Exceptional Process Leading to an Exceptional Fit

In July of 2020, Eric Conley was named the new President of Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, following a succession plan that was put into place one year ago. Having served as Chief Operating Officer there since 2018, Conley now leads the largest hospital in the state of Wisconsin, which also serves as the academic medical center for the Medical College of Wisconsin. He will also serve as an executive vice president for Froedtert Health. Conley’s tenure with Froedtert began as a result of a nationwide search conducted by WittKieffer in 2018.

As CEO of Penn Highlands Healthcare, a health system in northwestern/central Pennsylvania, Steven Fontaine has successfully helped to unite four community hospitals (a fifth hospital has just joined the organization) and numerous other facilities into a thriving regional system, with better, more comprehensive care for area citizens. “In the rural communities in which we serve, these hospitals used to be arch rivals, kind of like the local high school football rivalries. It takes a while to show people the benefit of one system,” he says. Integration was encouraged by clear communication to local residents, learning from employee engagement and physician engagement surveys, the hiring of a Chief Quality and Transformation Officer, a change to a single patient record system, the celebration of successes, and more. Local residents have come to appreciate the value of a strong regional network of facilities.