr. Martin was with Asesores BPM, a Mexico-based estate planning firm. He holds a master's degree in Business Management from the University of Texas and a law degree from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He speaks Spanish, English and French. Mr. Martin currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Optima Energía, S.A. He also serves as an advisor o Aesores BPM, S.C. and as a member of their Board of Directors.

Sister Helena Monahan, CCVI

Sister Helena Monahan is Congregational Coordinator for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio. Prior to this position, she was executive vice president for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, where she has also served as an associate professor in English, assistant to the president and chairperson of the Department of English. Sister Helena is a graduate of the University of Houston School of Law, where she specialized in higher education law. She holds a Ph.D. from St. Louis University, and her post-doctoral studies include University of Mexico (Spanish); St. Louis University (Communications); and Oblate School of Theology (Ethics and Spirituality).

Sister Helena is a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio. Prior to her appointment to the CHRISTUS Health Board of Directors in 1999, she served for four years as a member of the Incarnate Word Health System Board of Directors.

Mary Jo Potter

Mary Jo Potter, a nationally recognized compliance and governance expert, is the Managing Partner and CEO of Highperlink, an international human capital management consulting firm. Prior to joining Highperlink in 2004, Ms. Potter was Senior Vice-President-Governance Practice Leader at Sibson Consulting Group, where she was responsible for client development for the technology, healthcare, financial services and professional services sectors.

While Ms. Potter has previously served on a number of public and non-profit boards, she currently serves on the board of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and is the Compensation Committee Chair of the Compli Board of Directors. In addition, she is a board member and Chair of Strategic Planning for the Hanna Center and Hope Unlimited International in Brazil and on the board of Siena Heights University.

Celina Garza Ridge

Garza Ridge, a Certified Public Accountant, currently serves as a Director of Finance and Operations for El Centro de Corazón, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Houston. She has served on the boards of numerous community service groups in Houston, including the Mayor’s Advisory Board on Women’s Issues, the Greater Houston Women’s Foundation, the Houston Area Urban League, Housing Authority of the City of Houston and the Houston Hispanic Forum. She is also a senior fellow in the Houston Chapter of American Leadership Forum. Garza Ridge served on the Construction and Finance Committees of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, where she was the first Hispanic woman appointed to the organization’s 13-member board. She is also a member of the Harrisburg Rotary Club.

Sister Teresa Stanley, CCVI

Sister Teresa Stanley, CCVI, past General Superior of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, held a six-year tenure as Senior Associate for Mission Services in the Division of Theology, Mission and Ethics at the Catholic Health Care Association. Her previous ministries include serving as vice president of Mission and Ethics of Incarnate Word Health Services and as dean of the School of Nursing at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX. She holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. In addition, she has two degrees from Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., including a master of science in nursing education administration, and a Ph.D. in psychiatric mental health nursing. Sister Teresa was named to the CHRISTUS Health board of directors in January 1999. She had previously served for more than two years as a member of the Incarnate Word Health System board of directors.

Dennis Stine

Dennis Stine is the President of Stine Lumber Company, a family-owned chain of hardware and home-improvement stores with locations across the state of Louisiana as well as in Mississippi. He has an extensive background of community and government involvement. He served two terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives, was Commissioner of Administration for the State of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, a member of the Louisiana Health Care Authority and has been a member of six legislative committees. While Mr. Stine has previously served on a number of public and non-profit boards, he currently serves on the board of directors of the Council for a Better Louisiana, and is the former chairman of the CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital Board of Directors. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of Allied Building Stores, Chairman of McNeese State University Business Advisory Council and Chairman of the Louisiana State Police Trooper Foundation.

Sister Celeste Trahan

Sister Celeste Trahan is a General Councilor for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston, Texas. Prior to this, she served as Vice President, Mission Integration for CHRISTUS Health’s Southeast Texas Region. She has held nursing positions at three CHRISTUS hospitals in addition to numerous other Catholic health care institutions, and has worked in mission integration for over 20 years.

Sister Celeste holds an MS in Nursing, and is certified as a Nurse-Midwife. She is also a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston, Texas.

Thomas C. Royer, M.D.

Thomas C. Royer, M.D., is president and chief executive officer of CHRISTUS Health. Dr. Royer has led CHRISTUS Health through a remarkable period of growth, making it one of the ten largest Catholic health systems in the country today. In 2006, he was named the 7th Most Powerful Physician Executive in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

Before joining CHRISTUS, Dr. Royer served as senior vice president of medical affairs and chairman of the board of governors of Henry Ford Medical Group. His experience includes not only leading the operations of major health systems, but developing physician partnerships, community health programs and services, and introducing alternative and complementary medicine into the Henry Ford Health System.

Prior to joining Henry Ford, Dr. Royer served for two years at Johns Hopkins Medical Services Corporation and Wyman Park Medical Associates in Baltimore in a variety of positions, including chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer and vice president of clinical operations. Dr. Royer, who is board-certified in surgery, received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his postdoctoral training at Geisinger Medical Center and Clinic.

 

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